Going Dutch: How can I meet Netherlanders halfway language-wise in May?
 

I've always managed to handle a little Italian, French, and Spanish when I've hit Italy, France, and Spain. But I don't know Dutch at all, though I know Gouda isn't Goo-da and Van Gogh isn't Van Go. I also know the Dutch know their English, but what Dutch do I need to know to show them sufficient respect?

Phonetic breakdowns of key words and phrases are most welcome.

I think you will find that the Dutch are the linguists of Europe. Their English is impeccable.

I personally found Dutch to be very difficult. The closest definition I got from locals, is that speaking Dutch is like speaking with chicken bones in your throat.

That said, there is still a strong animosity towards the Germans. Having been to Holland more than a dozen times, I've heard numerous open nasty comments about the Germans. If you can find the English version of Soldier of Orange DVD, it would explain a lot.

Just clear your throat and spit a lot.

On a serious note, BBC has good online language courses, and travlang.com will teach you enough to get by.

I just learned a few basic phrases, the usual niceties. Why don't you buy a book or something, that's what I did (travelers phrases).

We learnt a few stock phrases, but honestly, they were hardly necessary as the Dutch expect that they will be conversing in english to tourists and they are right!

a story from a friend of ours, whose wife was dutch: he was over visiting her relatives and went out for a walk with the family, and fell into step with a young nephew, aged about 8. he was trying to work out what they could talk about that an 8 year old might understand, but before he could say anything, the child started chatting away in perfect english.

Not only are some of the sounds very different (e.g., the soft g that sounds like the German back-of-the-throat "ch" - Van Gogh is NOT Van Go, but more like Von H-o-h), but a lot are often elided, like the final syllable in words ending with "en". So what is spelt "goede morgen" often comes out sounding more like "hooya mor-ha".

"Dag", "Dank U weel" and "Tot ziens" will get you by in most cases.

>there is still a strong animosity towards the Germans
Pure and utter nonsense!!!!

Everybody loves to tease those Dutchies, since they don't speak proper German and always tug their shells behind them on the autobahn. If you want to speak Dutch, learn high German and try to talk like a baby. That's Dutch.

Don't worry too much about the g sound too much - once you hear it a few times you will understand it, e on the end of a word is sounded. oe =oo, oo= oh, ou=ow, ui= ow, ee = ay, ei = aye.

Most double letters lengthen the vowel, single vowels are normally short. Ch is like in loch. Ij is eye.

Goede Morgen, middag, avond, nacht = good morning, afternoon, evening, night. They are very punctual on those and will change from morning to afternoon at 12 noon.

Hallo, dag (daach), doei - dooee = hello, bye, bye.

Leuk - nice, smakelijk eten - bon apetit, mag ik een = may I have a bier, broodje, glas water (beer, sandwich, galss of water.

Dank u (formal) dank je (informal) thankyou. U is used for older people or people you don't know well (but not in shops etc), just as vous is used. Je, jin is like tu.

Alsjeblieft - said when given something or asking for something though you can use graag instead when asking, means please.
mooi (moy) means lovely, beautiful. Lekker means something tastes good.

That should get you started - but I can almost guarantee they will answer you in English no matter what. Even after nearly 30 years here, and being fluent in Dutch some still hear the English accent and start in English. This results in me speaking Dutch and them speaking English.

My sister learned Dutch (she also learned Czech, but that's another story). People in the Netherlands were _astonished_ that she knew Dutch and couldn't figure out why she would want to, since we have no Dutch ancestors.

She now has many Dutch friends, all of whom speak English, but I think she finds it useful to be able to read Dutch when visiting.

Dutch is actually a popular language to learn. People think it is hard to learn. It isn't. It is a very logical language and easy, certainly compared to English.

The Dutch I have met speak better English than I do.

Linguistically, I am told, Dutch is very closely related to English but I don't believe it (I'm not an expert of course).

The reality is that most Dutch children when they are about 5 or 6 years old are required to learn a second language and almost invariably is English (actually at one time I thought they were required to learn English as their second language)...then of course they learn French and German (next door neighbors).....so I guess that in visiting Holland, you will have little language difficulty. Almost every local you run into will be able to speak English and unlike certain other countries, they don't expect you to use their language. They're only too happy to use yours.

My girlfriend (now wife) and I arrived in Amsterdam a few hundred years ago and headed straight to the bar. The female bartender came over and we commenced using our very best Dutch that we had practised for weeks to order two beers:

Tweedle dee bieren krnt.
No attendez. Tweedledum biersn kuntle.
No wait. Tweedledeedee bierres kant.

Finally she said ... "um, like ah, I haven't got all day here. Want a beer I'm guessin?"

Yes, of course Dutch is related to English, about on a par as much as it's related to German. As a Germanic language, its structure is latinate. And it's vocabulary isn't wildly extensive. It's actually a fairly easy language, once you get past the pronunciation rules, which are easy. I've never studied it, and I certainly can't claim to speak it, but I can read it pretty well and get by in it if I have to. I DO think it's an unattractive language to listen to, more so than German.

cold - i am one of those boring people who insists in using my language skills when i am abroad, even when those who i am speaking to are obviously more proficient in english than i am in their language.

My exception is Holland, where i am prepared to give them best, and apart from the odd "dank u vells" just speak english.

Ik ga akkoord Ann.

Mind, it is quite useful to attune your ear to Dutch for public announcements and the like.

If you put "learning dutch" in to the search of Youtube you will get a load of hits.
One even has the "naughty words"

Seriously, this is not a concern - if you cannot find an English speaking Dutch, you're either not really looking or whoever you're talking to is taking the p---.

Dutch speak multiple languages as a norm because only the Dutch (and some Indonesians and perhaps some old folks in the Antilles) speak Dutch. This is why BigRuss's old man played golf in Mallorca with a Dutch ex-pat dentist who moved his practice out of the rain and into the sun and learned Spanish in middle age without problem.

And you can check out an interesting post on deconstructing languages from Tim Ferriss at fourhourblog.com.

BigRuss you forget half of Belgium in your list.

There are actually a lot of Dutch people who do not speak English, or do not speak it well. There are also a lot who think they speak it well but in fact make an awful mess of it.

My DIL and her family do not speak much English - her mother not a word. Similarly my neighbours do not speak English. These are not old people, nor of a low educational level. Just as I had five years of French at school and promptly forgot it on leaving school, so they had English at school but have never kept it up or dropped it early.

hetismij - i'm sure you're right. but the dutch people that we tourists meet almost universally speak excellent english, because they are mixing with tourists all day - and not just native english speaking ones either, but ones who are using english as their lingua franca.

<<BigRuss you forget half of Belgium in your list>>

Um, much of that half (closer to 60%) is historically Dutch and G-d knows there's enough commentary around discussing the Fleming-Walloon split. Flemish in Belgium are somewhat like Magyars in Romania . . .

But that is technically correct despite Wallonian dominance of Belgian identity (thus the internal civil war when Kim Clijsters would play Justine Henin).

@StCirq

As a germanic language its structure is latinate? Excuse me? What does that mean? Also don't agree with the remark about the limited vocabulary. I take it you don't read Dutch literature, or Dutch scientific or scholarly texts.

Look, I don't say this for chauvinistic reasons or because I may or not believe it is the way it should be, but let's face it, at least for now, the closest thing the world has to a universal language is English for whatever the reason, good or evil. English is, of course, the language of international aviation and a whole lot of other things much to the chagrin of the French in particular. Chinese kids learn English at an early age, it is still, I believe, one of the official languages of India, both humongously large countries. About five years ago, I was very struck in touring Warsaw to find almost all the museums and monuments had explanations in both Polish and English (one could understand why it's no longer Polish and Russian but being in Central Europe, one might think German would function as a second language but then again I suppose we can understand that too)....it is simply a very pragmatic thing throughout the world for people to learn English as a second language. It's much more than there are lots of tourists around from English speaking countries. I can get along in French; I'm sure it's torture for naitive French speakers to listen to myu feeble efforts at prononciaton and time after time, I go into a restaurant in Paris and try my best to order in French and almost after the French words leave my mouth, the waiter will say and for the appetizer in English (onion soup). It's not a case of right or wrong it's just the way it is. A Dutch kid who wants to keep his or her options open to leave Holland will almost surely want to learn English first.

Sorry xyz but what has your post got to do with Wanderful's desire to learn a bit of Dutch for a holiday?

Dutch children now learn English from the age of 5. That doesn't mean all Dutch adults are good at English. Some preferred to learn German, some just aren't good at languages - just as you get anywhere else in the world.
The fact that English is a worldwide language (at least in theory - but far from it in practice) doesn't mean English speakers should assume others understand them, or make no effort (if only from politeness) to learn a little of another language.

Come on, Dutch is a nice language and a few words are easily learned.
And the Dutch are a good-natured bunch who don't take easy insult if you mutilate their language a bit.
And with their love for diminutives, it sounds even more friendly:

Most important sentence for the single traveler:
Een pilsje, alstublieft!
And for the traveling couple:
Twee pilsjes, alstublieft!

And in case you are in a pub with a football match running on TV and Holland plays against another country -preferably against Germany ;-)
Hup Oranje hup!

oh yes, another language to add to the long list in which I can say "2 beers, please"