23 million speakers, and grammar that just won’t quit, Dutch can seem like a daunting task. We see it all too often at UPB, and we always tell our students the same thing. So we thought we’d spread the word, and share our 5 Tips to Make Learning Dutch Easier.
1. Watch First Dates Nederland
Being from the UK, the birthplace of First Dates, I was beyond happy to see that there is a Dutch version of the show. First Dates is great; two people meeting for the first time, getting to know each other, having those awkward initial conversations, and trying to show the best versions of themselves – all in front of a camera!
Apart from being great entertainment, watching First Dates is a great way to practice your Dutch listening skills. When on a first date, we introduce ourselves, talk about our hobbies, likes/dislikes, our childhood, our hopes and dreams etc. You will continuously hear this information from lots of different people, allowing for continuous exposure. These are topics that you’ll most likely encounter in your day-to-day Dutch conversations. This is also useful, because the daters ask each other questions, which will get you familiar with how to form questions.
Having so many accents in the Netherlands, this show will also expose you to these different ways of speaking, and also to Flemish-Dutch speakers too – further developing your understanding.
2. Politely ask Horeca staff to speak Dutch to you
‘Tis a tale as old as time; Walking into a cafe, proudly asking for “Een koffie alsjeblieft” only to be responded with ‘what size?’. There is nothing more defeating to your Dutch spirit. But while the Dutch see this as a way of helping make the conversation go more smoothly, and of course, as there’s a giant queue behind you and they’re just trying to get through the day, this is an opportune moment to learn how to survive in Dutch.
Try to respond as much as possible in Dutch, even if they reply in English, they should, hopefully, understand what you’re saying.
It might be an awkward moment, they may roll their eyes (again… Horeca work is no easy feat), and the people behind you may tut (if they’re British), but this cements a crucial pathway in your Dutch language brain. Accomplishing these daily tasks in Dutch allows you not only to feel more confident, but to focus on the more important, higher level conversations.
If you know how to order a coffee, order food and ask for the bill in a restaurant, you can turn your attention to calling the mechanic, the Gemeente, or the even the belastingdienst *shudders*.
3. Forget everything you know about your own language
Dutch is odd, in the most wonderful way. It truly is a language like no other, in the sense that on the outside, even with knowing a few words, the grammar can seem very nonsensical. I know from personal experience that it can be very daunting to read a Dutch text, with 3 verbs at the end of a sentence, words with 545 letters, and prepositions seemingly scattered across the page. To German speakers, this is of course a familiar sight. But for speakers from outside the Germanic language family (including English), this can be intimidating.
With this being a difficult thing to grasp, it can be tempting to pull comparisons with your own language. Let’s take phrasal verbs for example; opstaan, afwassen, uitvinden. While in English we can find a similar set up, speakers of Romance languages would struggle to find anything to compare the use of these to.
When approaching a language in a different family than your own, it is important to try to learn like a child. Children can’t sit and work out how to use phrasal verbs in their first language, because this is their first language.
Take it at face value, and practice, practice, practice! Then, you’ll get it.
4. Join an Una Paloma Blanca Dutch course
Did you really think I wasn’t going to mention the reason we’re all here? UPB has some of the BEST Dutch teachers this country has to offer. We’ve seen at our language cafes, the progress of our students, and how their hard work and motivation has been nurtured by their teachers, and their passion for the Dutch language.
We really do have every possible path to learning Dutch you could ever desire, and so this is arguably the best way to improve your Dutch. Joining a course will make sure you’re keeping on top of your progress, as you work your way through the levels. Dutch can be very confusing, and our teachers are on hand to answer the questions Google can’t.
The other cool thing about courses is that you can actually map your journey. A0 to B2 in 2 years? No problem. A2 – B2 in 1 year? What a challenge, let’s get started!
5. “Keep it simple simple” (a tip from one of our fabulous Dutch teachers, Sherill).
I personally asked Sherill to be my Dutch teacher, because of this tip. Being an English speaker, my sentences are often full of modal verbs, being polite through my use of 100 words, to mean 1 thing.
When I began my lessons, Sherill was astounded by just how many Dutch words I was using to write a simple email. Her advice to me was “keep it simple simple! The more words you use, the more mistakes you can make.”
The Dutch are known for being efficient in their communication, often coming across as direct. But really, they value people’s time, and they don’t want to waste it by beating around the bush.
Use polite words, but say it in a simple sentence, you’ll not only be efficient, but there’ll be much less opportunity to make mistakes.
Dutch is achievable, but as we say at UPB, you must SPEAK UP! Languages must be spoken in order to learn them, and Dutch is no different.
Keep it simple simple, watch an episode of First Dates, and we’ll see you at UPB.