• Tramdan@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      32
      ·
      1 month ago

      I went to a party while I was living in The Netherlands. Everybody else at the party was Dutch. They spent the entire evening speaking to each other in English for my benefit.

        • prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          1 month ago

          So fucking hard trying to learn Dutch when I was working over there, everyone switched to English on me as soon as I started speaking.

          Weaponized politeness.

          • Tessellecta@feddit.nl
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            5
            ·
            1 month ago

            It’s not weaponized politeness. It’s a love for efficient communication; everyone speaks English, so why not use it.

            • prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              1 month ago

              Weaponized efficiency

              I know it’s not meant to be shitty in any way it was just one of the funnier frustrations I had, I was genuinely trying to learn the language lmao

            • superkret@feddit.org
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              1 month ago

              If you try speaking their native language, they can definitely tell by your accent, though.

              • Skullgrid@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                1 month ago

                yeah,I got a turkish accent. also, unless you’re SUUUPER anglo, people can just tell you have an accent, not a specific accent.

    • jballs@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      24
      ·
      1 month ago

      I was visiting a friend in the Netherlands, who had to work one day which left me exploring Rotterdam alone. I commented that I was worried about what I was going to do for lunch, since I didn’t speak Dutch and didn’t know how I was going to order food.

      He said, “just go into a Burger King and start speaking English - the cashier will understand you unless they completely failed highschool.” I always appreciated that about Dutch culture. They all speak 3 or 4 languages seemingly effortlessly.

      • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        10
        ·
        1 month ago

        Okay but why go to Burger King except maybe to ask, “where can I get some good food in this town?” Surely the waitstaff in other places would have at least the same education.

        • jballs@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          11
          ·
          1 month ago

          I dunno, that’s what my friend said almost 20 years ago. My time machine is outta gas so I can’t go back to ask him.

      • iknowitwheniseeit@lemmynsfw.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        1 month ago

        Almost every Dutch person does speak English, but if you get outside of the cities it’s often not very good Dutch.

        I spent a few years feeling like shit because of my terrible Dutch, until my sister came to visit. My partner had a birthday party during the visit, so lots of the people I had known for years but only spoke Dutch with had to switch to English to chat with my sister. Imagine my surprise to discover that my ridiculous Dutch was better than their English!

    • Akasazh@feddit.nl
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      1 month ago

      In the Netherlands the person would not respond to the question:

      ‘Dove’ means deaf person in Dutch

      I know I shoehorned that joke in, but a friend of mine dated a partially deaf person that was angry because of that brand name and that was so absurdly funny to me that I needed to share