Cafe Berger, located on Het Plein in the center of The Hague, is the winner of the first Spreek Nederlands dag. Groups of expats went out in the center of The Hague on Saturday 5 July to check if people working in restaurants are patient with expats who want to speak Dutch. Out of sixteen restaurants, Cafe Berger reached the highest score. Direct Dutch Institute organised this day in The Hague because expats often get an English reply when they attempt to speak Dutch.
Saturday 5 July was the first ‘Spreek Nederlands dag’ (Speak Dutch day)! This day was devoted to expats who want to speak Dutch in public more often. Problem is that most Dutch people speak English and are happy to do so. Some expats still don’t speak Dutch after years. Meanwhile Dutch people speak Dutch amongst eachother, meaning expats will miss out on a lot of social interaction.
The alderman for Knowledge economy, International affairs, Youth and Education Ingrid van Engelshoven officially opened ‘Spreek Nederlands dag’ in Café Rootz in Den Haag at 11:30 in the morning. She showed her appreciation for expats learning Dutch.
Spreek Nederlands dag will be held in more cities next year. Several organisations outside of The Hague have shown interest in collaborating in 2015.
We uploaded many pictures of Spreek Nederlands dag on our Facebook page!
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