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For an overview of all of our courses, with date, time, venue & cost, please click here.
This overview is suitable for PDA & mobile phone users, and for printing. |
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Welcome to the Professional Dutch Language Courses for Singaporeans !
The reason why you visit this website could be that: 1. You need to apply for an ‘MVV’ (Long Term Visa application). 2. You are married to a Dutchman or you are planning to do so. In either case, it’s nice to be able to communicate with your in-laws (& spouse) in Dutch. 3. You aim to move to Holland in time to come. 4. You are going to study in The Netherlands. It’s a good idea to learn how to speak some Dutch before you travel to Holland because you will enjoy your stay so much more. (Click here to read all about preparing yourself for studying in Holland, and click here if you want to know all about earning some extra money as a foreign student !) 5. You are working for a Dutch company settled in Singapore, or you are dealing with companies in The Netherlands. Therefore, you have a keen interest in learning how to converse and correspond in Dutch. |
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In all these cases, you have found the right place to learn Dutch in an effective and affordable way! |
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Subsidiary of ALLWRITE text & media productions 14 Robinson Road #13-00 Far East Finance Building
For enquiries:
please call our co-ordinator Dais Chan at 9684 0356 or teacher Matthieu Quere at 9687 0009 |
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Impression of a truly Dutch landscape: |
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This picture represents some typical Dutch characteristics:
1) A bicycle. There are 16 million inhabitants in The Netherlands, but 18 million bicycles! How come??
2) Flowers. Holland is famous for its flowers. Not only commercially cultivated ones — like tulips and roses, but also many wildflowers, like the ones you see on this picture.
3) Water. Water is both friend & enemy of the Dutch. A friend: for instance because the Dutch love to sail on it in summer, and skate on it during winter… if they can… And it also boosts the Dutch economy in many ways, such as commercial fishing, river shipping, sea carriage, dredging activities, shipbuilding and salvage.
Water is also an enemy: without the famous Dutch dykes (embankment), almost half of The Netherlands would be flooded, since a large area of Holland is situated way below sea level. (The lowest point is actually 6.74 meter below sea level.) A flooding disaster occurred in 1953, when nearly 1,800 people drowned, and 165.000 hectare was inundated.
4) Horses. Lots of Dutch people enjoy horseback riding, just for fun.
5) Meadows. When you think of Holland, you will somehow think of vast, green meadows filled with grazing cows, the ‘mooing producers’ of milk. And from milk, of course, a very famous Dutch product is made: KAAS (cheese). |
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Just a piece of good advice!
Holland is a very enjoyable place to stay, be it just for a holiday, for studying, or as a place where you can work for some time, or even get married and settle down.
Apart from the fact that the Dutch government has implemented a set of strict immigration rules (such as a mandatory Dutch language test for foreigners) it would be good if you would understand some Dutch.
Although nearly all Dutch people know how to speak English quite well, a huge advantage of learning some Dutch is that you will be able to make sense of what people around you are actually saying to each other in Dutch. Because no matter how fluently nearly every Dutchman is in English, and no matter how hospitable they all are, they will definitely not converse in English all the time.
So if you happen to be in the middle of a couple of Dutchmen, you can expect that they will suddenly switch to speaking Dutch… Maybe unintentionally… but still…
Mind you: the (quite popular) talk-shows and stand-up comedian-shows on Dutch television are practically all in Dutch, and Dutch people really love to watch this kind of TV programs, so when you happen to sit in front of a television in Holland, you will for sure feel very bored soon if you have no clue what’s going on.
It will be clear to you that you will enjoy your stay in Holland so much more if you would understand at least some Dutch.
A common complaint of Singaporeans, who sign up for one of our courses, is that they usually get quite annoyed whenever they are visiting in-laws or friends in Holland, since they have no idea what their in-laws and friends are talking about at times. This simply happens whenever the Dutch accidentally forget about their Singaporean guest… Aiyah!
Well, such things just happen, and you can’t blame anyone for it, since it can be quite tiring sometimes to converse in a foreign language day in day out. There are certain moments people actually prefer to switch to their own mother tongue.
You can tackle this problem by taking our Beginners Course (32 lessons) or Crash Course (10 lessons). Just think of it: you will better understand all kinds of jokes you get to hear in Holland, so you will finally get to know why people are having such a good laugh, instead of having to guess… You can check if people are actually gossiping about you ;-) and you can buy anything you like in local shops or restaurants without having to point your finger at things…
Well, these are just some advantages! In other words: being able to speak and understand some Dutch simply ensures your independency!
Last but not least: the Dutch will really appreciate the efforts you make while learning Dutch, and they will definitely further encourage you. It will be a very satisfying experience when you notice the benefits of your hard work.
It’s worth the effort! Sign up for one of our Dutch courses today!
Call language course co-ordinator Dais Chan @ 9684 0356 to find out more. |
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Learning Dutch: The best way forward! |