Which language is harder Dutch or German?

Dutch pronunciation is harder to learn, German grammar is the most complex one. However, people learn German faster than they learn Dutch. German is easier to learn and harder to master.

Is the Dutch language similar to German?

Dutch and German are referred to as Germanic language which means they do have similarities. While some words that are written exactly the same have very contrasting meanings. So translating them requires high caliber of expertise and in-depth knowledge.

Is German easy if you know Dutch?

In short: yes. Dutch is very similar to German and if you speak German as you’re sure to spot the similarities as soon as you start learning. Lots of words are the exact same in German as they are in Dutch, and others only have slight differences.

Why do so many Dutch speak German?

Most Dutch people do understand German, as 71\% of the Dutch people claim to speak German to a certain extend. This is because German is taught at school in the Netherlands. As well because Dutch and German are both originated from the West Germanic language, which gives them quite some similarities.

How close are Dutch and German linguistically?

Dutch and German are close linguistically, although not as close as those languages that are known for being mutually intelligible like the Scandinavian languages or many of the Slavic languages. The closeness comes down to the two languages being of the same branch of the same language family.

Where is Dutch spoken?

Dutch is an official language in the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Studying German? Read our review of our favorite German language program.

Is Dutch harder to learn than German?

So many in fact that German and Dutch are mutually intelligible (to a point). There are certain complications that are not there in Dutch, which could make it comparably easier, however I think the scale of “ difficult languages ” is too superficially presented by too many people.

What is the origin of the German and Dutch languages?

German and Dutch belong to the West Germanic language family, a family that also includes English, Afrikaans, Yiddish, Frisian amongst others. Geographically the proto-West Germanic language centered around present-day northern Germany and then spread to southwards as well as northwestwards and before going global with European colonization.