Netpon

I am attending a Dutch language course that is run by the Gemeente and I am struggling to get my head around the sentence structure. The whole lesson is in Dutch and we move from one topic to another and back again. A dutch friend of mine says the language and the process they are using are very outdated and making it more confusing than it needs to be.
Can I ask what others would recommend for learning Dutch?
Thanks in advance 😊

Fugee

Not the Delftse methode?

I used Linguaphone. It's even older than the Delftse methode, but it suited me. Each lesson deals with a specified subject, such as verb placement when asking a question or, for example, after "omdat", different tenses, active and passive, etc. I was (still am) rubbish at English and didn't know about these things until I started learning Dutch.

calman014

Going to one of this classes will just turn you into a Parrot.

Try the same course after a year and you will notice a difference.

Buy a tourist book "Dutch for Tourists" by Berlitz. Interestingly it has some phonetics which will help a lot.
An English-Dutch and Dutch-English Dictionary.
Buy a national newspaper occasionally like "De Telegraaf"

Listen to the news on the radio. (Preferably NPO)
Watch the news on TV. (Preferably NPO)

Set yourself a target of one new word a day and explore all the ways and context in which it can be used.

Find an english speaking Dutch friend who can explain a few things like this.

Also take a look at figures of speech, some of which are quite unique but which get used a lot in conversational Dutch.

Good Luck!

Red_Wine_Fairy

The important thing to remember is that everyone learns in different ways: they react differently to different stimuli.

What part are you finding the most mindblowing? For me, it is the listening, for several reasons (my brain doesn't translate fast enough, being the main one, so panic sets in if someone initiates a conversation when I don't expect it). Reading and writing is at my own pace, so I don't struggle so much, but then again, I'm not a young learner and have minimal exposure.


I haven't done the gemeente style courses (we don't need to inburger, as Brits). I did have a taalcoach volunteer for a year. This is what I worked through, to prepare for it. It is free and very easy to register (just choose a username and password), and it's linked to a TV series that is (was?) shown on Amsterdam regional TV, AT5. It might be too simple for you, but I still find it's one of the best free resources for learning basic Dutch (free workbooks to accompany it can be ordered).

Taalklas.nl | Serie | Oefenen.nl

scot47

Teaching method is only one aspect of the process. You have to find a style of learning that suits you.

It is easier for those who have already learned another foreign language.

Netpon

I learnt French up to A Level and found that quite easy.

With Dutch it's just the sentence structure I can't get the hang of, there is a different one for every single instance 😬