Finally a word on my mother tongue on this blog.
Who speaks Dutch?
Dutch is the official language in the Netherlands and one of the three official languages of Belgium, spoken in the Flanders state which borders the Netherlands. Some 20 million people speak Dutch natively.
Dutch is also spoken in the Antilles (Carribean) and Suriname (South America) which have historical ties to the Netherlands. Afrikaans, spoken in South Africa, is so closely related to Dutch that the languages are mutually intelligible.
A “small” language?
Go West from the Netherlands / Belgium and you bump into the UK. Drive South and you will enter French territory. Go far enough East and you are on German speaking ground. All very major languages. So thus considered the Dutch language is only spoken by a small group of people.
But by many other counts, it still is a language that counts. Well regarded films come out in Dutch every year. And about 1% of the pages on the Internet is in Dutch, making in the 11th language on the Internet.
Why would you learn it?
Because of being ‘surrounded’ by major languages, Dutch native speakers can generally make themselves understood in English, and often in either German or French too. So what are the most common motivations for learning Dutch in Singapore?
Immigration requirements play a major role. If you are non-European and want to follow a Dutch partner to live in the Netherlands, you’ll have to show proficiency in the Dutch language.
Cultural interest is perhaps a more motivating reason to learn the language. Being able to speak with Dutch speakers on their own terms does make it a lot easier to get to know them and while on the surface you may seem to have smooth trip with English alone, speaking Dutch will make a trip to the Netherlands / Belgium all the more rewarding. That said, this reason probably only comes into play if you’re going to live in Dutch speaking territory for a few months at least, e.g. on a work assignment or study abroad.
Where to learn Dutch in Singapore?
Matthieu Quere is Singapore’s Dutch teacher. At PDLC, he runs both individual and group Dutch courses.
The Delftse Methode is the most established textbook. You could also consider buying the textbook and finding a language exchange buddy.
About Guus Goorts
Guus has traveled widely and has lived in The Netherlands, Ghana, Belgium and Singapore. In descending order of fluency, he speaks Dutch, English, Mandarin, German and some rudiments of Spanish, French and Italian. Guus lives in Singapore with his wife and two young children. He settled in Singapore in early 2006 from his native country The Netherlands. After working in a job for corporate training, he founded Yago Languages, Singapore's guide to language learning.
I was searching for Dutch language course and found this post!
Thanks for the information. I can’t wait to get started and speak Dutch.
Hi Jessica, glad the post was of help to you. Success learning and let us know how it goes!
Sure, thanks~ Got the class timings and cost for all the 3 schools! Just to share with anyone who happen to read this post.
1. allwrite.com.sg (Class starts on 10th of August, group)
2. Spring College International (Anytime, one to one basis)
3. Cambridge Language (Class starts on 11th of May but might be postpone, group)
Most probably, I would go with allwrite.com.sg. However, I need to wait till August… Can’t wait to speak Dutch at the end of my course.
I will share my experience! Dank you~
Dankjewel Jessica! Keep us informed!
Hi,
Intend to send my son there for studies, wonder whats’s the language use for college lesson in Dutch??? Is it English???
Hi Peiling, in Dutch schools the language of instruction is Dutch. There may be a few exceptions in the form of international schools for foreigners who don’t speak Dutch. Also, at university level, there are some courses which have 100% English instruction.
Hi,
How’s the education system in Dutch?? Like in Singapore we have to complete primary, secondary, Junior college/polytechnic lastly followed by University.
Hi Peiling,
It’s similar, although not Cambridge based. What ‘secondary school’ in NL includes both “Secondary” and “JC” but there are three options, a 4-year, 5-year and 6-year option. The 4 year option (VMBO) give access to vocational schools (MBO), the 5 year option (HAVO) to Polytechnic (HBO) and the 6 year (VWO) to University. Many of the HBO schools are marketing themselves internationally as “University of Applied Science”; at least in NL the career perspective would be better than that of a SG Polytechnic.
Thanks for answering all my enquiries so promptly. If i were to send my son there for studies, can 1 of the parent stay there with him??? On what pass (immigration) status??
Hi Peiling. Immigration is very strict in Netherlands / EU so I am not sure if it is possible. As a Singaporean you can be there for 3 months without a visa – but after that you have to be out of the EU for at least 3 months before reentering.
For study visa and other information, check this site: http://english.ind.nl/residencewizard/ – this is the Dutch ICA – you can also ask them directly through the “contact” button.
[...] the way, did you think that it’s possible to take Dutch lessons in Singapore? About GuusGuus has traveled widely and has lived in The Netherlands, Ghana, Belgium [...]