Kinderen vertellen over spreekangst in de klas

What is a “spreekbeurt” in Dutch?

Flemish schoolkids talk about classroom nerves, and one names the scariest part: «Een spreekbeurt geven, dat vind ik het moeilijkste» (“giving an oral presentation, that’s what I find hardest”). A spreekbeurt (spreken “to speak” + beurt “turn”) is a talk you give standing in front of the class.

It’s a rite of passage in Dutch and Flemish schools, the show-and-tell where you present a topic, here, one child’s example is a tiger that “only eats meat.” Note the Belgian flavour of this clip: babbelen (“to chat”) and the idiom zich gedeisd houden (“to keep a low profile”) ring especially Flemish.