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Wukong00 t1_j5vwfit wrote

Reply to comment by asshole_goose in Amsterdam opens a $65 Million underwater parking garage for bikes by Scarppetta

Learning Dutch.

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onelittleworld t1_j5vxben wrote

The average Amsterdamer speaks a more understandable English to me than the average Texan. Do with that information what you will.

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94746382926 t1_j5vxlh3 wrote

I've heard employment can be difficult if you don't speak it. Not sure how true it is though.

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Wukong00 t1_j5vxiwz wrote

You are planning to live here without learning any Dutch?

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Moke_Smith t1_j5w4h5j wrote

I speak 3+ languages myself and I think people should make an effort to learn the local language, but Amsterdam is one of the easiest cities in the world to get by with English, other than those where English is the native language.

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littlest_dragon t1_j5xxaiz wrote

Lived in Amsterdam for five years without speaking Dutch. It’s actually super hard to learn the language there, because everyone will just speak English to you, even if you try to engage them in Dutch. Also while the Dutch are generally a friendly people, they’re also not a very curious one and don’t really seem to be interested in making friends with people coming in from the outside. I have never met an expat who actually had Dutch friends outside of work.

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knselektor t1_j5ybfwd wrote

> It’s actually super hard to learn the language there, because everyone will just speak English to you, even if you try to engage them in Dutch.

that it's so true, the people -being polite- switch to english when one is around and is very difficult to grab any pronunciation.

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deaddonkey t1_j5yl6xl wrote

I’m not moving or living there but I did an international year at university there some years back and had professors who couldn’t speak Dutch lol

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[deleted] t1_j5w2cl2 wrote

Definitely. But like 98% are fluent English speakers. Highest outside of UK and the US. If you can say a few things in Dutch however, you definitely get a more friendly treatment in business near tourist areas.

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H0meslice9 t1_j5w0z14 wrote

I spent a summer there and had next to 0 difficulty speaking to residents. Really millenials and younger were ALL quite fluent

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