When we plan on moving to a different country, the first thing we might think of is the local language. In the Netherlands, the official language that is spoken is Dutch. It is the third most spoken Germanic language, after English and German (hence the resemblance).
Dutch is spoken not only in the Netherlands, but also in northern Belgium, Suriname, Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten. South Africa also speaks a language called Afrikaans, derived from Dutch which was brought to the country by Protestant settlers in the 17th century.
Fortunately, you will not need to speak Dutch to communicate with the locals. Some statistics were made to see which countries in Europe have the most English speakers, and unsurprisingly enough, the Netherlands came out on top of the list as the best English-speaking country in Europe with a percentage of 71%.
At the end of the day, you can very well manage with speaking English only in the Netherlands. However, to be able to enjoy the country to the fullest, it is advised to learn Dutch. The reason for that is, even if most of the country speaks English, you will still find exceptions. Kids and elderly generally have a good understanding of English but cannot speak it well. Additionally, to fully tap into the job market in the Netherlands, a fluency of Dutch is required. Many vacancies posted on job search engines or social media require some degree of fluency in Dutch.
Learning the Dutch language is made very easy due to the number of schools, universities, language centers and private tutors available at your disposal. If you would like to learn Dutch, you only need to search for a location in your neighborhood or ask for a private tutor who wouldn’t mind coming to teach you at your or their location.
