Dutch Language

Reasons to master Dutch

Have some fun with this satisfying language... Nederlands is a really fun language for English speakers to master, with its guttural 'g's, diminutive 'tjes', and sing-song accent. Many common words in English are similar in the language too, and anyone with a grasp of German will find it doubly-easy to master! Learn the basics and you can impress your new friends with your attempts at local humour - which often features jokes about the Belgians (but don't worry, because the Flemish have plenty of their own in return!)

Open up new opportunities The language is a valuable one too. Not only is it the official language of The Netherlands - an economic powerhouse and top tourist destination in its own right, but it is also spoken Belgium, Suriname, the Dutch Antilles, across Germany and parts of Eastern Europe. Speakers with older relatives in the USA, Canada and New Zealand will often find speakers there too, thanks to post-war migration.

Springboard to other languages If you really get the language bug, you'll find that learning to speak like a Nederlander will make it easier for you to learn other West and Northern Germanic languages, such as Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. Remember, even learning a few words in another language helps you to become more confident at travel, at meeting new friends and at positioning yourself as a true global citizen with a ready place in the changing modern world.

But how will you learn? Most evening classes tend to focus on common second languages such as French, Spanish and German, so it can be difficult to find other language lessons. There is free content online but it is of varied quality and usually packed with adverts! Conversational partners are useful when you have mastered a good degree of language expertise and simply want to practice your abilities, but they tend to be hard to find, especially away from university cities or metropolitan centres.

Learn Dutch from experts

Help is at hand, however, with one of the most powerful pieces of tech at your disposal - your smartphone! Put down those games and put your mind to work with a tried and trusted language learning app such as Babbel. It's trusted by millions of language students across the world and really works. In fact, research has shown that 15 hours of Babbel language instruction is broadly equivalent to an entire semester's worth of lessons at University! Why is it so good? Because over 150 expert language teachers have packed their collective expertise into a flexible, tech-driven programme that uses real speakers with authentic, regional accents, and innovative voice-recognition technology which tells you if your own pronunciation is on point! At every stage, students are guided to speaking their new vocabulary with confidence - and all in mini-lessons of just 15 minutes each.

Features of Babbel

• Dynamic review sessions to keep you progressing fast

• Voice-recognition technology to guide your pronunciation

• A personalised and interactive dashboard which shows your progress

• Bite-size lessons with real-world, flexible content built around your needs

• A huge community with rich-media content to engage, motivate and inspire!

If you're tempted to give Babbel a go without commitment, simply download the app and try the first lesson for free. You've nothing to lose, and if you find it works for you, simply choose the 'upgrade membership' option and away you go - getting to grips with your chosen language in the time that it takes you to drink a cuppa or commute to work!