We hardly ever talk about Dutch, but I have a friend finishing her degree with me who comes from the Netherlands and she always tells me interesting things about this language, so this is for you Daina!

First of all, I was quite surprised when I discovered that Dutch is actually spoken by quite a lot of people, around 23 millions in total! Most of them are based in the Netherlands, but there are also those coming from the Flanders in Belgium as well as Suriname in South America, Indonesia and South Africa, which were former Dutch colonies. The first three countries of this group are part of the Taalunie, a Dutch language union. Have a look at the website if you are interested in knowing how many universities in the world offer Dutch programmes!

Also, you might have heard the word Flemish. This term comprises the versions of Dutch that are spoken in Belgium, but this word is sometimes used to distinguish them from those spoken in the Netherlands. In addition, as the Dutch themselves migrated at some point, they created very big communities in the US, so until the beginning of the 20^th century, Dutch was spoken among the descendants from those early immigrants, especially in New Jersey.

And finally, why not give a go to this really interesting language by trying this page on the BBC website? You have some simple words and sentences in Dutch, with their translation into English, as well as the possibility to hear the correct pronunciation. Give it a go and let us know what you think!