Lived here for 10 years and still can’t speak Dutch? Get off your high horse and stop making excuses, says Canadian national Natasha Cloutier.

As a Dutch national who’s been using English for decades, I get it, though. The Dutch language has a much smaller vocabulary. You need about 10% more words to say what you want to say in Dutch than you’d use in English.

(Well, okay, except if you’re used to a very wordy British style.)

I find it so annoying when I quickly want to say “dot dot dot” in English and I have to go “tadoo tadoo chh chh chh tadoo tadoo” in Dutch.

So, yes, I often feel held back by the Dutch language and I understand why English-speaking foreigners may not want to bother. Most of the Dutch speak Dunglish, after all. It’s easy for me to say, as I can switch when I need to and I understand Dutch. It will limit you if you don’t learn Dutch.

I also struggle with the high-pitched voices that many women still use in the Netherlands. I automatically tend to adapt and adopt it, but I feel that it makes me sound like a little girl. Am I making a mountain out of a molehill?

Natasha Cloutier: Lose the attitude and learn Dutch – DutchNews.nl

Yes, Natasha said so ten years ago. She’s still here. She’s self-employed.