This is one of those personal questions that when asked can conjure up an amazing variety of responses.  But this is my post, so I’m going to tell you a little bit about why I chose/needed to learn Dutch.  Feel free to tell us your story in the comments section below!

I’ve always had an interest in languages, and Dutch is not the first foreign language I have learned.  It turned out to be fairly easy compared to other options, since English is my native language.  There are a surprising amount of similarities between the two, and although the pronunciation can be tricky, the grammar follows some generally clear rules.

I moved to the Netherlands a few years ago, and had decided before I even moved that I would want to learn the language.  This wasn’t so much with the idea of integrating, but really because I just love learning languages.  I also figured that if I was living somewhere where they speak a different language, I probably should learn it, right?  Or at least give it a try…

Useful

Well, lucky for me this was a very smart decision on my part.  As it turned out, despite the fact that I live in Amsterdam, I do not live in the center.  I don’t care what anyone tells you, not everyone in the Netherlands speaks English.  They do in the larger city centers, but if you’re like me and actually live outside the center, you will quickly find it necessary to throw in some Dutch here and there.  Yes, the Dutch generally have a fantastic command of foreign languages, but you simply can not expect them to speak it, because honestly, they don’t always speak it.

You might also find that something you did for fun in your native language requires you to learn Dutch. One of my hobbies is politics, and I am a volunteer (vrijwilliger) for a political party.  Just to get started in following this part-time passion, I had to learn Dutch.  If you have a passion for watching reality television, or taking part in a group sport, or taking dance lessons, you might just need to do it in Dutch.

Necessary

A second reason for learning the language ended up being my career.  There are many job opportunities in the Netherlands that are English speaking, but I am a policy adviser (beleidsmedewerker) and mediator (bemiddelares).  This means that I need to work in a Dutch speaking environment in order to continue my career.  There are other options, but in order to do what I love most, I have to speak Dutch.  I guess I could go work in a call center, or as an Albert Heijn cashier, but I didn’t spend years and years getting a higher education to do that.  And if you came here with or for your partner, it is possible that they came here with an English language job all set up, and you’re left hanging.  Or maybe, like me, your Dutch partner didn’t realize that just because they work in an international environment where people don’t need to speak Dutch, doesn’t mean that you can get away with that too.

Required

And finally, last but not least, I am required to learn Dutch as a part of my integration (inburgering) program.  So not only is it useful, and necessary, it is also required.  I’m not sure when the big “they” (the government) will come knocking to see that I actually speak the language, but when they do, I have all the official paperwork saying I passed the Nederlands als Tweede Taal Programma II exam.

Fun!

Ok, you might not believe me, but learning Dutch was and is fun.  It’s actually a continuing process that never really ends.  But there are these fantastic moments when I realize that I spent an entire day communicating in Dutch, or watched a whole movie in Dutch, and didn’t even blink, that make the whole thing so entirely worth it.  Once you learn the language of the people you are interested in, you start to see the culture in entirely new and different ways.  You are no longer an outsider.  The entire culture sort of opens up and you cease being a bystander and become a participant.  And that is just plain cool.