You’ve probably noticed that Dutch is a really difficult language to learn. Don’t worry, like the French, the Dutch are aware of this and will not hold a few unfortunate spelling mistakes or grammatical errors against you. So go for it! Here are 7 tips for learning Dutch and having fun doing it.
1. Rub shoulders with Dutch daily
Start by simply changing the language in your smartphone settings. Your entire phone will be in Dutch and you will be fully immersed in this language on a daily basis. This will force you to try to understand the language in order to use your phone and you will be able to easily make suggestions and deduce the meaning because you already know the features of your smartphone in French. This seems like a basic thing. But it is only a small step towards a better reading of Dutch. Also, put Dutch subtitles under all your movies and series. You probably watch TV every day, so there’s no better way to get familiar with Dutch than by watching your favorite programs while reading the subtitles. You don’t need to pay attention to the subtitles all the time. Just check them from time to time to see what the Dutch words are, it’s really useful for your first steps in learning this language.
2. Read children’s books
Reading a lot is undoubtedly the best way to ensure that words and their spellings stick in your head. However, with just a few basics, you won’t be able to read books that are too complicated or too long. That would be discouraging and would be useless. You’ll have to start from scratch and go back, as if you were in elementary school, to learn to read and write, all over again. In other words, you’ll have to start with the easiest reading material there is: children’s books. For your first readings, choose extremely simple baby/toddler books like “Nijntje” or “Woezel and Pip”. Once you are a bit more comfortable, you can move on to the great classics of Dutch children’s literature. In particular, try Annie MG Schmidt’s books like “Jip and Janneke”, “Pluk van de Petteflet”, “Minoes”, etc. Your Dutch level should have improved considerably by now, which means that you are probably ready for young adult literature. For example, you could try reading the Harry Potter books in Dutch. Since you already know the story, you will be surprised how much you can understand. You will also be able to read the news in Dutch, it will sometimes be easier to read short articles on different themes with illustrations. This will allow you to develop your vocabulary in several diverse and varied areas.
3. Take an interest in Dutch culture
Books are great, but they won’t help you master the tricky pronunciation of Dutch. Dutch music, movies, TV, and other entertainment will. As for Dutch music, it’s not the best, and unfortunately, many Dutch artists sing in English. But you can still enjoy some songs by Marco Borsato, Ali B, André Hazes, Volumia, Glennis Grace, Gers Pardoel, Suzan & Free. Besides that, there are some cool TV shows you can watch like “Zondag Met Lubach”, a news show that is quite easy to understand. The jokes reflect the Dutch mentality and way of life which makes learning more fun. Podcasts and radio shows are another great way to improve your Dutch listening and comprehension skills. Try “Zeg het in het Nederlands”, a 20-minute podcast in which Dutch is spoken a little slower than usual to help listeners understand the stories, or “SBS Dutch” which offers quick overviews of the latest Dutch news during 5-15 minute podcasts.
4. Practice every day
Repetition is key. Dutch can slip away from you as quickly as you learned it if you stop practicing it for a while. The only way to ensure that you maintain consistent progress is to use Dutch, every day, without exception. There will be times when you get fed up. Times when you get discouraged, thinking you’re not progressing fast enough, but don’t give up! It might take you two decades to become bilingual. And that’s okay! Learn from your mistakes and keep going. All your efforts will eventually pay off.
5. Learn the language from native speakers
The best way to learn a language is of course to move to a Dutch-speaking country. You will be confronted with the language daily and will be forced to improve to live there in good conditions. But if you can’t go and live in the Netherlands, you can still join discussion groups, online or IRL in bars for example. The Dutch are not only very nice, pleasant to be around, and open-minded. They also have a very special way of speaking with special expressions and little linguistic tricks that you won’t learn from books. As we all know, usage is as much a part of a language as spelling and grammar, and the Dutch usage of Dutch is always very interesting because it is constantly evolving. So don’t hesitate to join discussion groups because the Dutch will be very happy to share their culture and language with you, in exchange for sympathy but also for linguistic contributions from you in French or English for example.
6. Finding a job in the Netherlands
If you decide to live there, you will only speak Dutch perfectly if you force yourself to use the language, even if your basic level is low.Forcingg yourself also means finding a regular activity where you have no choice but to speak Dutch. An expat job is therefore not enough because you will most certainly be surrounded by French speakers and you will not be confronted with the Dutch language on a daily basis. It is advisable to find a job that does not require a very good level of Dutch or why not work with children. This will be very useful for learning a new language: they speak more slowly than adults, with simpler words, less slang, and fewer abbreviations; they do not judge, do not make you feel shy when they do not understand yo, andd they are patient, they will repeat what they want to say as many times as necessary for you to understand. Other jobs you can do with limited Dutch include waiter or restaurant manager and retail. These sectors have a severe shortage of staff in the Netherlands, so jobs are easy to find.
7. Buy a good dictionary
Investing in good dictionaries is a great idea. If you can afford it, don’t bother with a pocket or medium-sized dictionary and buy the thickest dictionary straight away because it will be a daily accessory in your learning. If you don’t want to burden yourself with substantial works like dictionaries, then install an application that will allow you to check at any time, after a tiring day of learning, the meaning and spelling of the words you may have come across. Also, get yourself a conjugation book. It’s very handy to have a small book where all the verbs in all tenses are easy to find and it helps you understand how the rules and exceptions of conjugations work.
The next step, pronunciation
In France, pronunciation is generally considered not to be essential to learning a language and to be something secondary. It is often said that pronunciation is not an obstacle to understanding but it remains a crucial step in learning a foreign language. It will indeed be easier to read Dutch if you know how the words are pronounced exactly. You will then be able to express yourself more easily and will not be blocked by the fear of speaking incorrectly. Foreigners are often afraid to jump in and talk to native speakers for fear of mispronouncing, so don’t hesitate to pay attention to the pronunciation of words. Practice this as much as you practice spelling and grammar. They are equally important so don’t skip them out of laziness.