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I can speak English and German which makes me able to somewhat understand written Dutch (especially if I know the context), but no chance when it's spoken.

• lqet 1y ago
  As a German, I enjoy reading the Dutch text on supermarket products and manuals, it is a source of great fun in my family :) Children especially love it. Dutch just has so many words that sound extremely cute and funny to Germans: "Sleep well" -> "Slaap lekker", in German "Schlaf lecker" = "Sleep tasty". "Nuttig" -> "Useful", in German "nuttig" means "slutty" "Huren" -> "to rent", in German "huren" means "to whore". "Oorbellen" -> "earrings", "ear bells".
  • jamiek88 1y ago
    It’s the same for me, a Brit, reading screenshots my Dutch mates send me from say TikTok or whatever localized to Netherlands one that tickles me is ‘reacties’ underneath instagram posts!
  • fransje26 1y ago
    "Uitvaart" -> Funeral, in German "Ausfahrt" -> exit :-)
• davedx 1y ago
  Right! I speak English and Dutch, so I can read maybe less than half of German. It's just enough to be tantalising but not enough to really understand it. Likewise with Swedish.
• snovymgodym 1y ago
  Knowing English and German also makes it possible to understand something like 50-75% of written Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish in my experience. Apparently a part of this is due to a huge number of Low-German loanwords present in all three due to the influence of the Hanseatic league in the region during the middle ages.