7 things that might cheer you up about learning Dutch

What is your first reaction when you think about learning and speaking Dutch? It may not always be positive. Many people somehow feel some frustrations. But… learning and speaking Dutch could be less awful than you think. Here are 7 ideas that could cheer you up!

1 Dutch is the closest language to English
Did you already discover that Dutch has many things in common with English? The reason is simple. Dutch and English are both Germanic languages, just like German. But… here is the great thing. If you look at it objectively, you’ll quickly discover that Dutch also looks a lot like German, but… somehow it turns out that it is really in the middle between English and German.  Dutch is much closer to English and it is also easier than German. If you like – although you might offend some Dutch people, you could see Dutch as a kind of German light.

2 How you write words is also how you pronounce it.
Let’s do a little test. Could you pronounce thief and friend in English? Is there something that you noticed? Probably not… Did you notice that you pronounced ie differently in thief and friend?

So here is a funny thing… if you pronounce dief & vriend in Dutch, the ie would sound the same in both words, like ie in thief.

When you look at English words, then somehow the right pronunciation is always a surprise. Let’s look at the word receive for example… you also pronounce ei here as ie in thief… Isn’t that strange? The good news is that – once you understand certain rules – Dutch spelling makes  a lot of sense. You can see a word for the first time and still know how to pronounce it. This will make it a lot easier to make a real jumpstart!

3 Dutch people think that Dutch is difficult
Dutch people love to believe that their language is extremely and this could work to your advantage. It simply means that somehow you’ll come across very clever and intelligent. Of course you will not tell them that certainly in comparison to other languages Dutch is relatively  simple. You need to keep of course this myth alive. Don’t feel shy to assure them that Dutch is extremely difficult indeed and then chances are high that somehow they will stand in awe for you.

4 You can come across as very intelligent, sooner than you think
Many people have the idea that they come across as a stupid small child when they speak Dutch, but here is the shocking truth… Even if you wanted to come across as a Dutch child, you would not be able to do it…

Here is some great  news.. Many words that are very simple for you are often words that many Dutch people would use if they have a higher education. Here are two examples:
Ik haat een tunnelvisie
Dit heeft mijn prioriteit
Ik zit in mijn comfortzone

These 3 sentences should not be that hard right? I hate a tunnel vision, this has my priority and I am (sit) in my comfort zone. Believe it or not, these are not sentences that a Dutch child would say and these are perfect examples of Dutch that seems to be more sophisticated and on a higher level. When you say these things, then Dutch people may be surprised and they will believe that somehow it shows that you are very intelligent. Tunnelvisie, prioriteit and comfortzone are not really words that ‘low class’ people would use….

By the way, if you speak French, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese, then you are extremely lucky. Many words that are completely normal in your language are those words in Dutch that have class and style…

5 Nothing feels better than cursing in Dutch
Has it ever happened that Dutch people do unreasonable things to you? Maybe you are on a bike and some people do not respect you. Sure, you can yell F*** you in English, but somehow it seems that this words does not have a great impact.

Many bad and evil words in English, just sound like hamburger or milkshake in English. Yes, a Dutch person will know what certain bad words mean, but somehow it seems that it does not have a lot of impact. But… when you know how to say the right words in Dutch with the right intonation, they will notice you ;)

Make sure that if you learn Dutch, you learn the bad words as well. They are more important than you think. Chances are high that they will have your natural attention anyway, so learning them can highly accelerate your learning!

6 With Dutch you can have a lot of fun
Whenever you speak English with Dutch people, it often happens that somehow they’ll put you in a so called expat zone and quite often many conversations get more transactional. But… even if you know a little Dutch, you’ll soon notice that Dutch people have a very specific sense of humor.

Humor is often called one of the highest intelligences and it is true. Once you know how to have different kinds of interaction with people, you’ll notice that conversations can be warmer, more personal and much more fun.

7 Speaking Dutch is only a minor advantage of learning Dutch
I often love to say that speaking Dutch is only a minor advantage of learning Dutch and it is something that confuses most people. You learn Dutch, because you want to speak Dutch, right?

True and… at the same time, you will discover so many more things when you learn a new language. First of all, you may reconnect with an inner part inside of you that likes to discover new things. It is something that children naturally feel, but too often we lose touch with it, once we grow older and get more serious.

For speaking Dutch, you’ll need to look at the world around you with new eyes, explore new perspectives and play with new way of thinking. You will also see English and other languages in a whole new light and you’ll be more aware of communication in general.

If you like to speak Dutch for real, you’ll need to master your thoughts in a certain way and this will require a certain discipline, focus and concentration. But… once you master certain things, you can notice that somehow it can expand many other things that you do in life and one thing is certain… if you know how to learn new things in a way that brings fun, then life can be more interesting and exciting…

If you like to know more, you can download 2 free eBooks
Why You Hate Learning Dutch & 7 Secrets To Change It  www.talencoach.nl
Don’t Worry Speak Dutch – 3 Steps to Dutch Flow www.dutchflownow.nl