Ask any Amsterdammer, and they will tell you that the Dutch language is dying out in their city. Now, research reveals they might just be right…
The capital, along with Delft, speaks more English than any other Dutch city, new research from Preply reveals.
Now a good command of English helps you get a job in most places across the Netherlands. But Dutch in Amsterdam? It’s not as important anymore… 😬
English is everywhere, natuurlijk…
It’s not only the impressive multilingual Dutchies boosting the presence of English in Amsterdam, but the non-Dutch English speakers, too.
In fact, Preply mainly considers the number of migrant workers, vacancies in English, international students and tourists in its research.
READ MORE | Do I need to speak Dutch to work in the Netherlands?
The city’s popular international reputation means that proficiency in Dutch is now not required for more than one in five vacancies.
The same goes for the number of international students, whose part-time jobs stacking shelves and serving coffee also rarely require Nederlands.
…But some cities are resisting
While Delft, The Hague, Eindhoven and Leiden follow Amsterdam in terms of the frequency of English spoken, Anglicisation is much slower in Zwolle, Leeuwarden, and Heerlen.
When you hear the anglicised attempts at pronouncing Groningen, you can understand their resistance.
@dutchreview It feels like you’ve just coughed up a lung 🫁 #Meme #Groningen #Netherlands #DutchReview #Grunn #Dutch ♬ original sound – I Green Screen Things
How comfortable employees feel speaking English at work and limits to courses taught in English continue to influence how quickly English is taking over other parts of the Netherlands.
One thing is for certain, though: Amsterdam is very accommodating to those of us who can’t master a hard “g”.
How do you feel about speaking English in the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments below.