Learn Dutch

Why learn Dutch?

There seem to be two stereotypes of the Netherlands. One is a pretty, jolly place full of windmills and tulips, where everyone wears clogs and a little boy has his finger in the dam to prevent a flood. The other is a country renowned for its tolerance and liberal attitudes, where drugs are embraced, prostitution is practically encouraged and more or less anything goes.

The casual visitor to the country will observe a few windmills and potentially an enormous number of tulips (if you know when to go and where to look), as well as dams, Delft, cheese, bicycles and the other clichés of happy Dutch life. And, although not absolutely everybody wears clogs, some people do.

The tourist also cannot fail to notice the in-your-face sex shops and the "space cake" sold in cafés.

As for tolerance and liberal attitudes, they are clearly in evidence, though beginning to show some cracks under the pressures of multi-culturalism. The popularity and assassination by a left-wing idealist of the anti-immigrationist politician Pim Fortuyn, along with the subsequent murder of Theo van Gogh by a Muslim for making a film about Islam, reveal the deep rifts that are opening in Dutch society.

So what are we outsiders to make of the Netherlands?

The best way to get underneath the surface of Dutch culture is to speak Dutch. It is true that almost everyone in the Netherlands speaks English and, even if you know a few words of their language, they tend to answer you in English. However, if you persevere, away from the main tourist areas, you will connect with people in Dutch - and the fact that few visitors bother to learn this language will then be to your advantage because people will be pleased that you have.

Besides, it's fun! Dutch is full of guttural sounds that are very satisfying to make. If you know some German, this will help you a great deal with the vocabulary and grammar of Dutch. If you don't, English is the next most useful language to help with understanding Dutch.

There are many online resources to give you an idea of what Dutch sounds like and how it works, a good example being Dutch Grammar. There is also this thorough and detailed explanation of the history of the Dutch language.