Is Dutch easier than German? – YES! - Learn Dutch Online (2024)

FAQs

Is Dutch easier than German? – YES! - Learn Dutch Online? ›

Dutch is from the same family as English and German

It's also the official language of several countries, including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Both Dutch and German have their challenges, but Dutch is generally considered easier to learn than German.

It is certainly easier to learn Dutch when you know German and vice versa. The similarity is perhaps a bit more significant than between the romance langauges (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.)

If you're a native Dutch speaker, I suppose the easiest language to learn would be Afrikaans. But this wouldn't be the case for a native English speaker, even if he has some knowledge of Dutch. This would also be the case for learning German, which would be more easy for a native Dutch speaker.

So my advice: start with German, and after learning German you will find it easy to learn Dutch because the two languages are fairly similar; Dutch is really a form of 'lower' German. So far during my Dutch courses, I've met German people who had quite an easy time with Dutch.

If you compare plattdeutsch and platnederlands, you'll notice a lot of similarities. Usually when I see some old text in Platt (= language of the 'farmer regions'), it's hard to tell whether it's old Dutch or old German. So the answer: the plattdeutsch which is spoken in the border regions.

In a classroom context, it will typically take around 24 weeks of study or 600 hours to achieve general professional proficiency in Dutch according to the FSI. This includes both speaking and reading. To achieve basic fluency, the average is 480 hours according to research by the ACTFL.

English students frequently say to me that Dutch is the easiest language to learn. It makes sense because Dutch is part of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European family of languages, just like English. And if you compare it to another language of that family, German, it's much easier.

Which is easier, French or Dutch? ›

For English-speakers with no background in either language, Dutch will be easier to learn than French. Because Dutch has Germanic roots, like English, it will come easier to English speakers. That said, if you have background in a romance language (like Spanish or Italian), French may actually be easier to learn.

Unlike German, Russia, Finnish, Icelandic, Japanese, Korean and others, both English and Dutch have no case system. As learners of any language with cases know, it's an endless frustration needing to remember the various forms of words. Thankfully, Dutch has no case system at all!

You can definitely learn to speak great Dutch by yourself. However, if you've never done it before then you'll also be learning how to teach yourself at the same time! Get exposure to the language, listen, read about grammar, ask for feedback and practise as much as you can!

Similarly, the United States Foreign Service Institute suggests 600 hours of classroom time is needed for fluency. But in my experience, with the right strategies and consistent effort, many learners gain conversational fluency faster, reaching their destination in 9 to 12 months.

Whether you're a complete beginner or wanting to refresh your knowledge, Hugo: Dutch in Three Months will have you speaking Dutch fluently in just 12 weeks.

While Dutch may have some challenges, it's not considered one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn. The degree of difficulty you'll encounter largely depends on your prior language learning experience, your exposure to the language, and your individual aptitude and motivation.

The Foreign Language Institute recommends a total of 24-30 weeks or 600-750 hours of Dutch language learning to reach fluency. Tobian Language School personally recommends 20 – 30 lessons for A2 level with a minimum of 2 weekly lessons. And B2 learners? You'll need to strive for 40 – 50 lessons or up to 50 hours.