Learn About Dutch
Nederlands • 23 million speakers worldwide
"Hallo, hoe gaat het met je?"
Pronunciation: HAH-loh, hoo ghaat het met yuh?
Translation: Hello, how are you?
Speakers
23 million
Language Family
Indo-European (Germanic)
Writing System
Latin script
Official Status
Official language in the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, and Caribbean territories
Regions (6 countries)
Dutch evolved from Old Dutch, influenced by Frankish and Middle Dutch. It standardized in the 16th century and became the basis for Flemish in Belgium. Dutch spread globally through colonization, especially to Suriname and Indonesia.
Subject-Verb-Object word order
Verb-second (V2) rule in main clauses
Use of diminutives with -je/-tje
Two grammatical genders (common and neuter)
Compound nouns are very common
Hollandic
Brabantian
Zeelandic
Limburgish
Flemish
Focus on verb-second rule for sentences
Practice diminutives and compound nouns
Listen to Dutch podcasts for natural pronunciation
Read Dutch newspapers for vocabulary
Immerse yourself in media from the Netherlands and Belgium
Dutch culture emphasizes direct communication and egalitarianism
Cycling and community life are central
Dutch literature and painting are globally influential
Festivals like King's Day and Sinterklaas are culturally significant
Dutch is closely related to German and English
It has contributed many words to Afrikaans
Dutch uses the digraph 'ij' as a single letter
The Netherlands has a rich tradition of literature and poetry