LEARNING DUTCH

It is not a real necessity to learn Dutch to survive in the Netherlands. If your English is still intermediate, try to focus more on your English instead of learning another new language, which will take you a lot of time and effort.

The least you can do is to learn a few basic words like 'please', 'thank you', and so on. In that case even the smallest phrase book you can find will suffice.

But if you think you are linguistically talented, don't mind pronouncing horrible 'g' sounds, really would like to learn Dutch and have the time for it, there are several ways to do so. The best option is to ask at your university or college what courses they offer. Usually they offer you a course at a very reasonable price and you can make use of the language lab.
If you can't enrol there, you could think of trying a self-study method with tapes or a CDR. The advantage is that you can study the language at your own pace, and keep the academic work you have to do as the first priority when you need to. A disadvantage is that you miss the stimulating group effect and the need for correction of your pronunciation. You could ask a Dutch student to help you. Some self-study books are Code Nederlands, Help, Taal Vitaal, Teach Yourself, and Hugo. For bookstores, see the section about books.

The Volksuniversiteit offers a range of different Dutch courses both in the evenings and in the daytime. For information about these courses you can visit their office, located at the Rapenburgerstraat 73 or call 020-6261626 or check their website www.volksuniversiteit.nl.

Note: ISMA does not offer any language courses, which is why we gave you the information above, but you can meet Dutch students during our activities!

Some major bookshops

Scheltema, Koningsplein 20, Tel: 523 1411.
A six floor bookshop in the city centre where you can spend hours, or even days. It is Amsterdam's biggest bookshop and sells virtually everything, including Dutch courses and dictionaries. The people who work there are happy to advise you.
American Book Center, Kalverstraat 185, Tel: 625 5537.
A very wide range of English books, including lots of imported US books and magazines.
Athenaeum, Spui 14, Tel: 623 3933.
A good all-round bookshop which is also a very good source of international newspapers and magazines.
Waterstones, Kalverstraat 152, Tel: 638 3821.
Dutch brand of the UK high-street chain, with four floors of books and magazines. Prices are sometimes cheaper here than elsewhere.
Intertaal, Van Baerlestraat 76, Tel: 575 6756
A bookshop selling only books in the field of language learning. The sales people there like to advise you. A great disadvantage of shopping here is that there are no price tags in the books, which makes it hard to compare them with the money in your wallet!