Expats often face a tough challenge when trying to learn Dutch: everywhere people simply continue to speak English to them, especially when they are in public spaces such as shops or restaurants. This also happens a lot at work. International employees who start working in the Netherlands often get the opportunity to do a Dutch language course as part of their job. However, after they’ve done this course, English still remains the main language of communication amongst colleagues. That’s why Direct Dutch wants to encourage international companies to organize their own ‘Spreek Nederlands Dag’. In order to do that, we’ve compiled a list with some useful tips.
Choose one day a month, for instance, every first Wednesday of the month, to organize a small ‘Spreek Nederlands Dag’. On this day everyone at the office will be required to speak and practice Dutch during the day.
Order the free ‘Spreek Nederlands Dag’ toolkit created by Direct Dutch, in which you’ll find posters, buttons, flyers and conversation ideas to help you out.
Remember that coffee breaks are the perfect moment to practice Dutch!
Make sure everyone knows about ‘Spreek Nederlands Dag’, for instance, by putting up posters around the office. Or if you are learning Dutch you can put one of these posters close to your desk as a reminder for you colleagues.
If you would like to practice your Dutch, wear the ‘Spreek Nederlands! Met mij’ button during the ‘Spreek Nederlands Dag’.
You can order the ‘Spreek Nederlands Dag‘ toolkit through dutchup@directdutch.com