Dutch is from the same family as English and German English students frequently say to me that Dutch is the easiest language to learn. It makes sense because Dutch is part of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European family of languages, just like English.
Dutch is Very Similar to English and German
It means that you have a head-start: Dutch is one of the easiest languages to learn for native English– or German-speakers. Why is that? Dutch is part of the Indo-European family of languages and belongs to the Germanic branch, as do English and German.
Dutch people are good at foreign language because the language they speak is spoken by very few people, and many people pass through their country who speak German, French and English, so they have made great efforts to encourage their people to learn one or more of these languages.
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.
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.
It Depends On How Much You Practice
Want to learn Dutch in one year? The Foreign Language Institute recommends a total of 24-30 weeks or 600-750 hours of Dutch language learning to reach fluency. Tobian Language School personally recommends 20 – 30 lessons for A2 level with a minimum of 2 weekly lessons.
Across multiple sources, Mandarin Chinese is the number one language listed as the most challenging to learn. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center puts Mandarin in Category IV, which is the list of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers.
Dutch is hard to pronounce
Very difficult to pronounce. And it's not just the consonants. The vowels also make it a lot more difficult to pronounce the words correctly. Some sounds like ui or eu are new to people who are learning Dutch.
They speak Dutch in the Netherlands
Most of the people who speak Dutch (about 17 million) live in the Netherlands. The Dutch language is a West Germanic language that is spoken by around 23 million people as a first language, and about 5 million people as their second language.
When meeting someone in a casual setting, it is common for people to say “Hoi” ('Hi') or “Hoe gaat het?” ('How are you? ') Meanwhile in formal settings, the most common greeting is “Hoe gaat het met u?” ('How are you? ').
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.
Its closest relative is the mutually intelligible daughter language Afrikaans. Other West Germanic languages related to Dutch are German, English and the Frisian languages and the un-standardised languages Low German and Yiddish.
To master 80% of the spoken language you will need about 1000 words. It will take a bit more than three months for you to complete your vocabulary to fluency. The first volume of the series lists 2500 of the most common Dutch words.
Of these, Spanish and Italian are the easiest for native English speakers to learn, followed by Portuguese and finally French.
Afrikaans – the easiest language to learn for both English and Dutch speakers. Afrikaans, the same as English, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, is a Germanic language. This is what makes it obviously easier to learn by a native English speaker.
Your Dutch writings are clear, well structured and detailed even about complex subjects. C2. Bilingual level : You are speaking Dutch fluently.
There are 10 things you need to know about studying in the Netherlands: Would you like to read more about studying in the Netherlands? Although the official language is Dutch, almost 95% of the population speaks English. Therefore, not knowing Dutch isn't an issue!
3. How hard is it to learn? Dutch is probably the easiest language to learn for English speakers as it positions itself somewhere between German and English. For example, you may know that German has three articles: der, die and das, and English only one: the.
Dutch, German, English, Swedish and Danish are all Germanic languages but the degree of mutual intelligibility between these languages differs. Danish and Swedish are the most mutually comprehensible, but German and Dutch are also mutually intelligible.
Which is easier to learn: Danish or Dutch? In terms of vocabulary and spelling, Dutch is probably easier for native English speakers since they share many words with a similar pronunciation. The Dutch language borrows lots of words from the French, as does English – although, annoying, they are rarely the same words!
Yes, it's often possible to communicate with a Dutch because many of them speak English or even German. I would not say that -- generally, there are always exceptions -- any German would easily understand Dutch.