The Focus of This Lesson Is Describing What You Are Doing.
Hij ligt al te slapen.
"He is sleeping already."

In the conversation, Karin said ik ben aan het studeren ("I am studying"),

and Selma answered Ik zit televisie te kijken ("I am watching television").

Both Karin and Selma express that they are in the middle of an activity: Karin is studying, and Selma is watching television.

The two most common ways in Dutch to express that your activity is still ongoing are as follows:

1. zijn + aan het + [infinitive]

For Example:

1. Ik ben aan het lezen.
   "I am reading."
2. Hij is aan het slapen.
   "He is sleeping."
3. Wij zijn aan het praten.
   "We are talking."

2. zitten/staan/liggen + te + [infinitive]

For Example:

1. Ik zit te lezen.
   "I am reading (while sitting)."
2. Hij ligt te slapen.
   "He is sleeping (while lying down)."
3. Wij staan te praten.
   "We are talking (while standing)."

Conjugation 

1. Still remember the conjugation of the irregular verb zijn ("to be")? Use the correct conjugation: ik ben/jij bent/hij is...aan het lezen! ("I am"/"you are"/"he is...reading"). The words aan het + [infinitive] indicate that the action is going on.

2. In the Absolute Beginner series, you've learned that in Dutch you often indicate whether something or someone is "sitting," "standing," or "lying" while doing something, whereas in English you just say that it or he "is."

For Example:

1. Het boek ligt op tafel.
   "The book is on the table." (literally, "the book is lying on the table")

It's the same for the examples below.

For Example:

1. Ik ben aan het lezen.
   "I am reading."
2. Ik zit te lezen.
   "I am sitting and reading."

The meaning is the same, but in the second sentence, we added information on how you are reading the book. For now, only try to recognize these two forms of expressing that you are in the middle of an activity. We'll practice later on.

Examples From the Dialogue 

1. Selma: wat ben je aan het doen?
   "What are you doing?"
2. Selma: Of is hij nog aan het werken?
   "Or is he still working?"
3. Karin: Hij ligt al te slapen.
   "He is sleeping already."

schaatsen ("speed skating")

In this conversation, we used the verb schaatsen as a noun, because Selma is talking about the sport speed skating. If you want to use a verb as a noun, use the infinitive. Sometimes it's preceded by the article het: verbs that we use as a noun are always neuter.

hartstikke

We use hartstikke quite often, but only in spoken (and casual) language. Use it instead of heel or erg, both meaning "very," and you'll sound like a native!

man ("husband")

Another word for man is echtgenoot, which is slightly more formal.

The Netherlands: A Sport-Minded Country

Selma is watching speed skating on TV, as a lot of Dutch people do in the wintertime. Dutch people are not only fond of watching sports, but they also love to do it themselves!

Nearly 5 million people are registered sports club members; that is, nearly one-third of the Dutch population! There are thousands of organizations, ranging from national sports authorities to a variety of small local clubs.

The number one sport in the Netherlands is football. Dutch football players Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, and Ruud Gullit are famous and well known around the world. Ice skating is also an important part of the Dutch sports heritage. Most winters it's not freezing long enough to skate on natural ice, so most people go to indoor ice rinks. If it freezes long enough, one of the longest skating marathons on natural ice in the world is held in the province of Friesland: de Elfstedentocht (literally, "the Eleven Cities tour").

Hockey is also played widely, cycling is very popular, and tennis clubs can be found in almost every town. Swimming, gymnastics, athletics, korfball, rowing, and equestrian sports are also widely practiced, among a variety of other sports.