Can you speak Dutch?

Old Jan 18th 2008, 7:46 pm
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Default Can you speak Dutch?

It has been said that the Netherlands is the most difficult place tolearn the local language for an English-speaker as most of the people from the age 5 upwards speak very good English indeed.

However, inability to speak Dutch still restricts employment opportunities. What are your views?
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Old Jan 18th 2008, 9:26 pm
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

I used to do business with a couple of Dutch companies and visited there a lot. I tried my hardest to learn the language but found it very difficult.

My experience was that nearly every Dutch businessman spoke better English than I did, so it didn't help my cause.
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Old Jan 18th 2008, 9:34 pm
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

Originally Posted by Mitzyboy
I used to do business with a couple of Dutch companies and visited there a lot. I tried my hardest to learn the language but found it very difficult.

My experience was that nearly every Dutch businessman spoke better English than I did, so it didn't help my cause.
We lived in a tiny fishing village called Yerseke in 1980. Hardly anyone spoke English so we had to learn to speak dutch. We were fortunate to find a retired school headmaster to help us. Trouble was, when we went elsewhere in NL no-one could understand us, because we'd been taught the local dialect
Did help us a bit though when we moved to SA and had to speak Afrikaans
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Old Jan 20th 2008, 6:51 am
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

I lived in Holland for 21 years, but because I moved over when I was 21, I found that I picked up the language fairly well. I spoke fluent Dutch within 4 years without lessons. I now live in Australia, in a flower growing region, and speak almost as much Dutch as English some days !!

The biggest problems in Holland is that almost everybody now speaks very good English. You should just try to speak the lingo. They do appreciate the effort. The language is difficult because of the prenunciation, but once you get the hang of it, you will surprise yourself.

Just practise "Scheveningen" or "goede morgen" "hoe gaat het met U" Its all in the G.
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Old Jan 24th 2008, 11:52 am
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

Originally Posted by furkew
I lived in Holland for 21 years, but because I moved over when I was 21, I found that I picked up the language fairly well. I spoke fluent Dutch within 4 years without lessons. I now live in Australia, in a flower growing region, and speak almost as much Dutch as English some days !!

The biggest problems in Holland is that almost everybody now speaks very good English. You should just try to speak the lingo. They do appreciate the effort. The language is difficult because of the prenunciation, but once you get the hang of it, you will surprise yourself.

Just practise "Scheveningen" or "goede morgen" "hoe gaat het met U" Its all in the G.
I'm from Holland and born here. So for me it's the English I'm working on!
Nederlands is vrij makkelijk ;-)
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Old Jan 24th 2008, 12:07 pm
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

Originally Posted by tinus
I'm from Holland and born here. So for me it's the English I'm working on!
Nederlands is vrij makkelijk ;-)
Dont kid me matey ......... Every Dutch person I have come accross speaks better english than the English
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Old Jan 24th 2008, 12:23 pm
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

Originally Posted by Mitzyboy
Dont kid me matey ......... Every Dutch person I have come accross speaks better english than the English
You've never been to Yerseke then
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Old Jan 25th 2008, 6:35 pm
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

I lived there for almsot 8 years, it took me most of those 8 to learn Dutch. And now I don't live there anymore I miss speaking it! Luckily I'm working for a Dutch bank so I do get to hear it every now and then.
But it was only when I had my daughter that I needed to speak Dutch, and my husband never really learnt it. I had colleagues who had lived there 25 years and didn't speak it.
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Old Feb 1st 2008, 12:11 am
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

Of course I speak dutch!
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Old Feb 1st 2008, 12:19 am
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

Oh I can so relate to the original post.

The damned Dutch will not be patient enough with people trying to learn Dutch, but then will insist that they magically speak it! My own husband (see above) can't stand my bad Dutch pronunciation, but how can I improve it if I can't practise and get feedback?!

I think some words and phrases were made up to torture non-native speakers.... try "graag gedaan" -- "gr" and two more "g"s before you can make it through the answer to "dank u wel" which is far easier to say. No wonder the Dutch are so polite, they thank you and then sit back and laugh when you have to reply.
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Old Feb 1st 2008, 4:15 pm
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

The Dutch vocabulary is something between German and English. The grammar is definetely more German than English. However, I can very easily read and understand Dutch newspapers but when the language is spoken there are far too many guttural sounds.
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Old Feb 1st 2008, 6:06 pm
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

Originally Posted by THR
However, I can very easily read and understand Dutch newspapers but when the language is spoken there are far too many guttural sounds.
I agree with you on the gutturals. I do my level best to clear my throat of all secretions when speaking Dutch, but it's still not good enough.
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Old Mar 17th 2008, 11:18 pm
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

Originally Posted by snowbunny
I agree with you on the gutturals. I do my level best to clear my throat of all secretions when speaking Dutch, but it's still not good enough.
I am a true Brit born and raised in the flowery south. I moved to holland for the love of a good woman back in 1990. I was very lucky to get employed by a great company that sent me on an intensive dutch course - 4 weeks locked in a tiny room with a private instructor - you either go completely mad or learn dutch - in my case both happenend - so now I am a completely mad dutch speaking english man!

In the beginning it is great that everyone around you speaks english and you can communicate with people. Then you do your best to learn the language and as soon as anybody hears you have a slight english accent they just right in and start talking english to you. It annoyed the hell out of me when I was trying my damndest to learn dutch and practise speaking it. Nowadays I get my own back. I walk around stores speaking english to my wife and when an assistant walks up and asks in their best english if they can help I just turn round and say in dutch 'sorry what did u say' with a confused look on my face. It is sooooo much fun watching them walk away scratching their heads - you can almost hear them mumbling to themselves 'I am sure he was speaking english - am i going mad?'. Vengence

I teach Maths at a Dutch state school now and apart from the eternal struggle with De and Het life in Dutch land is not at all bad.
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Old Mar 18th 2008, 2:58 am
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Default Re: Can you speak Dutch?

Originally Posted by The Hutspots
I teach Maths at a Dutch state school now and apart from the eternal struggle with De and Het life in Dutch land is not at all bad.
Wow, you're in my husband's patch of the world..... the dialect there is much more gutteral. And you have fun word changes like durske = meisje.

Good on you for learning! Hope I am as good as you one day. I need the immersion, as I've mentioned my husband is too impatient to teach me.
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Old Mar 20th 2008, 4:26 pm
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Default 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!! )
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