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Reality and myth around Dutch speakers | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages |  | |
| Dagane Triglot Senior Member SpainRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4305 days ago 259 posts - 324 votes  Speaks: Spanish*, EnglishB2, Galician Studies: German Studies: Czech | Message 1 of 12 27 August 2012 at 7:03pm | IP Logged | ||
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I've doubted about posting this message here because I don't know if this section of the forum is the right place. It is at least the righter place I've found.
Next year I'm going to move to the Netherlands for at least 6 months, if circumstances permitting. I don't know Dutch, so I've wondered whether it's necessary to learn it in order to work there. Currently I speak English and I'm learning both German and Galician, although I only study Galician on and off. I'd like to study Dutch, but I won't have plenty of time from now to the end of the year, and I've already paid German classes, so I'd like not to waste them. Additionally, I'll need to improve my English, especially my listening skills and my technical vocab around my professional field, since I'll use this language while working. Hence, I think I've got enough work to do on language learning already. I've read that the most of the Dutch natives speak English or/and German as well. Is that real or just a myth? So, shall I start learning Dutch, even if I won't be able to reach a medium level until the year ends up? The city where I'm going to work is Amsterdam, and I clear up that I'm going to live there, 6 months or whatever. I mean, I won't be among students nor in a student residence, so it'll be an inmersion into the local society. Edited by Dagane on 27 August 2012 at 8:15pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| patuco Diglot Moderator Gibraltar Joined 6809 days ago 3795 posts - 4268 votes Speaks: Spanish, English* Personal Language Map | Message 2 of 12 28 August 2012 at 6:52am | IP Logged | ||
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Don't worry about not knowing Dutch before you go. On both occasions I've been to Amsterdam, English has been perfectly acceptable.
However, if you do want to learn Dutch, what better place to be immersed, just don't let on that you speak English. By the way, a friend of mine lived in Holland for about two years and he was compelled to take evening classes in Dutch. It was free, though, but I don't know if this still applies. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| ReQuest Tetraglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 4826 days ago 200 posts - 228 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German, French Studies: Spanish | Message 3 of 12 28 August 2012 at 12:11pm | IP Logged | ||
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It is true that you can live, here, in the Netherlands without learing any Dutch. Especially the bigger cities. In fact when I was in Amsterdam, I almost heard no Dutch spoken in the streets, and they served me in English in some shops! (in the touristy center, that is).
But if you were to come to a little town, like mine, I guess only young people will speak English well and the older the worser the English of a person. Also be prepared for our horrible accents because for some reason a lot of people can't get rid of it, even if they are way beter at English then I am! Edited by ReQuest on 28 August 2012 at 12:13pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tommus Senior Member CanadaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5660 days ago 979 posts - 1688 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Dutch, French, Esperanto, German, Spanish | Message 4 of 12 28 August 2012 at 1:18pm | IP Logged | ||
The Dutch accents in English are actually wonderful. I lived in The Netherlands for six years and love to hear the accent. Very distinctive and pleasant. For Dagane: Clearly you can get by with English in The Netherlands, and particularly in Amsterdam and The Hague. But learning some Dutch will enhance your Amsterdam experience which will be a great opportunity to get your Dutch off to a good start. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4501 days ago 5310 posts - 9399 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish | Message 5 of 12 28 August 2012 at 2:17pm | IP Logged | ||
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You don't have to per sé but if you do it'll enhance your experience by a country mile,
since we're not so used to foreigners speaking Dutch with us 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| montmorency Diglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4622 days ago 2371 posts - 3676 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Danish, Welsh | Message 6 of 12 28 August 2012 at 3:35pm | IP Logged | ||
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Based on the experience of a family member of mine, it would be good if you could at
least learn to read enough Dutch to cope with bureaucracy, forms, etc. There may be English versions of these, but sooner or later you will come up against something like this only in Dutch, and it's better if you at least have some idea what it means. And you will almost certainly encounter some local bureaucracy in getting housing, schooling, or a job, even if you are an EU citizen, or joining the library, or whatever. But in any case, I think you should just try to learn it anyway! :) It's an opportunity not to be missed, and you won't learn it any better than in a native-speaking country. Edit: your knowledge of German will not of course be wasted there, particularly with the written language, and should be a good base on which to build your Dutch, although do bear in mind that it is a similar, but not the same language! :) Edited by montmorency on 28 August 2012 at 3:39pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Dagane Triglot Senior Member SpainRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4305 days ago 259 posts - 324 votes Speaks: Spanish*, EnglishB2, Galician Studies: German Studies: Czech | Message 7 of 12 28 August 2012 at 6:19pm | IP Logged | ||
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Many thanks for all the answers. Now I gather I could speak English in Amsterdam and not to miss many things, though it would be really useful for common things such as forms and the like. I'd feel like borrowing books from a public library, indeed!
The question of the accent is quite interesting. I had an Skype interview in English and the accents were a bit difficult to grasp, but I think that was only because I was extremely nervous and because of the sound delay. Actually I liked the Dutch accent. Regarding German, when I talked about 'wasting' I meant my money, because I've already paid German classes for the next course and I won't have plenty of time to study another language, so if I had to study Dutch seriously, I would have to forsake German at least for this year, losing the money I've already paid. I know a bit of German but I'm just starting with this language, so the other point about both German and Dutch is that if they're so close and I start now to glance at them both, I'm afraid to mix them. Ideally I'd learn both, but my schedule for the next 6 months is a bit cramped. Mornings from Monday to Friday I'll go to the gym early in the morning and after that I'll work until 2 PM. And evenings/nights from Monday to Thursday I'll attend classes of either English or German. That leaves only the afternoons (4PM or so till 7 PM or so, that's, 3 hours) to study English and German (maybe Galician and Dutch too?) That's the real problem :(. All the same, I think I will be pleased to learn Dutch as soon as I arrive to the Netherlands, since as you have remarked, it's an excellent occasion. Edited by Dagane on 28 August 2012 at 6:21pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| beano Diglot Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4416 days ago 1049 posts - 2152 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Russian, Serbian, Hungarian | Message 8 of 12 30 August 2012 at 1:21am | IP Logged | ||
I've never regarded a heavy Dutch accent as "horrible". Native English speakers are already well used to hearing their language spoken in myriad accents with varying degrees of proficiency. Most people are very impressed with the level of English spoken in the Netherlands. Accents barely enter the equation. Edited by beano on 30 August 2012 at 1:21am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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