“I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.” – Socrates
The internet holds such a vast collection of knowledge. When you want to know what something is, just google it or look it up the wikipedia. If you want to translate something, just type the word on babelfish. You can learn a lot if you really want to — the lyrics of a song, how to cook a dish, make an arty-crafty project and/or learn a language. I honestly believe that for people who have internet connection, only laziness is the reason not to learn. Well, ok, they can be busy too.
I learned my first dutch words through dutch t-v when I went here for the first time in 2005 for a Nuffic scholarship. I remember watching “Will and Grace”. Not very surprisingly ‘homo’ was my first dutch word. But I developed my basic knowledge of the language through the Learn Dutch website. I believe that this is (along with Euro talk cd’s) a good first step for English-language speakers who want to learn dutch as a second or third language. What more, you can do it via self-study, on your own time and pace. The lessons are very clear that it will not take months to learn a lesson. Or, I would say that, that would be a lot of time and pace.
When one has enough vocabulary to understand basic dutch, the websites Taalklas, MijnABC and Steffie are also very helpful. These websites are also easily accessible through Lees en Schrijf. If you have a hard time filling-up those dutch forms, go to Hulp met invullen.
But when one already lives in the Netherlands, it is not only important to learn the language but how the society works too. All municipalities and cities are connected to the internet. If one wants to learn about how the city they live in works, just google it. To know more about the society, much can be learned via this KNS website. One can also borrow KNS books from the local library with website support, such as Bagage. The delftse methode is a total method that puts together language and the knowledge of the dutch society. It has website support through the delftse methode online assistance. Other study materials can be found via the nederlands als tweede taal website.
If you want to take your knowledge of the language to the next level, you can read dutch fiction and Leeskracht will help you choose the books which will fit your interest/s. You can also test your knowledge of the language through these online tests and your knowledge of the dutch society through the nationale inburgering test. When you’re dutch language level is already high, you may take the Staatsexamen with the help of their website.
And for further assistance regarding staying in The Netherlands one may go to the IND website, IB-groep for more about inburgering and Blikopwerk for schools that give integration classes.
Given all these accessible and helpful websites, it should not be difficult for someone new to The Netherlands to learn the language and how the dutch society works — from the basic level to the level when one can even apply for the dutch passport. Everything is just a button away. The key is “to really want to learn”. #
