Should I learn basic Dutch?

[Kingdoc]

I dont want to come across as ignorant to anyone, so should I learn some basic dutch to help me along, or will english do just fine?

90% of the people speak perfect english,I mean perfect! even there e-mails,But yea try & learn some basic stuff! ie hallo (hello) or hoi if you know them really well,& dag for (goodbye) or doei if you know them well again,Tot ziens for see you later! or hoe heet jij for "who are you?",Ikk benn! means "ive been",Its easy to pick up & when you know lots of words try going onto the dutch newspapers & see what you can read for yourself! like weitroker says some words do vary from provence to provence but for the most part they will know what your saying if your clear enough,Or if speaking it is a little to much well dont worry as you can still read & understand,Dutch is a germanic lingo in its origin thats related to english! so for us its a little easier to pick up than say a spanish/italian speaker,KD.

[articulomortis]

Cool, I'll definetly get the basics learnt, Hello, Goodbye, Please, Thank you etc. but i'll wait until i've been a few times before I try and become fluent haha

[HPdrift(r)]

all you need to know is how to count to 5
because the budtenders won't sell you 6 grams

[gixxer]

all you need to know is how to count to 5
because the budtenders won't sell you 6 grams

wrong

i bought 13 grams from a tender in HSB

[ftcarer]

all you need to know is how to count to 5
because the budtenders won't sell you 6 grams

your going to the wrong shops

[Kingdoc]

all you need to know is how to count to 5
because the budtenders won't sell you 6 grams

wrong

i bought 13 grams from a tender in HSB

Seen a mate buy like 10 grams of kashmorroc from haarlem in the one go ,Nice sized chunk like,KD.

[Kermit]

all you need to know is how to count to 5
because the budtenders won't sell you 6 grams

your going to the wrong shops

[HPdrift(r)]

so you guys are saying that i should find a dutch girl
and practice my counting with her

[gixxer]

id practise something with a girl, counting isnt it

[beejun]

If you're a tourist or someone that comes to Holland to get high and visit the place then Dutch is not necessary, because you're a tourist, people won't expect you to speak Dutch, and mostly everyone speak and understand English.

If someone is planning to live and work in the Netherlands, even Amsterdam, it is important to learn the language, to integrate. A lot of people will give me that bullshit " I don't need to learn Dutch if I live in Amsterdam..." those that think like that are imbeciles that are too proud or too stupid or lazy to learn a language. It's like when for instance a Mexican guy live in the U.S. and never learn English because they think " In Miami most of the people speak n' understand Spanish so why would I learn English.


Myself I do not live in the Netherlands but I go there very often, always to buy smokes of course, and I use Dutch, English or French depending the city I am in.

In Amsterdam I speak English, ( exept when dealing with Moroccans then I use French)

In Breda and Tilburg I speak Dutch, (exept when dealing with Moroccans then I use French)

In Maastricht I speak French only.


Voila!

[Marco]

If you're a tourist or someone that comes to Holland to get high and visit the place then Dutch is not necessary, because you're a tourist, people won't expect you to speak Dutch, and mostly everyone speak and understand English.

If someone is planning to live and work in the Netherlands, even Amsterdam, it is important to learn the language, to integrate. A lot of people will give me that bullshit " I don't need to learn Dutch if I live in Amsterdam..." those that think like that are imbeciles that are too proud or too stupid or lazy to learn a language. It's like when for instance a Mexican guy live in the U.S. and never learn English because they think " In Miami most of the people speak n' understand Spanish so why would I learn English.


Myself I do not live in the Netherlands but I go there very often, always to buy smokes of course, and I use Dutch, English or French depending the city I am in.


In Amsterdam I speak English, ( exept when dealing with Moroccans then I use French)

In Breda and Tilburg I speak Dutch, (exept when dealing with Moroccans then I use French)

In Maastricht I speak French only.


Voila!

I agree to a certain extent. Having worked in French and German-speaking countries, I will say lack of Dutch is not nearly as important as lack of French if you are working in France, Luxembourg or Wallon Belgium.

Do you really speak French to the Moroccans? I think it is a bit tricky. First off, its quite unlikely that most Moroccans born in NL speak French (at least my experience). Second, the primary language of Morocco is Arabic, French is the language of commerce but also of their colonial power.

Good discussion, btw.

[beejun]

I agree to a certain extent. Having worked in French and German-speaking countries, I will say lack of Dutch is not nearly as important as lack of French if you are working in France, Luxembourg or Wallon Belgium.

Do you really speak French to the Moroccans? I think it is a bit tricky. First off, its quite unlikely that most Moroccans born in NL speak French (at least my experience). Second, the primary language of Morocco is Arabic, French is the language of commerce but also of their colonial power.

Good discussion, btw

.

Hey Marco,

It is true to say that a lack of Dutch is not as important as lack of French in France or Walloon Belgium, I totally agree with you.
The French are the worst for that, sometimes they won't even help you because you're not fluent enough in French or because they do not want to speak English even if they do. But they're just.... French.

To your question do I really speak French to the Moroccans, yes I do, always done it and I never had troubles with it. But well, it's just me asking 2 grams of this and 3 grams of that, and they always understand what I want. If one day they look at me funny as if they do not understand I would just speak Dutch to them.

I never speak Dutch in Brussels because the Flemish people here are moederneukkers


Peace man

[Marco]

I agree to a certain extent. Having worked in French and German-speaking countries, I will say lack of Dutch is not nearly as important as lack of French if you are working in France, Luxembourg or Wallon Belgium.

Do you really speak French to the Moroccans? I think it is a bit tricky. First off, its quite unlikely that most Moroccans born in NL speak French (at least my experience). Second, the primary language of Morocco is Arabic, French is the language of commerce but also of their colonial power.

Good discussion, btw

.

Hey Marco,

It is true to say that a lack of Dutch is not as important as lack of French in France or Walloon Belgium, I totally agree with you.
The French are the worst for that, sometimes they won't even help you because you're not fluent enough in French or because they do not want to speak English even if they do. But they're just.... French.

To your question do I really speak French to the Moroccans, yes I do, always done it and I never had troubles with it. But well, it's just me asking 2 grams of this and 3 grams of that, and they always understand what I want. If one day they look at me funny as if they do not understand I would just speak Dutch to them.

I never speak Dutch in Brussels because the Flemish people here are moederneukkers


Peace man

Vous êtes wallon? Ma femme est française. Vous avez raison de parler le français au travail en France, j'ai des histoires ......

[beejun]

Vous êtes wallon? Ma femme est française. Vous avez raison de parler le français au travail en France, j'ai des histoires ......

Nah man I'm not a Walloon, and I'm not a Flemish neither, I'm a Brusseleir, half my family is dutch speaking the other is french speaking. But I lived 10 years in England and got back in Belgium only a few months ago, so my second language is now Engish, French is my first language and Dutch is the language I speak when I go to Holland or when I deal with the police here in Brussels because they hate the frenchspeakers.

[Trad]

The French are the worst for that, sometimes they won't even help you because you're not fluent enough in French or because they do not want to speak English even if they do. But they're just.... French.

I have found that the French-Canadians in Quebec do the same thing, even though you're trying to speak the language....arrogance??