Leer nu Nederland’s with a Dutch language course today!
The Netherlands is the land of tulips, windmills and bicycles. It is also the land of pancakes, van Gogh and liberal drug policies. It has one of the most important cities in the world – Amsterdam – and a long history as a leader in global affairs.
It is a lovely place to visit or to live. While the majority of Dutch people speak excellent English, learning to speak Dutch can be helpful when visiting. If you have no intentions of ever visiting The Netherlands or Belgium (or any of the other 5 countries where the Dutch language is spoken) you can still have fun learning Dutch.
The European Language Framework
Understanding the European Language Framework is important, because they are the guidelines by which almost every course is established:
If you’ve never spoken Dutch before, then you need to begin at level A1. This is the starting point for total beginners who have no knowledge of the language. It takes around 75 hours – much like German (a very similar language) to reach this level of the language. One you’ve mastered A1, you can move on to gaining an A2 sufficiency. This will let you chat with other Dutch language speakers without any major trouble. If you’re thinking of visiting any of the Dutch speaking countries, this is the ideal level for you to reach, as you will be able to cope with most thing you will find on your holiday. This should be another 75 hours – so around 150 hours in total so far.
Once you are comfortable with A2, it is time to tackle B1. Once you have your Dutch to level B1 (which takes around 300 hours – less than an hour a day for a year) then you can travel fearlessly. B2, the level above, is where you can start considering yourself as ‘fluent’. A B2 speaker of Dutch will be able to do the majority of tasks independently.
Once you have achieved C1 level Dutch, you will be able to work in a Dutch-speaking environment without too much trouble at all. This is effectively the benchmark for being a ‘proper’ speaker and is about 600-700 hours of total learning to reach.
Why should I learn Dutch?
Why not learn a new language? It’s a fantastic skill that looks good on any CV. There is no job in the world where showing you have above-average communication skills is not considered an advantage. If you don’t want to learn to speak Dutch for work-related reasons, that’s good too. Language learning is a fun challenge and very satisfying. If you are looking for something to keep your brain busy during slow days, a course in Dutch could be perfect.
I’m new to Dutch, will I struggle to learn?
The Dutch Language is very much like German, though with more Romance influences – which means it’s a very European language that draws from German and Latin. These two languages are also the base of English – so if you can speak that already you should be fine. A Dutch course will also help you to learn with professional guidance. Having an experienced Dutch speaker to help makes a big difference, and you can learn to speak much quicker than without.
Whatever the reason you choose to take a course in Dutch, you can be sure that you will be able to learn in your own time. With flexible course options, and a fun language, don’t let anything stop you from picking up a great new life skill. Before you know it, you will be sat among the tulips, confidently ordering a drink in flawless Dutch.
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