About two months ago, I made a bold (slightly delusional?) decision: to level up my Dutch.
What is my Dutch level now?
Well, if every Dutch person spoke like the NOS news presenters—clear, polished, and suspiciously slow—I’d confidently say: C1! 
But let’s be real!
In real life, people don’t talk like the news.
They throw in slang, regional accents, lightning-speed delivery, and all kinds of idiomatic phrases that no textbook ever warned me about. 
So that’s where I’m at:
Comfortable with Dutch on paper — still catching up in real life.
But hey, I’m working on it. One awkward convo, one confusing phrase, and one deep breath at a time. 
A Little Backstory
I’m a Mandarin speaker from Taiwan, and let me tell you: learning Dutch has been a trip. When I started, I had no idea how I’d ever reach fluency. My modest goal? Just to understand Dutch people when they speak at normal (aka lightning) speed.
And yet… somehow, through trial, error, and a lot of patience, I’ve made it this far. Even more shocking? I’ve actually started to enjoy learning Dutch.
So if you’re on a similar journey, especially as a fellow Mandarin speaker. This post is for you
And here’s what I ran into:
- The grammar? Like an IKEA manual in a mystery language with half the pages missing and none of the screws labeled.
- The pronunciation? Mostly throat-clearing sounds that that made me wonder if my vocal cords were malfunctioning. Ui, eu, uu… all sounded like distorted radio signals from another planet.
- My tongue? It often gave up mid-sentence, especially after a long day.
1. Find Your Motivation & Support System for Learning Dutch
Let’s be real: if you’re not clear on why you’re learning Dutch, it’s way too easy to give up. (Especially when your tongue is tangled in a “ui,” and your brain is short-circuiting from inverted sentence structures.)
What kept me going wasn’t just “because I live here.”
It was connecting Dutch to the things that matter to me — like joining real conversations at local meetups, using Dutch at work, and feeling like I actually belong here.
Whatever your reason is, hold onto it. Because when things get tricky (and they will), your motivation will keep you up.
So ask yourself:
- Is it for your career?
- For love?
- For fun?
- Just to stop freezing every time someone says, “Mag ik iets vragen?
💬 And here’s another game-changer:
Find your people. Especially Dutch natives who are kind, patient, and willing to speak with you.
Having someone to practice with, laugh at your “g” sound attempts, and cheer you on makes a huge difference. I wouldn’t have made it this far without my own little support crew.
2. Nail the Pronunciation — So People Actually Understand You
Imagine someone speaking your language with a super thick, unfamiliar accent.
Sure, you might catch the basics — like “Where’s the toilet?” — but anything beyond small talk? It gets tricky real fast.
That’s what Dutch people experience when we, Mandarin speakers, butcher their “g” and confuse “ui” with “oe.” 
Here are just a few Dutch sounds that love to mess with us:
- The infamous “g” — basically a throat-clearing exercise disguised as a letter.
- Vowel combos like ui, eu, oe — not even close to anything in Mandarin.
- Mutant combos like “r + ui” or “g + r + o” — straight out of a sci-fi script.
- Tonic stress — say the wrong syllable louder, and voilà: totally different meaning.
- Intonation — Dutch may sound flat at first, but pitch and rhythm really matter.
🎯 Why pronunciation matters:
It’s not just about sounding “good.”
Once your brain tunes in to the right sounds, your ears start catching them faster — making it easier to repeat, recognize, and remember them in real time.
🎧 Tips That Helped Me (a lot):
- Listen and mimic — Podcasts, YouTube, Dutch TV… treat them like karaoke sessions. No shame.
- Record yourself. Cringe? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.
- Read out loud. Children’s books are your best friend — simple, repetitive, and weirdly satisfying.
- Get feedback. From a Dutch speaker, tutor, friend, or even your partner. You’ll need someone to lovingly say, “Nope, try again. That’s not how you say gegroet.”
3. Grammar: The Sneaky Puzzle Hiding in Every Sentence
Let’s talk grammar — not because I’m obsessed with it (I’m not), but because it quietly runs the show. 😅
In Dutch (like in many languages), verbs are the engine of your sentence. Whether you’re saying what you did, what you’re doing, or what you might do next — verbs do the heavy lifting.
Here are a few personal favorites (read: nightmares):
- Articles (de, het): Yes, even chairs have gender.
- Verb conjugation: The verb changes depending on who’s doing what.
- Word order gymnastics: Just when you think you’ve nailed the sentence… boom, the verb jumps to the end like a backflipping ninja.
- Separable verbs: One word splits in two, and now you’re on a scavenger hunt mid-sentence.
- Word order shifts: If you change the order, that could also change the meaning of the sentence!
💡 Pro tip: Don’t try to memorize every grammar rule at once. That way lies madness.
Instead:
- Learn high-frequency sentence patterns (the ones you’ll actually use).
- Practice them in real conversations or writing.
- Rinse and repeat until they stick.
- Read Dutch articles. Listen to Dutch podcasts. Let your brain soak it all in.
🧰 My go-to grammar lifesaver:
👉 DutchGrammar.com – Bite-sized, beginner-friendly, and completely panic-proof.
4. Growing Your Vocabulary & Sounding More Local
Knowing how to say something is great.
But knowing what people actually say? That’s where the magic happens. ✨
If you’re just starting out, don’t overcomplicate it. Keep it simple and useful:
📚 Start with beginner textbooks (A0–A2 level).
They cover the basics: greetings, food, weather, small talk — all the stuff that gets real conversations going.
Once you can follow NOS Jeugdjournaal (kid-friendly news with slower speech and subtitles), you’re ready to level up. Dive into:
- Podcasts (like Echt Gebeurd)
- Short stories or blogs
- Instagram captions by Dutch creators
- YouTube vlogs or TikToks — fast, funny, and full of everyday expressions
🎯 You’ll start picking up gems like:
- “Dat is niet mijn ding” – That’s not my thing.
- “Ik heb er zin in!” – I’m looking forward to it!
- “Doe normaal!” – Literally “act normal” — aka: stop being weird 😆
That’s where the fun lives. And all the juicy local phrases your textbook forgot to mention.
📌 Quick vocab-boosting tips:
- Make your own word bank (and only add words you actually want to use).
- Watch Dutch shows with Dutch subtitles — cartoons and rom-coms totally count.
- Learn one new word or phrase per day — and use it in a sentence.
- Follow Dutch memes, reels, or jokes — because humor = retention gold.
5. Speaking Without Translating
One of the biggest traps for Mandarin speakers?
Thinking in Mandarin → translating in your head → then speaking Dutch… slowly, hesitantly, and often a beat too late. 
We’ve all been there.
You start forming a sentence… pause to find the Dutch words… question if it sounds right… and by the time you’re ready to speak, the conversation has already moved on to the next topic. 
The truth is: Dutch doesn’t always translate neatly.
Word order, expressions, sentence structure — it all works differently. Literal translations will only get you so far (and sometimes, very awkwardly so).
💬 Tip: Practice thinking and speaking directly in Dutch — even if it’s messy.
Think of it like building muscle memory. The more you use it, the more automatic it becomes. Try:
- Talking to yourself while cooking, cleaning, or biking
- Recording a short voice memo every day (just 1 minute counts)
- Joining a Dutch meetup — or creating one with fellow learners
Narrating your day in Dutch:
“Ik ben moe.” / “Wat ga ik eten?” / “Waarom regent het altijd op vrijdag?”
Eventually, you’ll stop obsessing over the how and start focusing on the what — expressing your thoughts instead of assembling grammar puzzles in real time.
Because fluency isn’t perfect.
It’s being okay with imperfection and still showing up anyway. 💪
(P.S. I’m still on this road too — especially when it comes to sounding “natural” instead of “textbook.” If you’re in that beautifully awkward-but-committed phase? You’re not alone. I’m right there with you. 😉)
