I would like to learn Dutch.Is it very difficult?

Question

So many friends in Belgium and I would love to be able to speak their language.I can make a little bit of sense of it when reading it.At school (many years ago), i was really good at French and German, but when you dont use it, you lose it....So, is it better to go to nightclasses or learn from home?Any advice?

Answer 1

I lived in Holland for two years some time ago, and had to learn Dutch, I used a home study course, by Linguaphone. It was quite easy and a well formed and comprehensive course. If you speak German you will find the vocabulary pretty similar and easy, the pronunciation is different, but not impossible. But the grammar is different from German, the rules can change as in English, depending on the meaning.

I found the course good, and of course you can keep it and always do a refresher if you havent used it for a while, however, you do have to be motivated to just get on with it and only you will know whether or not you can realistically do this, or whether you may get half way through and run out of steam, or what you would do if you got a section you didnt quite grasp and in some cases, language classes may be better. You will be able to ask questions from the tutor, and receive realistic, honest and often much needed praise and other feedback, niether of which you can get with a home course. You will be likely to learn techniques and tips from other students, and of course there is the social aspect as well, you will be more motivated to attend a class on a weekly basis rather than putting it off when doing it from home. It is also much, much more interesting at a structured nightclass.

I learnt Italian through nightclasses and loved it, I went with two friends and we had a great time. There were videos and food and wine tasting evenings and people from all ages and backgrounds which made it a thoroughly inspiring experience. Studying on my owm at home was conversely quite boring, though at the time, necessary. And it was all to easy to put it off or not stick to an allotted time, so though the course was well structured, my attitude to it was less so.

Only you know what will appeal to you realistically, and more to the point what you would benefit from. Also, nightclasses can be cheaper than home study courses, believe it or not.

Answer 2

Dutch is really quite simple, basic sentence construction same as English but with German vocabulary ( Dutch hate it when you say this)

Night classes and study at home is the best answer as is the Euro star ( get over there as much as possible meet your friends have a good time and call it learning)

Be aware that Belgium is not Holland and although dutch and french are spoken in different parts they are regional dialects of both languages, but if you get stuck in it will sort itself out.

Good luck

Answer 3

Its the closest language to English eg
Dis is mein freund (my spelling is crap) = this is my friend
There are a few consonants which are hard for English speakers eg 'G', which is like an H in the back of the throat. Your German will come back too and if you add them all together you will surmount the mental block that most English speakers have about speaking other languages. There's not much help from French but German and English will help. Not hard, just practice and immerse yourself in it, listen to Dutch radio over the net and get Dutch comics and kids books. Good Luck

PS Dutch and English were the same language 600 years ago.

Answer 4

Hallo, I started to teach myelf Dutch. I learn Spanish and French at high school. I don't think it's that hard. The "g"and "ch" sounds are hard. The verb forms are pretty easy. Most of the vocabulary is like English. I couldn't find any Dutch classes in my area so I have to learn it on my own, but luckily my family is hosting a Dutch exchange student this year :) I have a lot of friends from the Netherlands. You can go on mylanguageexchange.com and find native Dutch speakers to help.

Answer 5

If you can speak German then it won't be too hard at all. I always think its easier to learn languages with other people, so night classes might be a good idea. Try finding a chat room on the internet where people only speak Dutch so you can test out what you learn.

Answer 6

Dutch is one of the closest languages to English still alive. It's closer than German, although the pronunciation is much more different and guttural.
1000 years ago Dutch, German and English were all mutually intelligible, as English evolved from the other Germanic languages, which were all only slightly different.

Answer 7

If you know german you shouldn't have a lot of problems the vocabulary is pretty similar but it has a lot less grammar.
A friend of mine who is from France actually learnt to speak Dutch while listening to his co workers. He started to work in a Dutch Belgian team in Dublin and he knew how to ask for a cigarette in 1 days time. Six months later he spoke and wrote fluent Dutch.

Answer 8

Nightclasses, definatly. Dutch isn;t that hard, its similar to a very old form of Nordic-German. Its all Germanic really, like English

Answer 9

You will have to find out for yourself which method is most suitable for you.

I can recommend Talk Now! Dutch (£24.99) from EuroTalk Interactive. This CD-ROM is great fun to use, you will learn the language by playing games and quizzes, which make it very easy and fun to learn. You can even record yourself and compare your pronunciation to native speakers, so you can make sure your friends will understand you. They have a range of products for learning Dutch, but I would definitely recommend Talk Now! for beginners.

You can order on their website www.eurotalk.com and they will send the disc to you (postage and packing is free).

Answer 10

For english speakers is easy, the same way that spanish talkers find easy to learn portuguese, french and italian.
Because the grammar structure and the nouns are very similar.