Can you speak Dutch?
Mar 24th 2008, 8:44 am
#31
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Location: Galicia
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
That is not quite true. But you have to have lived in The Netherlands to understand why not.
Jun 19th 2008, 10:53 am
#32
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
I am in Netherlands. Dutch is really difficult to learn
Jun 21st 2008, 10:17 am
#33
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
A lot of funny and helpful remarks here. I think you have to just take it slowly, accept that people are going to speak English to you a lot. But they do appreciate the attempts to speak Dutch, and I've found them very willing to answer "wat bedetet....in het Nederlands". Luckily I did German "O" level at school, taught the classic grammatical way, which is a great foundation, a flying start for Dutch, which I'm learning from the grammatically based "Hugo - Dutch in Three Months" ( Three months!!!!!! Imagine!! )
Not sure I will be able to speak fluently in 3 months though!!
I find it difficult the order in which sentences are written.. a lot different to english.
Jun 21st 2008, 10:19 am
#34
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
We went over to test the water for jobs and stuff last week, and a financial recruitment agency told my partner that a company may send him to south of holland to a convent to learn dutch with nuns and it is a 6 week intensive course. Where exactly is this? Has anyone heard of this before? I met up with my dutch friend while I was there and she had heard of a convent where you learn dutch but didn't really know any more.. 
Jun 21st 2008, 11:57 am
#35
Joined: May 2006
Location: Galicia
Posts: 3,140
Re: Can you speak Dutch?
We went over to test the water for jobs and stuff last week, and a financial recruitment agency told my partner that a company may send him to south of holland to a convent to learn dutch with nuns and it is a 6 week intensive course. Where exactly is this? Has anyone heard of this before? I met up with my dutch friend while I was there and she had heard of a convent where you learn dutch but didn't really know any more..
When you say south of Holland, do you mean the province of South Holland, or the country known as The Netherlands? If the latter how far south? Limburg North Brabant or Zeeland?
Jun 21st 2008, 12:16 pm
#36
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
I'm not quite sure, all that was mentioned was in the south.. this is what I want to find out, where it is.
Jun 27th 2008, 9:45 pm
#37
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
An ex colleague of mine went to the nuns to learn Dutch, (cant remember where it is, but it is very well known in Holland) and it is an intensive normally week long course, and is very effective in learning the language.
Jun 27th 2008, 9:49 pm
#38
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
Jun 28th 2008, 11:05 am
#39
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
Thanks for very much for this! 
Jun 28th 2008, 10:27 pm
#40
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Location: Galicia
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
Sorry it is Vught...We think you have been out of the old country too long!
Jul 2nd 2008, 4:08 am
#41
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
A fellow eating lunch on Sunday and chatting away with his family had me intrigued -- very noisy restaurant, and I couldn't place his accent. His English was British in style and accent but sometimes not perfect.
Sure enough he had a Dutch mother, an English father, grew up in the Netherlands and went to boarding school in England! There is supposedly a Dutch department at our local big state uni, but taking courses will have to be postponed until my own eldest is at uni, if then -- no time.
We had a good chat, though, the men speaking Dutch, the wives understanding varying degrees of the conversation.
Sure enough he had a Dutch mother, an English father, grew up in the Netherlands and went to boarding school in England! There is supposedly a Dutch department at our local big state uni, but taking courses will have to be postponed until my own eldest is at uni, if then -- no time.
We had a good chat, though, the men speaking Dutch, the wives understanding varying degrees of the conversation.
Jul 6th 2008, 11:53 am
#42
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
Btw, are there a lot of different accents in the Netherlands? It is a small and very compact country with short distances but one could expect that with 16m people there are still variations in the speech.
And of course, there are the Belgians on the other side of the border who speak the same language but call it something else. They surely speak the language in a completely different dialect.
And of course, there are the Belgians on the other side of the border who speak the same language but call it something else. They surely speak the language in a completely different dialect.
Jul 6th 2008, 12:10 pm
#43
Joined: May 2006
Location: Galicia
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
Different accents yes, but a lot, no.
Friesland even has its own language.
Some Belguims speak Flemish, which has the same grammar as Dutch, but has its differences just like British English and American English.
Friesland even has its own language.
Some Belguims speak Flemish, which has the same grammar as Dutch, but has its differences just like British English and American English.
Jul 7th 2008, 7:46 am
#44
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
Worked in Heerlen (Zuid Limburg) for several years. I found the Limburgs dialect almost impossible to understand.
However my Dutch (non-Limburgs) co-workers were also unable to comprehend the dialect and I am sure the locals used it as a way of keeping the outsiders out (since they could speak perfectly good standard Dutch!).
It has always amazed me that for such a small country the Netherlands has so many regional differences.
However my Dutch (non-Limburgs) co-workers were also unable to comprehend the dialect and I am sure the locals used it as a way of keeping the outsiders out (since they could speak perfectly good standard Dutch!).
It has always amazed me that for such a small country the Netherlands has so many regional differences.
Jul 7th 2008, 8:14 am
#45
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Re: Can you speak Dutch?
I lived in Delft for quite a while, but also lived and worked in the Westland & Aalsmeer for many years. The last 7 years in Den Haag.
They are all within 20/30 minutes of each other, and the difference in accents are very noticeable. Een echte Westlander (a real westlander) is almost impossible to understand if you dont know the accent.
I myself spoke with a number of different accents thrown together(prenunciation of certain words) varying from Amsterdams/Haagse/Westlandse & Delft.