Crucial to fully integrating into a new culture and society is mastering the language. But since nearly 95% of Dutch people also speak English, it is sometimes hard for internationals to feel motivated to learn Dutch. And even when they do want to learn, it can be hard to find the opportunity to practice speaking Dutch regularly, as Dutch people often – with good intentions – switch to English when they hear a foreign accent!
The “Praat Nederlands met me!” buttons are an effort to overcome that challenge. They are a way to encourage locals to speak Dutch with internationals, who may not have the best Dutch yet, but who need to practice in order to improve.
And, best of all, the buttons work!
Building Bridges Through Language
“At my kids' school I always force myself to speak Dutch, but they would sometime switch to English to help me. I found that the badge forced us to keep struggling in Dutch, which is the only way to learn at the end of the day,” recounted Meagin van der Westhuizen, a South African, living in the Netherlands.
If you see someone wearing the button, please speak Dutch!
More Holland Expat Center South initiatives to promote the learning of Dutch:
"Schrijf Nederlands met me"
We have introduced pens with the text ''Schrijf Nederlands met me'' (write Dutch with me). These are available from our offices and are also included in the welcome bag.
Spiekkleding
We partnered with Spiekkleding, a company that produces clothing items, bags and banners with handy Dutch phrases in Dutch and the speaker’s native language. They made us a beautiful banner which you might have noticed when visiting our offices! They also made handy bags which they gave out at the 2025 edition of Brabant International Expo.
Dutch words and phrases
We have included some handy Dutch words and phrases on many pages of our website.
Employer-led approach to Dutch for internationals
An employer engagement strategy for Dutch language learning for international employees in the Southeast Brabant labor market region