7 Top Tips from a Language Teacher to Help You Learn Dutch

What’s the secret to mastering that guttural ‘g’ sound that only the Dutch seem to be able to effortlessly produce? How do you get your tongue to curl to roll that ‘r’? I have no idea, but I do have seven other top tips to share with you to get you speaking Dutch like King Willem-Alexander himself. Or at least Queen Maxima, who is, after all, the ultimate success story of a Dutch language student.

Fluent in Dutch in Three Years?

I interviewed Gerrie Soede, a Dutch language tutor, to get her viewpoint on the best way to learn a foreign language and of course Dutch in particular.

The good news is that, given the right circumstances (and a bit of talent), you could be fluent in Dutch in three years.

The bad news is that for some people fluency is something that will never be achieved. However, don’t let that be a deterrent if you don’t have a natural flair for languages.

Gerrie says,

“Don’t give up trying and remember that communication is always more important than perfection. Learning the local language is important to feel at home and expand opportunities.”

What Makes the Dutch Language Difficult?

I asked Gerrie what the most difficult thing about learning Dutch is. Aside from the illogical grammar, the impossible choking throat sounds and the physically impractical rolling of the ‘r’s.

Here’s her response,

“That depends on your level. At each higher level you’ll meet other difficult things. The articles and verbs at level A1; structure of the sentences at level A2 and B1, combination of words later on.”

Resources

In terms of good resources to learn Dutch? Gerrie is clear that each student should have an idea about their own learning preferences and what works for them.

She explains,

“You need to choose resources that meet your learning style and your goals. And that’s different for any individual. However, I like Code and De Delftse Methode for the first levels of learning Dutch.”

The book I used before I even moved to the Netherlands was “Dutch In 3 Months: Your Essential Guide to Understanding and Speaking Dutch (Hugo in 3 Months)“. It gave me a great foundation before landing on Dutch soil.

7 Top Tips to Help You Learn Dutch

To round up, here are some tips from Gerrie to help those of us in a constant state of Dutch language learning:

1. Invest not only in reading but pay attention to listening.
2. Dare to make mistakes.
3. Invest in learning words and do not think that grammar is the most important.
4. Stop the locals talking English to you by telling them you don’t speak English….. no, seriously –  explain you want to practice.
5. Stop translating as fast as possible.
6. Meet native speakers as soon as possible.
7. Most of all, Gerrie explains that it is vital to consider the fact that you are communicating as more important that getting it right all the time. Accept that you’re probably not perfect and you’ll feel much more relaxed about learning Dutch.

Over to You

Hit me with your top tips for mastering the Dutch language. What’s your proudest ‘learning Dutch’ moment? What’s the hardest thing about learning Dutch?

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