Dutch Difficulty

There is (at least) one word in the Dutch language that still eludes me. It's a word that I just can't quite my tongue round. It's a word I'll avoid saying if at all possible.

That place hard for expats to say...
Photo: (c) Amanda van Mulligen

The list of impossible words was, of course, once quite long. The Dutch language is not the easiest for a British person to pronounce. There are lots of throaty sounds which don't exist in the English language.

When I first came to the Netherlands I lived temporarily in a place called Voorschoten. Thankfully it was only for a few months because I really couldn't pronounce it properly in those early days. It's the "sch" part that caused issues. The same sound is the culprit when non-Dutch visitors are trying to say Scheveningen. It took a while, but I did eventually master the guttural sound.

Non-Dutch speakers should avoid "Uitgang"
Photo: (c) Amanda van Mulligen

Ui (the Dutch word for onion) was the other word that I avoided if I could, simple enough if you refuse to talk about food. That meant I also couldn't talk about leaving the house (uitgaan) or about exits (uitgang). But I got over those hurdles.

However, one word remains. It sits as a solitary, lonely word on my 'impossible to say' list. It glares at me, sits there with an evil smile, daring me to make a fool of myself, challenging me to find an alternative way of saying it.

Difficulty. I have difficulty with the Dutch word for difficulty. Moeite. There, I've said it out loud. Faced my Dutch demon but alas, I still can't say it like a native.

What word eludes you in your host country language? Why?