Learn Dutch

Why learn Dutch?

As Belgium’s national language, Dutch is indispensable in Belgium! You’ll be able to chat more easily when you’re out and about in Flanders, Brussels or on the coast. You’ll be able to take better care of your Dutch-speaking customers in the Ardennes.

Mastering Dutch is essential to your career. Bilingualism or trilingualism is the norm. Knowledge of Dutch is often a required and indispensable skill on many job offers. Public service requires knowledge of national languages.

The advantages are enormous in the world of work. You’ll be able to exchange ideas with your Dutch-speaking colleagues so much more easily, making for a much richer and more interesting mutual understanding. What a pleasure it is to take part in meetings where everyone speaks in their mother tongue, understands each other and can also respond in the other’s language.

Speaking and mastering Dutch is necessary for many other reasons: for higher education, for moving to a Dutch-speaking community, for expatriation, for exams, for job interviews or for practicing your profession to the full.

Whatever your reason or motivation, learn Dutch and dare to speak it! An interesting objective to set is to be able to speak fluent Dutch without searching for words, which corresponds to a level of Dutch B2.

All these methods can be classified into 2 groups:

• Self-learning methods
• Methods with professional guidance

At first glance, self-study in Dutch looks very appealing! It’s often free or inexpensive. I don’t have to stick to fixed or regular working hours. I’m independent and I do what I want when I want. It’s all very appealing, but extremely difficult to maintain over time because it requires a great deal of discipline and these methods lack practice.

Accompanied methods are more restrictive. You’ll be accompanied by experienced Dutch teachers, coaches and a pedagogical team who will help you practice Dutch and understand all the grammatical rules. They adapt the method to your level and your objectives.

You’re going to have trouble learning Dutch. Support helps to overcome these difficulties and avoid giving up. When these courses are in a group, you’ll benefit from the added motivation of your classmates.

Learning Dutch follows a progression of 6 levels of Dutch knowledge:

• Dutch level A0: absolute beginner.
• Dutch level A1: elementary user.
• Dutch level A2: elementary user or false beginner.
• Dutch level B1: independent user.
• Dutch level B2: fluent Dutch – independent user.
• Dutch level C1 or Advanced Dutch level – experienced user.
• Dutch level C2: bilingual – experienced user.

Organisation of a program of Dutch language courses.

How to start your Dutch language learning program?

Learning Dutch (like any foreign language) takes time, motivation, regularity and effort.

First of all, set aside some time and plan your learning. You need time to learn regularly over a long period of time. Plan your schedule and activities so as to free up the necessary time, and choose a suitable learning pace.

Next, adapt your environment so that you’re exposed to Dutch: listen to radio, TV or podcasts in Dutch, watch films and series with Dutch subtitles, try to find people to talk to or interact with in Dutch. Take frequent strolls through the beautiful Flemish towns.

Finally, take a Dutch course and learn Dutch with the help of an experienced teacher and a pedagogical method. It’s the guarantee of success.

Learning Dutch for a child (ages 4 to 12)

Children have an immense talent for perceiving and pronouncing different languages. Activating these skills at an early age will greatly facilitate learning Dutch.

Learning Dutch can start very early. There are many solutions available. We start by exposing children to Dutch via mobile or tablet applications. Just look at the children’s programs on Flemish television.

Of course, this requires the use of screens, and these solutions will be insufficient for quality learning. At school, the child may benefit from activities in Dutch, Dutch lessons in primary school, or the chance to be in an immersion class.

In the absence of these Dutch activities at school, quality Dutch language learning is available via these solutions:

• group courses on Wednesdays or Saturdays;
• private or individual lessons;
• Dutch language courses during the school vacations, combined with other fun activities.

These Dutch courses are also available online as virtual courses via videoconferencing. It’s very practical, because you don’t have to waste time driving the kids around.

Learning Dutch for teenagers (ages 12 to 18)

Becoming bilingual or trilingual is now a must! Dutch is one of the most important languages in a teenager’s school career. Dutch has become the 2nd language in many regions.

For a teenager, Dutch lessons can be difficult and additional lessons can meet different needs:

• provide support and assistance for students with learning difficulties in Dutch ;
• provide a little extra for students who don’t have enough hours in their program.

Solutions include group Dutch courses in the classroom, more flexible private lessons with a dedicated teacher, Dutch courses during the school vacations and, why not, immersion stays in Flanders or Holland.

Learning Dutch for adults

Dutch courses are the most effective way to learn Dutch if you’re busy or working.

The courses will require a significant investment of time. The support of a teacher and the motivation of the group guarantee that this time will be used efficiently and you will be able to measure your progress. Avoid methods that promise miracles. You’ll be wasting a lot of time without getting much in the way of results.

It’s important to define your objectives and the reasons for learning Dutch. Not everyone needs to become bilingual. Maybe you just want to understand your colleagues or take part in a meeting in Dutch.

To help you, you can use diagnostic tools to define your needs and objectives for learning Dutch. This takes into account my constraints in terms of time and availability, my level of knowledge of Dutch and helps define the skills I want to acquire.

The first step is to test your level of Dutch to determine which type of course you should start with.

10 tips for learning Dutch quickly

What are the 10 secrets to learning Dutch as quickly as possible?

• Take note of all the new Dutch words and expressions you discover.
• Talk to native Dutch speakers.
• Read everything you can in Dutch: magazines, websites, press and literature.
• Subscribe to Dutch-language podcasts and YouTube channels on a subject you’re passionate about.
• Spend a few weeks in Holland, or take advantage of our many city trips to Ghent, Bruges, the coast or Amsterdam.
• Ask as many questions as you can to make sure you understand everything we explain.
• Start with the basics of Dutch and work your way up.
• Learn in a group.
• Get support from a teacher, coach or educational team.