DUTCH OR FLEMISH?
Learn Dutch for life in the Netherlands or Flanders
If you're learning Dutch because you're moving to Belgium, have a Flemish partner, or simply want to communicate in Flanders, you may be wondering whether you need to learn a different language.
The good news is: you don't.
Flemish is a variety of Dutch, and the Dutch you learn with Dutch 4 Beginners gives you a solid foundation for communicating in both the Netherlands and Dutch-speaking Belgium.
There are differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and expressions, but you won't need to start learning a completely different language.
DUTCH AND FLEMISH: One language, different flavours
Dutch is spoken in both the Netherlands and Flanders. The grammar, spelling and much of the vocabulary are the same, which means a Dutch speaker from Amsterdam can have a conversation with someone from Antwerp without needing a translator.
What changes is the flavour of the language.
You'll notice differences in:
pronounciation
Belgian Dutch often sounds softer and has different regional accents.
vocabulary
Some everyday words are different.
expressions
You may encounter words and phrases that aren't commonly used in the Netherlands.
regional variation
Flemish doesn't sound exactly the same everywhere in Belgium either. Someone from Antwerp may sound quite different from someone from Bruges, Ghent or Limburg.