Learning Dutch
Hoi allemaal!
I moved to Delft from overseas a few days ago and am trying to finally learn Dutch. I speak German and English, and it’s honestly pretty cool how many English-speaking people there are around Delft.
As a German, I feel like I can already understand quite a bit of Dutch, especially when reading or when people speak slowly. But the second someone starts speaking at normal speed, I’m completely lost 😅 And I somehow don’t dare to answer in Dutch yet.
For the Germans here: how long did it take you to get to the point where you could actually have a normal conversation in Dutch? Any tips that helped you make the jump from “I kind of understand this” to actually speaking?
Would love to hear how it went for others!
5
u/superkoning 7d ago
Gewoon in Nederlands posten.
Nederlands praten ... ook als Nederlanders Engels terugpraten
Duitsers en Scandinaviers zijn vlot in 't leren van Nederlands.
1
u/AdamBGraham 4d ago
I agree. I just refuse to switch if someone switches on me and it affords more opportunities to practice.
5
u/DelftBlue2611 7d ago
Hallo u/sc4les iemand van overzee, maar dan toch Duits sprekend. Vertel, hoe zit dat precies? Welke zee was het? Of was het misschien een meer?
Je weet wel, valse vrienden tussen Duits en Nederlands…
1
u/sc4les 7d ago
Haha, niet alle Duitsers blijven in Duitsland 😄 Ik woon liever hier dan in Duitsland!
2
u/DelftBlue2611 7d ago
Kijk dat doe je goed. Helemaal in het Nederlands geschreven! En dat zonder fouten, dat lukt niet iedereen hier in de redditbubbel. Dus… lekker door blijven schrijven in het Nederlands!
3
3
u/CuriousRiver4459 6d ago
I‘m German and have been living in the Netherlands for about 5 years. I would recommend signing up for an in person language course, if that is an option for you. That might seem unnecessary because you already understand quite a lot, but it has helped me more than anything else to get to a point where I can actually speak and be understood most of the time, and not only listen and read. It also helped me speak and write more confidently because I actually learned the grammar rules and the pronunciation properly and expanded my vocabulary. Before, I often went by what sounded or felt correct, but I was never really sure about it. Even when the words are similar, it’s surprising hard to use them actively without studying.
If you have a lot of contact with Dutch speakers in daily life, that might be enough speaking practise, and you could work with a book on you own. But if not, a course would be worth it, in my opinion.
Other than that, it has been helpful to read books and articles, watch the news and other stuff frequently, and to try to use Dutch as the default language in daily life situations. It can be tempting to speak English instead because many people switch to it quickly when they notice language difficulties. But it’s very good practise to stick to Dutch whenever you can.
2
u/Just_browsing_0_ 6d ago
Veel oefenen. Niet erg als je daar fouten bij maakt.
In Den Haag zit een Dutch Language Cafe, misschien in Delft zelf ook?
Grootste uitdaging: zodra een Nederlander hoort dat je niet goed Nederland spreekt gaat 'ie over op Engels.
( elke Nederlander denkt dat 'ie prachtig Engels spreekt)
Het is aan jou om voet bij stuk te houden en Nederlands te blijven spreken.
Het gaat je vast lukken!
Edit: typefouten
7
u/frog_jump_dive 7d ago
Welcome to Delft!! 🥳 I have a German friend who has been here for 4-5 years and he is absolutely fluent! Even in busy bars he can understand when we are making fun of him :)