APPENDIX

Conversions

Numbers and Stumblers

Metric Conversions

Clothing Sizes

Packing Checklist

Dutch Survival Phrases

French Survival Phrases

Conversions

Numbers and Stumblers

• Europeans write a few of their numbers differently than we do. 1 = , 4 = , 7 = .

• In Europe, dates appear as day/month, so Christmas is 25/12.

• Commas are decimal points and decimals are commas. A dollar and a half is 1,50, one thousand is 1.000, and there are 5.280 feet in a mile.

• When counting with fingers, start with your thumb. If you hold up your first finger to request one item, you’ll probably get two.

• What Americans call the second floor of a building is the first floor in Europe.

• On escalators and moving sidewalks, Europeans keep the left “lane” open for passing. Keep to the right.

Metric Conversions

A kilogram equals 1,000 grams (about 2.2 pounds). One hundred grams (a common unit at markets) is about a quarter-pound. One liter is about a quart, or almost four to a gallon.

A kilometer is six-tenths of a mile. To convert kilometers to miles, cut the kilometers in half and add back 10 percent of the original (120 km: 60 + 12 = 72 miles). One meter is 39 inches—just over a yard.

Clothing Sizes

When shopping for clothing, use these US-to-European comparisons as general guidelines (but note that no conversion is perfect).

Women: For pants and dresses, add 32 in Belgium (US 10 = Belgian 42). For blouses and sweaters, add 8 for most of Europe (US 32 = European 40). For shoes, add 30-31 (US 7 = European 37/38).

Men: For shirts, multiply by 2 and add about 8 (US 15 = European 38). For jackets and suits, add 10. For shoes, add 32-34.

Children: Clothing is sized by height—in centimeters (2.5 cm = 1 inch), so a US size 8 roughly equates to 132-140. For shoes up to size 13, add 16-18, and for sizes 1 and up, add 30-32.

Dutch Survival Phrases

Northern Belgium speaks Dutch, but for cultural and historical reasons, the language is often called Flemish. Most Belgian people speak English, but if you learn the pleasantries and key phrases, you’ll connect better with the locals. To pronounce the guttural Dutch “g” (indicated in phonetics by h), make a clear-your-throat sound, similar to the “ch” in the Scottish word “loch.”

In a Dutch Restaurant

The all-purpose Dutch word alstublieft (ahl-stoo-bleeft) means “please,” but it can also mean “here you are” (when the server hands you something), “thanks” (when taking payment from you), or “you’re welcome” (when handing you change).

French Survival Phrases

When using the phonetics, try to nasalize the n sound.

In a French Restaurant

For more user-friendly French phrases, check out Rick Steves’ French Phrase Book or Rick Steves’ French, Italian & German Phrase Book.