When is the right time to start learning Dutch? Do you study in the Netherlands for at least a year now and still have a second thought about learning Dutch? Do you feel like Dutch language is impossible to learn? At International Students Work, we noticed that international students are facing language barrier at work, social life, even in daily activities.
Together with Jigler, we organized a Dutch language course for one of our working students, Toni, so he can learn and share his experience getting fluent in Dutch (let’s see if he can manage in 5 months).
But first, who is Toni and why didn’t he learn Dutch sooner? Check out his story below.
International student from Croatia,
My name is Toni Riss and I moved to the Netherlands about five years ago so I could study at Radboud University with my friends. I come from a very small and old island town in Croatia, which is a popular tourist attraction, so I was often around people from all over the world from a young age. They always told me stories about how beautiful their own countries are and how I should visit them, which sparked a curiosity in me to explore other countries. Later, in high school, I met some great friends who shared the same interests, so when we discovered Radboud, we knew that was the place for us, but I had one problem I didn’t speak Dutch
Why didn't I learn Dutch earlier?
There are multiple reasons for delaying my learning of Dutch, one of which is probably procrastination. The fact that I had to move across the border to Germany due to the heavy demand for student housing in the Netherlands also didn’t help. Plus, it seemed really hard! Here are some other reasons you might relate to:
Non-Dutch-speaking bubble.
Since I moved here with 4 of my Croatian best friends, I was always in a little non-Dutch-speaking circle where I had no need to know a word of Dutch. Anytime my teacher would start saying something in Dutch to other students (how are you, how was your weekend, etc.), I would just tune out and talk with my Croatian buddies.
Now I realize what a mistake that was, because those are the best opportunities to learn common phrases that you can use immediately and build up your confidence. Now, after a month of classes, after I learned to say much more than “How are you?”
“I have to work twice as hard to build up my confidence before asking something in Dutch. So start early!”
