Posts tagged Social from the Learn Dutch For Expats team.
Padel is the fastest-growing sport in the Netherlands, and an easy way to make friends. Here is the Dutch glossary, baan to bandeja, to book a court and play.
Joining a Dutch amateurvoetbal club means the KNVB, the kleedkamer and the kantine, all in Dutch. Here is the club vocab to feel at home from your first training.
Your Dutch class never taught the casual office banter of the kantoortuin. Here is the watercooler small talk and slang that makes you one of the team.
In Dutch club sport, the game is only two-thirds of it. 'De derde helft', the drinks after, is where you actually belong. Here is the Dutch for the third half.
Your Dutch masters is taught in English, so why bother with Dutch? Because the real student experience, the borrel, the friendships, runs on it. Here is what to learn.
To get a room in a Dutch studentenhuis you must pass the hospiteeravond, an audition where housemates vote on you. Here is how it works and how to win them over.
Dutch kids' sport runs on clubs, and the sideline is where parents become friends. Here is the football and hockey small talk that gets you into the circle.
In the Netherlands you are expected to introduce yourself to the neighbours, they will not knock first. Here is how to do it, and the Dutch to invite them in.
At a Dutch birthday you sit in a circle and congratulate everyone, including the family. Here is how the kringverjaardag works and the Dutch to get it right.
Gezellig is the most Dutch word there is, and impossible to translate. Here is what it really means, how to use it, and why it is your key to connecting with locals.
Dutch directness plus text equals easy misreadings. Here is how Dutch locals mark a joke on WhatsApp, the haha, the emoji, the grapje, so you do not take it literally.
It is not just you: surveys rank the Netherlands among the hardest places to make local friends. Here is why, and the practical, Dutch-powered ways through it.
You can earn a Dutch degree in English. But skipping the language quietly costs you the student life, friendships, and city you came for.
Calling your Dutch partner schattie will get you teased. Here is the real, warmer, funnier vocabulary of Dutch affection, from schatje to snoepje.
Young Dutch people speak a language your textbook skips. Here is a quick guide to straattaal, gast, kapot, mattie, fatoe, and the crucial rule on when not to use it.
Lying awake dreading a confrontation in Dutch? The Dutch expect you to speak up, directly and early. Here is how to handle noisy neighbours, and the words to use.
The Dutch you need socially is not in the textbook. Here is how to make plans (afspreken), split a bill with a Tikkie, and ask someone out like a local.
A borrel is where Dutch friendships and work bonds form. Here are the words, toasts, and small talk that get you through your first VrijMiBo with confidence.
A taalcafe is the best free Dutch speaking practice, and the scariest. Here is how to keep a conversation flowing, with reliable openers and two simple tricks.
Meeting the Dutch in-laws for dinner? The Dutch prize sincerity over fluency. Here is the etiquette, the coffee ritual, and the warm phrases that win them over.
Dutch student life revolves around the studentenvereniging. Do internationals need Dutch to join? It depends entirely on which association. Here is how it works.
Noon at a Dutch office: everyone unwraps a cheese sandwich. Here are the unwritten rules of the broodje kaas lunch, and the small talk that bonds you in.
A night out is a fun, low-stakes Dutch workout: the bar, the door, the coat check, the round. Here are the words you need to order and get in smoothly.
Exchange students do not need the inburgering exam or B1 Dutch. They need to make friends and survive a semester. Here is the Dutch that actually matters.
Panicking your app Dutch is useless against thick Limburgs at the family table? Relax: they'll understand you. Understanding them is the real adventure.
Dating in the Netherlands? Here are 7 compliments that land in Dutch, why Dutch directness changes the game, and how 'going Dutch' really works.