jueves, 27 de agosto de 2009

The language issue / El tema del idioma



If you are thinking about coming to The Netherlands and you wonder what if you don't know Dutch, I can tell you that's not a big problem here. No doubt it would be better if you knew some Dutch because your job options would be less limited, but you can survive and do quite well with just English.

I have to be grateful for all the understanding coming from Dutch people when you say that you can't speak any Dutch. They switch to English without even blinking. Clerks at the supermarket, bus drivers, real state agents, dry cleaners, train ticket inspectors... they all can speak English here, and most of them have a very good level. You can do the experiment yourself. If you come to The Netherlands, pick up one random passerby in the street and ask for an address in English, they will help you for sure. Now, try and do that in Spain... unfortunately our English level is far from that.

Regardless the aforementioned, I would love to learn some Dutch. Being able to speak the official language of the country you live in matters if you really want to be integrated. If only it was less difficult!

Versión en español