Since we moved to Belgium, one of the first things many people ask me, whether it's Belgians or otherwise, is "How's your Dutch going?" I've developed a standard response nowadays, in English I say "Yeah, not bad, it gets better all the time!" In Dutch my reply for a long time has been something along the lines of "Niet zo slechte, bieter en bieter elke dag!" (Not so bad, better and better everyday!). The reality is it's a very slow process and one which will take longer than I envisaged. There is a few different reasons for this, one of which may sound like a cop-out but it really effects things. The fact that everybody speaks English has been a blessing and a real hindrance. It is, without a doubt, the main reason learning Dutch will take longer than I first thought. This is coupled with the fact that at times, you just want to be understood and the easiest way to do this is in English. At work I am improving, no doubt, but when I really need to know something or if I just don't understand what is being said, English is the way. I have had many a discussion at the bar with Flemish people, often in depth chats about life or some other issue effecting their day. I often slip in a few Dutch sentences here and there and it is often recognised and appreciated. One sentence I use quite a bit in the bar is "Wat mag het zijn?". This literally means "what will it be?". A very useful phrase when working in a bar and one which provokes a reply which I almost always understand.
I was recently having a chat with one of our locals, the discussion was almost entirely in English. It was quite an in depth, political, or such like subject. I realised, during the conversation, he had nothing to drink and asked "Wat mag het zijn?", his reply was "It's nothing to do with marketing!".
Says it all really.
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