Will I be wasting my time by learning Dutch?
I have heard a rumor that people from the Netherlands absolutely WILL NOT let you speak their language with them, whether due to possessiveness, xenophobia, or something else. So, if I were to take the time and effort to learn Dutch, would it ultimately be a waste of energy, as I will never be able to use it?
by 
Positivity
ANSWERS: 6
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If you find it fun, go for it. Only learn the words that will be useful though.
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It's never a waste of time to learn something new, and studying a foreign language is excellent for brain development. As for the Dutch people, they are not xenophobic or "possessive" about their language. However, because few people speak it outside of the Netherlands and Belgium (where it's called Flemish), a great many Dutch are multilingual. A large number of them speak EXCELLENT English, and they like to use it as much as possible, because it is necessary for them to keep up their English. In my experience, no foreigners speak English as well as the Dutch do, and they want to keep it that way. If you actually lived in the Netherlands, you'd need to learn Dutch, but if you don't, learn it if you wish, out of personal interest and just for the sake of intellectual growth and discipline, but don't expect to have opportunities to speak it. By the way, one reason the Dutch learn English so well is that there are relationships between the two languages.
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This reads as if you have the French mixed up with the Dutch. The French are more like that than the Dutch. And Dutch is not the only language that country has as national language.
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I wonder why you would want to learn a language so few people on the planet speak. Especially if they are reticent about speaking it with outsiders. Learn Spanish. Lots of people speak that and they are happy to speak with you in Spanish.
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Depends on if you plan to spend enough time around Dutch speakers to make it worthwhile. If so, knowing what they are talking about when they switch from English to Dutch (when you are around) is golden. Personally, I would never tell them I speak it....I'd just use it to gather intel.
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You would be better off learning Spanish, French, Russian or Chinese.
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