Approximately 23 million people worldwide speak Dutch which - let’s face it - doesn’t make it the most statistically useful language you could devote your time to. But who knows what the future might hold? That perfect job might be waiting for you in Amsterdam, you could fall in love with a tall, lanky Nederlander or you may one day bail out of the rat race for a carefree, beach-bum existence in Aruba - all excellent reasons for learning the language. But what about for your life now? Will learning Dutch benefit your daily life? And if so, what are the best ways to learn?

Integration 101

“I wanted to be able to integrate and learning to speak Dutch is number one… no, make it number 0 on the list for getting integrated”, explains Mikhail Astafev, 26, of Russia. Like David, Mikhail is also a PDEng trainee in the Department of Applied Physics and though he only arrived in Eindhoven a little more than a year ago, he’s already in the advanced Dutch classes at the university’s Center for Language & Intercultural Communication (CLIC). “I will most probably stay here so I’m very happy that I study Dutch. When the time comes, I will study it better and better.”

Leonie Kasje is the team leader at CLIC and emphasizes the benefits of studying Dutch: “Students don’t necessarily have to become so fluent that they can talk about politics with a Dutch native speaker but learning at least the basics will make them feel more at home. They’ll better understand Dutch culture and I think they’ll have more fun if they do. Also, there are the economic reasons for learning Dutch - there’s a bigger chance that they’ll stay here after their studies and we like to keep the graduated engineers.”

David Chen is a native Spanish speaker who also speaks German, English and a bit of Mandarin thanks to his Taiwanese-born parents. He’s also learning Dutch at CLIC and is currently completing the highest level. “Last Friday, there was a delay in the train station and even though they didn’t say it in English, I understood the announcement completely. I was glad I didn’t have to ask anybody for help. Speaking some Dutch makes you feel onafhankelijk [independent]. If you drop me here and everyone stops speaking English, I will survive.”

Grasping that guttural “G”

What are the best ways to learn Dutch? And will it be difficult? Though there’s a cultural cliché among the Dutch that their language is troublesome to get onder de knie (“under the knee” - meaning to master something), learning the Lowlander lingua franca partly depends on your mother tongue (sorry, Chinese students, it’s harder for you…), on your natural talents for picking up languages and, of course, on how much effort you put into the process. For instance, the Foreign Service Institute of the US Department of State categorizes languages according to how difficult they are for native English speakers to learn. Dutch is in the first, and thus easiest, category along with languages such as French, Norwegian and Spanish. The FSI estimates that most people will need approximately 575-600 hours of study to reach professional fluency in speaking and reading. (Compared with the 2200 hours you’ll need to master Arabic or Mandarin.)

Leonie Kasje discusses CLIC’s philosophy for teaching Dutch to internationals. “We don’t say, ‘This is what you should learn.’ We want the students to tell us what they need and what they’d like to learn. And we also offer them courses based on blended learning, a mixture of methods. Part of the course is online so the idea is that students prepare before class studying vocabulary and grammar while class time is for answering questions and interaction.” Just like with any language acquisition, Leonie says practice makes perfect. “It’s important to use what you’ve learned by watching movies, reading a paper or talking to your neighbor.”

David Chen implements this philosophy by trying to use his Dutch as much as possible. “There’s a free newspaper in the train called Metro and I read it to help my vocabulary. Also, I think it’s best to have a sparring partner - someone on your same level. It’s also important to talk to native speakers who can correct you.” Mikhail Astafev says his extracurricular activities have boosted his language skills. “I play in the orchestra and everyone is Dutch. I think the most important thing I’ve learned is how they say things. We have a WhatsApp group and I see how they speak there and it’s not what they teach us at the courses.”

However, both men sometimes encounter problems when trying to practice in daily life. “In the supermarket, I also ask for things in Dutch,” explains David, “and normally they reply in English. If I’m in a hurry, I don’t really mind.” Kasje says it’s a common complaint. “In general, Dutch people like to speak English and they want to help you communicate. They don’t realize that they might not be helping when they don’t speak Dutch back.”

More Tips and Tricks

As you can imagine, there’s a world of help online. Websites such as Duolingo, Quizlet (also used by CLIC’s program) and the language-learning section of the BBC are convenient, free and easy-to-use - good options for cash and time-poor students. And in addition to CLIC’s program, students can opt for more intensive Dutch lessons with private tutors, local language exchanges or even invest in an immersive program at language schools such as Regina Coeli in Vught.

Leonie Kasje advocates employing different methods for learning but stresses that consistency is key: “If you want to learn Dutch, study a bit every day. Even if it’s just for a few minutes. Also, students need to know that they’ll learn a lot at the very beginning and then they’ll hit a plateau - a time when they feel like they’re not learning anything new. Don’t get discouraged! It’s normal and, at some point, you’ll start making progress again.”

How else can you bolster the learning process? If you really want to speak Dutch like a pro, you might try reciting vocabulary while walking across campus. Research conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany found that people learn a new language more easily when words are accompanied by movement. While this trick seems intuitive for words that have a physical counterpart like “cut”, it also works for abstract words like “rather”. Based on MRI scans, the researchers argued that enactment helps memory by creating a more complex representation of the word that then makes it easier to retrieve.

And last but not least, what’s the final - and possibly best - idea for learning een beetje Nederlands? As one foreign undergraduate told me in passing a few weeks ago, his father was adamant about how he should pick up the language. “He said, ‘Go get yourself a Dutch girlfriend! That’s the best way to learn the language!’” Ahhh yes, Dutch, the language of love.

Feeling motivated? Contact CLIC or browse to

educationguide.tue.nl/broadening/language-courses/dutch/