How to learn Dutch when your office speaks English | I amsterdam (2024)

FAQs

Is it easy to learn Dutch if you speak English? ›

The key is to be patient, consistent, and motivated in your language learning efforts. For English speakers, Dutch is considered to be a moderately difficult language to learn.

You won't necessarily need to be a fluent Dutch speaker to find work in the Netherlands. English is the country's official business language and many Dutch cities, particularly Utrecht and Rotterdam, have plenty of opportunities for English speakers.

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.

For these reasons and many more, we're going to cover this important phrase. In Dutch, "Do you speak English?" is Spreekt u Engels?

Almost 95% of the Dutch population speaks English and over 75% speaks German. In international companies English is the working language but outside office hours you find that most Dutch speak English very well. In school we teach English and 2 other foreign languages, most often German and French or Spanish.

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.

Learn the language (or at least a few words)

If you're looking for English speaking jobs in Amsterdam, you'll find no shortage. In fact, with English being an increasingly common business language in the city, it's not always necessary to speak Dutch in order to find work.

Living in Amsterdam without speaking Dutch is not only possible, but quite common. The city's international atmosphere and the widespread use of English make it easy for expats to feel at home. While learning Dutch can enhance your experience, it's not a necessity for day-to-day life.

At Langua, you can access the 1,500 most common Dutch words, together with translations and audio, for free. Within three months, most students have developed enough language to discuss their personal background, describe their family, order food, and complete basic transactions.

Can I learn Dutch on Duolingo? ›

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Het spijt me. I'm sorry. Ik hoop dat je me kunt vergeven. I hope you forgive me.

Here you can see an overview of the personal pronouns. Depending on the person you are talking to, we have two forms of the singular 'you': je – jij, and u. U is used as a polite form to casual acquaintances, strangers, superiors and in general to persons a generation older.

An all-purpose expression of thanks is dank je, which translated directly as "thank you," at a neutral level of politeness. It's not impolite, but not formal either, and is the most widely used Dutch phrase by far. Dank is pronounced as written, but je sounds like "ya."

Most English speakers cannot, although it's relatively easy for English speakers to learn Dutch, and to a lesser extent, 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. And if you compare it to another language of that family, German, it's much easier.

Languages that are related to English and easy to learn include most Germanic languages (Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, and German) and Romance languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, and Romanian).

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. That said, learning Dutch will take some time and effort, no matter what your native language is.