Introduction to Dutch economy and culture
Home to major corporations The Netherlands is also one of the richest, most technologically advanced nations in the world. Home to major globe-spanning corporations like Philips, ABN-Amro, Shell, and Unilever, the country attracts a lot of job applications from English speakers. This means that many workers spend some time in the Netherlands as part of their careers. When they aren't working, the Dutch are huge sports fans, and one sport dwarfs everything else in terms of popularity: voetbal.
National sport As you probably know, the Dutch have a glorious footballing history, with Ajax creating a revolutionary "Total Football" system in the 1970s, and talents like Johan Cruyff or Marco Van Basten becoming global legends. Today, Dutch football continues to set the agenda, with new tactics and exciting players. But here's the thing: understanding the action and keeping up with sporting developments is much easier if you have plenty of key words in your vocabulary.
Acquire real-life conversation skills, one word at a time
Learning Dutch could be a great idea on a professional, social, and even a sporting level, but it's not always easy to find accessible courses. Well, it used to be difficult to find tuition in the UK. However, online app-based teaching is changing all that. Babbel offers a proven way to learn Dutch, whether you are a complete beginner or an intermediate speaker. Don't worry, this isn't a conventional course where you learn masses of vocabulary without proper assistance. That kind of course can easily alienate learners, making it pretty much useless. Instead, Babbel's courses use conversational techniques based around real-world situations. Each course covers listening, reading, writing, and speaking, and state of the art voice recognition tools allow you to learn exactly the right pronunciation.