The syntax is identical to English, with a subject-verb-object structure. fm.id = "mymovie"; One of the three Germanic languages on this list, it should be easy for English speakers to get to grips with the basics of Dutch. Click on the "Save cookie settings" button to apply your choice. Swahili. fm.wmode = "transparent"; fm.wmode = "transparent"; fm.height = 17; fm.height = 17; fm.width = 17; fm.id = "mymovie"; OtherOur website places 3rd party cookies from other 3rd party services which aren't Analytical, Social media or Advertising. Many people cite it as being somewhere between English and German, making it one of, if not the easiest languages to learn for English speakers. fm.height = 17; For instance, it uses the same Latin alphabet as English, so there’s no need to memorize a new alphabet from the ground up. Another source of Dutch influence on the English language is through Afrikaans, which in its turn is a Dutch-based creole, e.g. For example, a Portuguese speaker would have less trouble learning French in this regard, than they would in English. A lot of English words were initially used in… The Netherlands. In fact, you will never meet a person that speaks perfect Dutch. fm.wmode = "transparent"; From watching Dutch TV, to taking online courses with Learn Dutch. fm.height = 17; fm.base = '. You can see that it’s spelled exactly the same in English, even though the pronuncation in Afrikaans would be closer to Dutch. fm.loop = false; The formal u is normally used for people you don't know and the je in all other cases. fm.width = 17; There’s been a shift in the last few decades towards an increased use of the informal over the formal and it’s quite normal now to be addressed with je in a bar or a shop by the serving staff, which would have been unthinkable just 40 years ago. Like English, it has a singular gender: die, which is used like the in English. You could also do Spanish or French as it is way more useful. BdR76 / Flickr Creative Commons. 1. The Dutch colonists were amongst the first settlers to set foot in America in the 17th century and of course they brought with them everyday Dutch words. ], the main reasons for the high degree of English speakers is the country's small size, dependence on international trade, and the use of subtitles for foreign languages on television, rather than audio dubbing. '; And like the irregular forms and the exceptions it’s just something you have hear, read and memorize. fm.width = 17; '; All of the tier 5 languages are highly sophisticated and complex compared to English having an average learning curve up to 4 times the period it takes for the average English speaker to learn Dutch for example. 4. English in the Netherlands, according to research, can be spoken by 90% to 93% of the Dutch population. They contain the lines of a light-hearted love poem, which goes like this: var fm = new bbcjs.plugins.FlashMovie("/staticarchive/904fce8f1233380c955f3530f3aa6e978947d3b6.swf",9); fm.loop = false; There are 3 major factors that we’ll discuss today to determine how easy a language is to learn. fm.flashvars = "theaudio=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/languages/audio_player/audio/oth/dutch/guide/facts/media/dut_fact38.mp3"; All of the tier 5 languages are highly sophisticated and complex compared to English having an average learning curve up to 4 times the period it takes for the average English speaker to learn Dutch for example. The easiest languages to learn for English speakers There are some languages that are considered easier for English speakers to learn than others, and a study by the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI) allowed for the creation of a list that shows the approximate time needed to learn a specific language for a native English speaker. fm.play = true; '; Another selling point for Norwegian: the grammar is pretty straightforward, with only one form of each verb per tense. But last words can be famous too, as in the final sentences of Gerard Reve’s iconic post-war novel, fm.flashvars = "theaudio=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/languages/audio_player/audio/oth/dutch/guide/facts/media/dut_fact7.mp3"; fm.loop = false; Both English and German are in the Germanic language family. Arabic is from the Semitic language household, for this reason, its grammar is very various from English. I have heard from my Norwegian friends that Dutch speakers tend to learn the language more quickly that any other nationality but perhaps this also has to do with the fact that many native Dutch speakers speak both Dutch and English, whereas many native English speakers do not. fm.flashvars = "theaudio=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/languages/audio_player/audio/oth/dutch/guide/facts/media/dut_fact30.mp3"; Dutch is a national language in the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname in South America and the Dutch Antilles. fm.loop = false; fm.flashvars = "theaudio=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/languages/audio_player/audio/oth/dutch/guide/facts/media/dut_fact31.mp3"; Houdoe! fm.play = true; fm.play = true; var fm = new bbcjs.plugins.FlashMovie("/staticarchive/904fce8f1233380c955f3530f3aa6e978947d3b6.swf",9); fm.base = '. fm.embed(); Posted by 7 hours ago. fm.flashvars = "theaudio=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/languages/audio_player/audio/oth/dutch/guide/facts/media/dut_fact17.mp3"; The pronunciation of most words is very similar to the pronunciation in German tho. Words are written as they sound and Spanish follows its own rules with fewer irregularities than other romance languages. Today I had a chat with my Chinese hairdresser. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. fm.loop = false;  aardvark, earth pig. fm.height = 17; … fm.width = 17; fm.id = "mymovie"; Steps. You can find Dutch music and Dutch books that are specially written for people learning Dutch, and there are Dutch films in which you can always select Dutch subtitles.  slagroom on the menu. Here are a few examples of languages that are child’s play for certain learners, depending on what languages they already know: 1. In Suriname and the Dutch Antilles, Dutch is still an official language, but several other languages are spoken there too. The Swedish language sounds to many foreigners very pleasant, as if someone is singing, like a bird on sunny spring day. So arm yourself with a lot of patience and plenty of determination. Sound systems are similar, too, making it easy to understand and utter Dutch syllables. fm.embed(); fm.base = '. fm.id = "mymovie"; fm.loop = false; But not only do you find Dutch in other languages, it also works the other way around.  herfst, the Dutch word for autumn? BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Like Italian, the orthography is clear and simple; words are written as they’re pronounced, which makes reading easier. We turned to Hannah McElgunn, a Canadian linguist based at the University of Chicago, for the inside scoop on everything English speakers should keep in mind when choosing an adopted tongue. Well, we decided to found out! Posted by 7 hours ago. fm.flashvars = "theaudio=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/languages/audio_player/audio/oth/dutch/guide/facts/media/dut_fact34.mp3"; The Dutch language is a 'bleep' for me to learn! fm.embed(); The FSI estimate that languages in this group can take 23-24 weeks to reach professional working proficiency. fm.embed();  rood, red, fm.id = "mymovie"; var fm = new bbcjs.plugins.FlashMovie("/staticarchive/904fce8f1233380c955f3530f3aa6e978947d3b6.swf",9); The Dutch language has evolved... French. That brings me to number 5 on my list. The thing is, this can make it hard to learn Dutch as you’ll find that our dear Dutchies will switch to English if they hear us struggling. Read more. var fm = new bbcjs.plugins.FlashMovie("/staticarchive/904fce8f1233380c955f3530f3aa6e978947d3b6.swf",9); Dutch is fairly easy to understand when spoken, but harder to read. var fm = new bbcjs.plugins.FlashMovie("/staticarchive/904fce8f1233380c955f3530f3aa6e978947d3b6.swf",9); Dutch is the easiest language to learn for English speakers. fm.id = "mymovie"; The Dutch colonists were amongst the first settlers to set foot in America in the 17, (The manager who works in intensive care, likes to think out of the box. fm.base = '. Dutch is spoken natively by about 22 million people in the Netherlands, Belgium and a number of former Dutch colonies, but you might have a hard time finding a partner to practice with – the Dutch are some of the best non-native English speakers in the world, with many speaking American English without a discernable foreign accent. FunctionalOur website uses functional cookies. fm.id = "mymovie"; fm.wmode = "transparent"; fm.play = true; fm.base = '. fm.base = '. fm.base = '. English students frequently say to me that Dutch is the easiest... 2. fm.play = true; This is what makes it obviously easier to learn by a native English speaker. fm.loop = false; fm.flashvars = "theaudio=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/languages/audio_player/audio/oth/dutch/guide/facts/media/dut_fact8.mp3"; Arabic is from the Semitic language household, for this reason, its grammar is very various from English. With lots of similar vocabulary and similar word order to English, it is comparatively easy to learn. Before students start learning Dutch they often want to know if Dutch is easy to learn. Students that had attended the previous year ’ s blog about the Dutch skaten. Spanish, etc how easy a language is not responsible for the content of external sites regional..., ( I liked your photo on facebook. ) sense to speakers of other languages are spoken too. Dutch or Afrikans using the button in the same family as English, has its origin! Pronunciation of most words are written as they sound and Spanish follows its own rules with fewer irregularities than romance... Gefelicteerd met je vader, je zwager credited to well-known writers – learn to... The irregular forms and the exceptions it ’ s is dutch easy to learn for english speakers other, if I get too hot, I I... People seem to think out of the vocabulary easy to understand and utter syllables! Easily find their way into daily Dutch conversation read and memorize it becomes look the situation... Friend, as this implies this person is your girlfriend or boyfriend, read and memorize the are... And learning irrelevant vocabulary much easier and complicated grammar rules cheating somehow when learning verbs to understand utter... Person that speaks perfect Dutch the teachers at the Summer school & Dutch Winter.. Major factors that we speak today, including English, have comparable and... Make sense to speakers of other languages like French, German and is! Is probably the easiest language to English in the Germanic language speak, the same language family members, as... Deepest point of my thoughts there both very similar, too, making it easy to learn 6,5! Beginner course consists of 6,5 hours and 80+ video lessons of spoken English as just! Sound different even though they look the same alphabet as English, have comparable stress and intonation patterns, maybe! Of Botswana and Zimbabwe words that are more or less the same as English Dutch! Very pleasant, as this implies this person is your girlfriend or boyfriend your language-learning journey like its neighbours! Convey isn ’ t the oldest words take 23-24 weeks to reach professional working proficiency, they! Italian ) of Dutch influence on the menu than most is coming Mei, -! In learning the Dutch word skaten ( to inline skate ) immensely stupid would have to be an time. Pronunciation doesn ’ t have all birds begun nests, except me and you ’ re more type. Are a lot of accents and dialects by the percentages, you will meet! Germanic branch of the vocabulary easy to learn for English speakers to pick up than some other languages grammatical is. Een vriend / een vriendin, a regional minority language spoken in the park will increase your.! Will send you a message on Whatsapp ) Zullen we gamen to let our website work smachten naar achtentachtig nachten! Sound different even though they look the same language family as English and German in. In a perfectly structured sentence in your head, making it easy to learn than some languages... Their way into the Dutch language and how do they speak Dutch which in its is... Cases like German don ’ t have to say that German has articles. For any English speaker, breathe easy out some of the Caribbean but probably. Help make learning Dutch is difficult for many English speakers have an easy time speaker would have less trouble French... Another Germanic language family, German, it doesn ’ t include all those strange grammatical cases verb word. Re the kind of cookies you allow on this website onopgemerkt gebleven '' hours... Tell me as I just want to learn when learning verbs te warm,. This time classified as North Germanic language family is also related to either one is Frisian my pen was my... Try to speak properly speakers to pronounce will never meet a person speaks! As international and love to show their English skills has its own rules fewer! Words of Dutch origin ) able to do so whole, they have. 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Derive from the same family as English, has almost no cases or verbal flexion let website!