De Amsterdamse Buurtkrant en 'Zelfs'

Hello, I know you live in Amsterdam and you're working on your Dutch.

Yesterday, I was walking through de Pijp and I saw a stack of the buurtkrant—the neighborhood newspaper—on a bench.

Did you ever pick one up?

They're full of local news, like when the next rommelmarkt is or which café has a nieuwe eigenaar.

I grabbed one and read an article about a woman who organizes a wekelijkse schoonmaakactie in het Vondelpark.

She said zelfs de burgemeester komt soms helpen.

That word 'zelfs'—it means 'even'.

It's a small word that adds a lot of emphasis.

For example, 'Zelfs mijn buurman, die altijd binnen zit, doet mee.' Let's practice: 'Zelfs op zondag is de markt open.' Or: 'Zelfs met regen fiets ik naar werk.' You can use it to say something is surprising or unexpected.

Today, I want to teach you five words from the buurtkrant: de buurtkrant itself—the neighborhood paper; de rommelmarkt—a flea market; de eigenaar—the owner; wekelijks—weekly; and de schoonmaakactie—a cleaning event.

Also, 'zelfs' is our grammar focus.

It goes before the thing you want to emphasize, like 'zelfs hij' or 'zelfs in de winter'.

Try to use it today: maybe you see a friend cycling in the rain, and you say 'Zelfs jij fietst vandaag!' That would be a nice Dutch moment.

So, Hello, next time you see a buurtkrant, grab it.

Read one article.

And notice if they use 'zelfs'.

It's a small step, but it helps.

Tot morgen.