2025 TERM 2 COURSES BEGIN THE WEEK OF MONDAY 28 APRIL 2025. REGISTER NOW!
Dutch is spoken by 23 million people, not only in the Netherlands, but also in Belgium, the Caribbean, and South America. Having to share a small space among many people, the Dutch have learned to be very assertive in their opinions and needs. The Dutch language reflects these traits in many ways with directness being a key characteristic of their social interactions. Dutch has some unique concepts, like gezellig, which is akin to cosy in English, but describes an intrinsically social experience. There is also gedogen, a verb that means to tolerate and usually refers to unlawful behaviour that is considered normal, like the use of certain drugs, which are technically illegal but accepted. There is also the word lekker, which can mean good and applies to food, situations and people.
As our course progresses you will learn basic everyday expressions, pronunciation, basic structures and vocabulary. During our Introductory Dutch courses there is an emphasis on speaking and listening skills, as the similarities between English and Dutch make writing and reading less challenging for native English speakers. During subsequent Terms (Introductory Dutch 102-104) we begin to add more reading and writing and continue to introduce new grammar, vocabulary and conversational practice. Your Dutch learning can continue on with our Intermediate and Advanced Dutch courses as well.
Our Dutch language courses are offered as live-streamed distance-learning sessions via Zoom.
