dutch is the 56th most commonly spoken native language in the world. Dutch has 22 million native speakers, and about 28 million speakers once you add in people who speak it as a second language.
Dutch (Nederlands [ˈneːdərlɑnts] ( listen)), also known as Netherlandic or Netherlandish, is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after its close relatives German and English.
Dutch, with its 24 million speakers one of the 40 most spoken languages in the world, is also an endangered language.
Dutch, German and English are in the same family tree
Around the year 500 A.D., the Germanic dialects gave rise to separate languages, including Old Dutch. So Dutch is about 1500 years old. To simplify a little bit, you can see it like this. German is the oldest form.
At first, Dutch might seem like a very difficult language, but it's surprisingly easy for English- and German-speakers. Dutch has even been described as a combination of the English and German languages! This makes it one of the easiest languages to learn for speakers of either language.
It's also the official language of several countries, including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Both Dutch and German have their challenges, but Dutch is generally considered easier to learn than German. However, your decision should ultimately be based on your goals and interests.
If you will note, Dutch is in category 1, "Languages closely related to English" and German is in Category 2, "Languages similar to English", so their extensive experience shows that German will be significantly harder to learn than Dutch.
1. Berlin is older than Germany. Berlin is 800-years-old while the German Empire was only founded 149 years ago (And the German Republic 48 years after that).
So dive right in and practice your Dutch with confidence. For the same reasons Dutch is the closest language to English, German is also a close language, and another one that many English speakers may find easier to learn. Dutch is commonly mentioned as the language nestled between English and German.
Germans call themselves Deutsche (living in Deutschland). Deutsch is an adjective (Proto-Germanic *theudisk-) derived from Old High German thiota, diota (Proto-Germanic *theudō) meaning "people", "nation", "folk".
The lexical similarity between Dutch and German is over 80%. That means that 4/5 of the two languages' words are similar. However, that does not mean that they are necessarily mutually intelligible to native speakers due to additional differences in pronunciation and syntax.
Worldwide, Dutch is a national language in Suriname (South America), Aruba and the Dutch Antilles (Caribbean).
The Dutch didn't regard themselves as Germans any more since the 15th century, but they officially remained a part of Germany until 1648.
If you want to say hi in Dutch, you would simply say “hoi”. The more formal hello is “hallo”. Regional varieties of “hi” include “heuj”, “alo” and “huijj” but sticking to “hoi” or “hallo” is generally all you need.
Dutch Low Saxon (Dutch Low Saxon: Nedersaksies, Dutch: Nedersaksisch) is a group of West Low German dialects spoken in the northeastern Netherlands. It is assumed to be the native language of between 1 and 2 million people in the Netherlands.
While the Netherlands' official language is Dutch, the country sits at a unique crossroads of Europe, such that French, English, and German are all also fairly common to hear.
German is most similar to other languages within the West Germanic language branch, including Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German, Luxembourgish, Scots, and Yiddish.
Founded in 16 BC during the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus, Trier is Germany's oldest city and an important site for ancient art treasures and monuments, such as the Porta Nigra, the best-preserved city gate from the ancient world.
1. Bulgaria – Established 681 AD. Bulgaria is the oldest country in Europe by the date of establishment. The first Bulgarian state was founded in 681 AD by Khan Asparuh, who united several Slavic tribes and established a powerful empire in the Balkans.
Berlin was the capital of Prussia and then, from 1871, of a unified Germany. Though partitioned into East and West Berlin after World War II, the reunification of East and West Germany led to Berlin's reinstatement as the all-German capital in 1990.
Perks of working in the Netherlands vs Germany
Germans make more money, too. The average net-adjusted disposable income per capita in Germany, according to the OECD Index, is USD 31,925, while the Dutch earn USD 27,759.
Around 5 million people in the EU speak Dutch as a second language. Outside Dutch-speaking regions, Dutch is taught at more than 220 universities in 40 countries (information in Dutch), but especially in Germany, the United States and France.
Learning Dutch Helps with Practicalities
In addition to knowing basic words and phrases to live your new life somewhat independently, there are a few practical reasons too. For instance, knowing some Dutch makes reading restaurant menus, road signs, newspapers, and ingredient lists much easier.