Expert Info
on 4 Nov 2016
I don't speak any language other than English. What is it like to be other people who speak Dutch? Because the language is alike, I can read some Dutch words, but would I understand the same words if spoken out loud? I've never taken any international language classes. I know someone who lives in The Netherlands and I want to learn more about life and culture. I think it would give me a lot of lessons in life that I might not get otherwise, and I am the right person for the job, by heart! ❤️️
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I think if you're passionate about a country, that's definitely something you should explore. Maybe go there for a long holiday first and see if the lifestyle there suits you - that way you can also get a feel for the language and culture.
You don't mention your home country, but as far as the language goes, I've had a tiny bit of experience with that. I've been on two international flights with KLM, the Dutch airline, and they do their announcements in Dutch, then English. I also had a layover at Amsterdam on both those flights. Anyway, I'm from South Africa and my second language is Afrikaans, which actually came to exist because the country was colonised by the Dutch way back in the day. So I thought I'd be able to understand since I know Afrikaans and I'd seen Dutch in writing before and could sort of understand bits and pieces.
But oh my word, they speak so fast, and the accent/pronunciation is so different that I could barely even catch a single word. Long story short: like any language, it'll probably be tricky at first. But, learning a new language is a really great experience and if you get to use it in everyday life in the Netherlands, so much the better! You'd definitely pick it up faster that way.
What's your nationality? And what do you do for a living, if you don't mind me asking? You'll need to consider visas and right to work etc etc - which can be a bit tedious but is unfortunately an inescapable part of moving abroad!
Let me know if you have any more questions? Oh, and you can have a look at the guide to The Netherlands by navigating using the sidebar on the left-hand side of this page. Lots of useful info there.
Good luck!
Meagan