I have had Dutch friends for over thirty years. With my Dutch "family " I went to their wedding and have watched their children grow from babies to adults. I have visited many times and have travelled all over the Netherlands and not once have I had what I would call a bad experience. I have met friendly and helpful people everywhere. My Dutch is not good but everybody I have met speaks English and have been happy to help. So for me it's Hup Oranje !!
thats why i dont think directness or coldness is the proper word to explain dutch people we're just honest, and these days many people are hurt by honesty
I'm originally from the US but have been living in the Netherlands for 30 years. In fact, I became Dutch in 2023. This is the fourth country I've lived in but also the longest I've lived anywhere. I love the Netherlands and I'll probably live here forever.
I lived in Amsterdam for almost 2 years, worked 2 different jobs, and loved every minute of it. And developed a life-time friendship with several people there.
I agree Joel, it seems that many in the US are overly concerned about how they are viewed by others. Whereas they project a confidence they lack confidence in themselves, hence the need to wear a mask. I like the honesty and straightforwardness of the Dutch, who seem at ease with themselves. I also respect nationalities that are known to learn many different languages.
As a dutch man, it can be a bit hard sometimes to not be percieved as rude, i believe strongly that sugarcoating or beating around the bush is disrespectful and deceiving, but when i am with foreigners i sometimes have to mention that im dutch and its just a culture diffrence and that i'm just being respectfully honest haha
When you are in the Netherlands you can expect a honest answer. If you went to the hairdresser for example and you ask someone if he or she likes your new hair, you take the risk that they say they doesn't like it and they like you hair how it was before. When you are shopping and are trying some new clothes, you can expect the employee of the shop tells you honestly if the clothes suits you. We don't like small talk. If you ask 'how are you' we tell you exactly how we are. Probably not the 'fine, and how are you' you were expecting. We are open but it takes a long time before we call someone a friend. We need to feel a real deep connection with you before you are a friend. Also we really don't care about social standings and the things you have and how much money you make although we like to know how much house rent you pay for example just to compare and to know if we are paying to much by ourselves. We are not materialistic and we value free time to spend on our family, friends, hobbies and traveling more than we value money. Please be welkom to visit the Netherlands, Amsterdam is nice for one day but there are much more and nicer places to visit then Amsterdam.
What are Dutch people like....i live just accross the border in Belgium so....where do i start 😂. Stereotypes coming up : They are very confident, to the point that it can be perceived as arrogant . Pretty open, progressive, .. and yes sometimes down to earth 😂, practical, inventive, and actually quite frugall or even stingy ( unlike what the guy in the video said). This originates from the Calvinist inlfuence on the culture. Also the phrase " Act Normal" and dont go i to excess stems from this. BUT On the other hand of this you have days where they go insane and i avoid trips accros the border ( Carneval, Koningsdag,....) 😂., because Normal goes out the window those days 😂. They are passionate supporters and i love seeing the Orange Army at sporting events, for example the F1 in Spa or Footballmatches, always a great atmosphere, never a dull moment. Dutch people do speak very well english, but besides english, unlike what the guy in the video said most of them hardly speak other languages properly 😂. They just think they do. And are not affraid of making mistakes ( again the confidence/arrogance ) . It is always funny and actually kind of emberassing to see them try. All together they are the Best neighbours i could wish for, we kind of compliment eachothers strenghts and weaknesses. We have a friendly rivalry and make fun of eachother all the time but when it matters will always have eachothers back. Very much like "We are allowed to pick on eachother, we're family, an outsider does not have that privelige" In my humble opinion, one that isnt really that controversial, 1830 was a big mistake and we should have remained one nation. So if you have the opportunity to visit, you should GO !!!! See Amsterdam , but indeed limit your time there. Personal favorites, coz it is close and beautifull are Maastricht and Breda. 😊 Greetz from Limburg, Flanders ( Belgium) , 😉 Southern-Netherlands
I think you're right about the level of knowing French (can't compete with our Southern neighbours). German might be better for part of the Netherlands, but also seems to be getting worse these days.
@@KeesBoonsi guess you are correct, i am obviously comparing it to myself and my countrymen. Here , 3 languages is a minimum to get any kind of office job, preferably 4. ( French , dutch, german and english is pretty standard) . So yes , it may not be a fair comparison , as this is one of the few things we actually do better 😂 than almost anyone else. I think it is correct to say compared to the rest of Europe the Dutch actually do speak more languages than almost anyone. Almost 😉🤘❤️
@@KeesBoonsTouché 😂. Well played . Truth is that it can be a real pain in the Butt, organising the country is practically impossible. Less than12million people, and we need 6!!! Different governments and parliaments to make sure we discuss and sort out our differences in parliament and not on the streets.
@@CobraChicken101 I know Frans. I live just across the border by Achel. I've had much contact with the Flemish speaking part of Belgium all my life. Still find it kind of funny how it still works out reasonably well for the average Belgium person.
One big misconception when it comes to Dutch directness, and the one that keeps causing unnecessary problems, is that visitors tend to take an opinion or perspective personally. When a Dutch person is asked something they will generally give an honest answer, their own opinion or view on something based on their own ideals, etc. The person asking then gets offended if it doesn't match up with what they want or expect to hear (based on cultural differences mostly). In reality, it's just an own opinion and they are totally fine with the other person having a totally different one. Also, the Dutch are open and often expect a discussion, an interesting backwards and forwards of thoughts and experiences. It's about sharing and respecting each other ('s viewpoint). So, once again, a voiced opinion is their own, strictly personal, and says nothing about the other person. The other person is free to voice theirs, to agree or disagree. It's all good. Humour and lightness goes a looooooong way!
There is usually the assumption that people can handle it, there is some expectation that could be considered a compliment. You asked my opinion because so you can deal with it, I criticize your work because I assume you could do better, I tell you it doesn't suit you because you look better in other clothes, I give you an opionion so you can disagree. But fresh foreigners are often too flabbergasted to react that way, believing it's too confrontational.
@@DenUitvreter Absolutely. I'm a foreigner myself, living in NL now for 33 years. Originally from South Africa. I've gone through it all, believe me. Haha! Dutchies are at the extreme end of directness compared to the rest of the world. That is a fact. But, there is a distinct difference between being honest and being rude. The Dutch are not rude. It does happen, like anywhere in the world actually, that people can say something uncalled for. That's not an inherently Dutch thing. The Dutch do not say something rude for the sake of it and don't generally give a comment or opinion unasked for. Also, I find that because the Dutch are generally very well travelled they are experienced with other cultures. They are open and friendly partly due to this. They are known to be very good at foreign languages and therefore also in dealing with foreigners. Relatively few Dutchies do not have these experiences. That, I feel, translates into a certain maturity when it comes to communication. They are honest, and therefore "direct". Large parts of the world are not. Sticking my neck out here with a comment like that, but it is my personal observation. I've become pretty Dutch myself, apparently. Edit: spelling
@@MYoung-mq2by Do you happen to speak Afrikaans? I always got the impression that's an even more no nonsense than Dutch, more working class not bothering with the politenesses and subtleties to make class distinctions, which a lot of language is actually about. As a Dutchman, especially in my own country, I feel like a lot of things are so self evident to us that we really don't understand why foreign people overcomplicate things so much to the extend that we show little empathy with foreigners not being used to that. If we don't agree we don't agree, what's the problem? We are equals, that happens. Maybe there is a need for us to agree so there is a problem, but not one that will be solved by falsely pretending to agree. "Let's agree to disagree" is something the Dutch actually do, while in many foreign countries it's just a phrase to avoid further confrontation, to bury the disagreement, it's and end, for the Dutch it's the begin, the staring position. It might be blunt but I think it's related to a general practicality, of taking things as they are and not creating a fog for (temporary) comfort. But if you're used to that, it might get uncomfortable at first.
I've been living in the Netherlands now for 22 year and love it. I've found Dutch people to be very open, helpful and direct. I can't speak for living in the major Cities like Amseterdam or Rotterdam though, I live in Noord Brabant. A good honest video and definitely a country I would recommend visiting.
I have a friend at work she is Dutch and the most wonderful, smart and down to earth person, loves nature, sees the good in people (where others would be judgmental), she tries to enjoy every day no matter how stressful work gets and she DOES NOT FAKE anything. I am from CZ myself originally so we have conversations that would make many Americans uncomfortable and on the other hand we don't give much weight to other stuff Americans consider 'important' like who thinks what of who and how to project success and over competitiveness and social status. The mindset is much different (not saying which is right that's not for me to say). I just love the stoic attitude and chill energy she shines. And once friend, always a friend. I love that about the Dutch.
i've had several dutch people invite me to stay with them after only knowing me a very short time (and i did so when travelling through the Netherlands, so they weren't just offering without the intention to follow through). I made lots of friends there very easily and have visited them multiple times on subsequent trips. maybe they just like Australians? 🤷🏻♀️😂
I lived in Australia for a while (got relatives in NSW) and travelled to many countries, had a lot of friends abroad. I always felt the most at home in Australia as Aussies are also rather straight forward and not afraid to speak their minds either. Which I prefer in people as there is nothing I hate more than ppl being nice and polite to your face while not meaning it.
One day my neighbor asked me out of the blue "How's your penis?" She wanted to know whether I had had a prostate check-up - you do that in the Netherlands after you're 50. As an immigrant, I was kind of shocked at first, but then I actually found it funny. So much for the directness of the Dutch.
As a Dutch person I would agree that it’s very strange to ask it in that way. I guess it might have been a language barrier that made her ask it that way. She might not have been able to come up with the word ‘prostate’ and therefore used ‘penis’ instead. 😂 But besides that, such a medical question is really not something a dutch person would normally ask another dutch person just like that either, unless they’re very close or there was a good reason to ask about it, for instance if the person had a prostate exam themselves and is talking about that.
Also, we indeed do not invite every stranger in our home, but i think the boundry to be invited is lower then people think. If we have an honest conversation you'll quickly be seen as a friend and from that point we are very open. So yeah, we are only open to friends, but its not hard to become our friends.
🇸🇪 here 😁. If you visit the Netherlands, you can also kill two birds with one stone - at least when it comes to food. I don't know if you know this but Indonesia was a Dutch colony from the 17th century until after WWII. One of Indonesia's parade dishes is called 'Rijstafel' (meaning rice table and pronounced roughly 'reistafel' [with an 'a' as in 'car']). The world's best 'Rijstafel' is allegedly served in the Netherlands (I don't doubt it after eating it both in Indonesia and the Netherlands). Google it and for the world don't miss it when you’re there if you like asian food!
How nice of you to say. I was born in Indonesia, but consider myself Dutch (it's more about mentality and stand in life what determines your nationality rather than etnicity). In 1989 I visited Sweden, the lake district 🧡🇸🇪 What a beautiful country 🤩
The open sounding a from tafel sounds more like the 'aaa' from opening your mouth at the dentist. The 'a' from 'car' is more pronounced with the throat. Dutch people actually use the saying 'having a hot potato in your mouth' for this extremer way of pronunciation. All 5 vowels have a more open sounding variation. The grammatical rule would also make it 'taffel' when pronounced that way. My dad was German and used to make jokes about it, German only has the open sounding vowels. And you're very right about the food, Amsterdam has a rich variation of food from many different cultures :)
I’ve been to Amsterdam, Prague (in the Czech Republic), and Paris… I’d say Amsterdam was my favorite city. The charming Dutch architecture and the people.. just awesome.
Interesting to hear Dutch people talking about themselves. I was married to a Dutch woman and spent a lot of time there in the 70's, 80's and 90's and most of the aspects of Dutch culture mentioned agree with my experience except perhaps the "arrogance", opiniated certainly but rarely arrogant. The geography of the country is mostly flat. They invite you to visit their "hills" as tourist attractions but also boast of their landscapes being 2/3 sky and 1/3 land. This openness translates to their conversation which is very direct and to the point. This can be disconcerting but as the lady said, 'You know where you stand' The other strong cultural influence is the Protestant Church which emphasises not wasting the benefits provided by the Lord. Thus "soundig" or careful, not mean. Btw, master-linguist, Joel, the Dutch language is very easy to acquire for English speakers, e.g. "Waar is de huis?"/ Where is the house?. Just saying
I think with soundig you intended to say zuinig (frugal)?, and it's not de huis, but het huis, but you're right that it's reasonably ease to make yourself understandable in Dutch for an English speaker. When you get more involved in the grammar, that completely changes.
Reason for a lot of similarities in the language is that old-dutch, old english and old-german all had the same common "ancester" language, that later locally developped into separate languages. In the 17th century and thereafter a lot of words were exchanged between dutch and english as we were both seafaring and trading nations that shared the north sea. e.g. the words for all sorts of winds (storm, breeze, ...) are the same. We never even had long lasting wars between our nations, (just a couple of days/weeks in the 17th century).
I have several very good Dutch friends whom I have known for over thirty years. Through them I have met many more Dutch people and have visited all the provinces, many on several occasions. My most recent visit was for ten days in October 2023. I have always found the people friendly and hospitable and would genrally concur with the views expressed in this video.
When you have friends from France, Belgium, Cameroon, Hungary and English you're not the problem. Dutch people are friendly but you aren't allowed to get close.
@@peet4921 not me. Peet. Although living among arrogant people can give you issues if you're not careful. Maybe it's different outside the big cities 🤔
I'm probably one of the few people who dont see the directness as a problem in fact, it's refreshing from the people pleasing tendencies and anxieties I suffered in California 😂 Maar ja, I'm American and have lived in the NL for a few years. Recently though since the elections my perspectives on Dutch people have changed, in that every Dutch person is extremely different as an individual and opinions are varied for the most part. There exists this general calm and kind aspect deep down with the Dutch folks here in the North. However, there are extreme contrasts with individuals who can be hateful and ignorant as well (just like every country). In any case, some of these are just stereotypes 😅
American's have a different level of sensitivity in their social interactions when compared to several other places, including here in Barbados. We are somewhere between the two: the U.S. and the Netherlands in that we can be a little coy for want of better word, but can be painfully blunt as well when speaking to others. But we are a warm and friendly people.
Happy newyear Joel!! When you do get the Netherlands I'll buy you a beer and show you a bit around the eastern part (away from Amsterdam, Rotterdam,..)
The funny thing is that adults in the Netherlands say that we don't invite people for food, but the younger ones are much more social and really the most fun to mingle with.
I agree from my own experience and knowledge. The Netherlands are worth visiting and I definitely recommend you to go there on your next trip to Europe 👍 In many ways, NL is ahead of the crowd, like urban development, public transport, architecture, comfort food and open-mindedness in general. Speed limits and so forth... Better in fields I care about than the big neighbor Germany, but with friendly cooperation ❤️
the guy that sayed we are cold hearted because we dont inv people is not because we are cold hearthed. its because we plan everything we do and if something gets in the way of that we can kind of slightly panic because we have to review our whole planning. also we are a bit skittish when it comes to strangers. but if we know you better we are very helpful and friendly
Im Dutch, i think foreigners should know that we are very direct, but you should never mistake that for rudeness or meanness. We are direct to not waste time. For example, If you look silly we'll mention it, so you don't look in the mirror at home after an entire day and think, man for how long did i look silly. Nah, well tell you imediatly, but not to make you feel bad!
I,m a brit with dual dutch nationality + personally I always thought they were having jokes at my expence which gave me the push to learn the language after living for 10 yrs here. Although I,m not 100 per cent I can hold a conversation if it,s not to technical + not soeone from the east of the country. Their dialect to me is extremely hard to understand. People here say what they mean like it or not. Everyone is a comedian so most people walk around with a smile on their faces. They like it if you attempt to speak dutch but will speak mostly english if they realise you can,t. Most dutch here will begin to speak english to me while I,m speaking dutch which I consider an insult so I continue in dutch.😊
If you ever come to Amsterdam, let me know. I worked as a tour guide here and of course you'll get a free tour, incl. Coffeeshops and the famous Red Light district 😀
I would say there is a lot of difference between the region. People in the west of the Netherlands are direct. People here in the north, where I live, less so. I agree that the Dutch consider themselves to be superior to all other nations. We like to tell other nations what they do wrong. This doesn't work the other way around. Don't tell the Dutch what you think the Netherlands is doing wrong, because you will no longer be taken seriously. The Dutch would then say that you're a foreigner and don't no the first thing about the Netherlands and should look at your own country. Historian Hans Goedkoop once stated that we are good at judging others, but looking at ourselves in a critical way, we don't do that. I agree with him completely. We have no self-reflection at all. Having said that Dutch might now tell me that if I'm so critical about the Netherlands, then why don't I go and live somewhere else. I've gotten that remark more than once. Moreover the Netherlands is a deeply divided society in which a large group of people do not accept that others have different views. This is a large group, but thankfully not the majority. Having said that, there are lots of positive things as well. I think the Dutch are pretty well organised and society is pretty well structured. As an American you will find it enjoyable to visit the Netherlands. As someone from an Arab country, probably less so. But let's face it, the ideal society doesn't exist. Every society has it' pro's and cons.
❤ My late sister's father was from Eindhoven, so, though _I_ never knew him, the fact that I have even the slightest tenuous link to The Netherlands, means videos such as this, hold an interest for me. Thank you Joel, for sharing this.😊🏴🖖
I am Irish born and immigrated to the Netherlands in 78. I stayed with my sister and then found a room in a student house. The rent was 62.50 guldens per month. So I went to the bank first, paid my deposit and then 1 month in advance. The next month I paid again. We had a house meeting every 2 months. At the of the meeting they asked if anybody had any questions....a few other people asked about this and that. Then the Penningmeester [the treasurer] stood and said " guys, all is good, however, we did have one small issue with Steve.....I was so .embarrassed he then said Steve will have money back this week as he paid too much rent". I was like, what ???. He said the rent was 62.50 but I had transfered 63 guldens per month [rounded it off above] and he would pay me back tomorrow.....brilliant......first very big culture shock
I can't remember, but have you seen the video on the Netherlands by Geography Now? Hightly recommend it if you're looking to learn more about my country and the history. Btw love watching you go through this rabbithole.
I'm Dutch and one thing that might be very Dutch is how open we can be in welcoming people in our house. For example I had a colleague with an Arabic background. And he was super confused that my sisters boyfriend was living in our house (where I lived with my sister and me). And I shared my bathroom with him. For this Arabic guy that was unthinkable. And when friends come over and it gets late or they drink too much to drive home we always offer a place to sleep and this usually results in letting them sleep in my own bed next to me. Im not sure it this is typical Dutch but I know that many other cultures wouldn't be OK with this. But even within the Netherlands there's many difference. I live in Brabant which is considered the most "gezellig" part of the Netherlands.
Joel you have a friend who is Dutch Background me as I am a Canadian citizen and Dutch Citizen as well because of my Maternal Grandparents who lived there all there life. I speak English and Dutch fluently.
Cool reaction vid! I think there are nuances throughout the country. In the south (Brabant, Limburg), people tend to be less direct and more compared to Belgians, a bit 'warmer' in approach. Up north, the directness increases. Fact is that people are more on their own, I guess that is due to the (original) climate of long, cold winters. Probably, it's the same for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, etc.
I am going to compliment you on your videos and your interest in Europe. I noticed a few things in this video that can explain some background of what I saw in your videos. The Netherlands was established in 1815, but Belgium was established in 1830 as a resistance by French speakers in the southern part of Belgium. This was because William I of the Netherlands wanted to Dutchify all of Belgium. Before that time, you had the northern part of Belgium (Flanders) which had a shared bond. After William I was pushed back to his current borders, Flanders was Frenchified for a time until 1960. Dutch dialects continue to exist in Flanders. In a much further past, which had its origins around the year 1000 (the County of Flanders), you saw cities like Bruges, Ypres, Kortrijk (West Flanders province) as the New York of that time. Even to this day, you see the core cities of these very old cities with textile industries. Later in the Golden Age (16th century), with the 17 provinces experiencing significant economic and collective prosperity, you also see more modern cities in the Netherlands. It also explains why William I wanted to turn back time in the 19th century by Dutchifying all of Belgium. Until today, both Flanders as a region of Belgium and the Netherlands share the same language only with a slightly different accent. With the fall of Antwerp in the 16th century, many people from the region of Antwerp (port) moved to Amsterdam above the Moerdijk, an area where people are "more arrogant" than in other areas of the Netherlands. Meet an Amsterdammer or an Antwerpian, and you'll notice the same arrogance. There aren't as many Antwerpians anymore. Amsterdamers, however, still exist. The mentality of the Dutch partly lies in the background where the County of Flanders was the cradle for current Dutch because mainly the areas in Flanders were occupied. As a result, you can see in the video: you can find many characteristic elements in the reactions that come in your videos (stubbornness, directness, Dutch people are pleasant, and I say that as a Flemish person). The positive aspect of the arrogance is that when something needs to be done and they are addressed, they also go all the way, for example, with charity; then they are not stingy at all. When I see how you make and comment on your videos, I see many similarities with the Flemish and Dutch. Their language is both Dutch (Low Dutch), and the German spoken in Germany and Switzerland is (High Dutch). There are comparisons there too, but the mentality is different, yet you also see the directness in German.
This was filmed in Alkmaar (I know as I live there). If you ever visit the Netherlands, and don't want to stay in that expensive tourist trap called Amsterdam, I'd recommend it to any tourist wanting to see canals, shop souvenirs (cheaper than Amsterdam) and have nice lunch/dinners. Also, it has a traditional cheese market every Friday, which is a sight to see. The area around Alkmaar is post card grade rural Holland for the most part, and extremely nice to visit too (windmills, canals, cheese farms, small 16th century towns, you name it..)
I am Dutch and what you see is what you get... I am not a negative person, but if you meet me, you will hear me saying how it is not how I want it to be..
I'm a dutchie and all i hear is Amsterdam, i've been in New York and New York doesn't represent America that's just like Amsterdam in the Netherlands, there is so much more dutchies in the south are different than the dutchies in the North Rotterdam and Amsterdam is an other stories 2 complete different cities with different people but the dutchies are mostly very direct indeed if you ask me how am i doing and my day sucks i will tell you that my day sucks why do i have to make it prettyer than it is, here we don't judge people by their jobs, what car they drive how much money they make, here we judge people who they are, for example.....the prime minister rides a bike to his office and that is completely normal here and if you are here i think 95% speaks english and most of us always wanted to help zo that is Dutch in a nutshell
Nice video Joel, I like your grounded comments and openness towards opinions, so much better than the videos out here full of bad jokes and making the video about you instead of the topic. Keep it up! PS I am Dutch, living abroad.
I am Dutch and I agree with most of these people. If you are open to connect with us we are very welcoming. Speaking for myself I like our directness and get unconfortable when people are "fake". It's very nice to know where you stand,when somebody takes time for you you know it's real interest and not just politeness. Don't expect people to imvite you over and if you are being invited don't expect to stay for dinner unless that was specified during/in the invitation. We are proud and stubborn, but most Dutch people are very willing to accomadate your needs and be considerate to the cultural differences and change their behaviour accordingly unless you offend them 😅 It would be nice if you get to visit. Between may and october-ish might be the best time to visit. Always expect any kind of weather, mostly prepare for rain. Any city is great to visit, if you want to you can hit me up for advice.
i'm English lived in Holland for years, yes their friendly and direct even in the big citys a bit different in many ways from the US and UK but i love it that way. Its a small country but so much to see and do for sure outside of the citys some unexpected things to explore.
As a Dutch guy I would say: 1. Very direct, which makes us seem arrogant to others. 2. Horizontal structure in life and in business (virtually no hierarchy or cast or ranking system) 3. Very individual, and therefore confident. That's why we are not afraid to tell the interviewer a lot of negative traits and flaws about ourselves, while you see the foreigners/tourists primarily say positive things.
Hello Joel. So you want to head flat out for the low countries? I watch a lot of videos from a channel by Hilbert, a Flemish Netherlander (from their north) raised as a Geordie, but he only likes reactions if they really add value (he did a funny video about that). As a northerner myself, but an English one, I have claimed to be "no nonsense", so you might enjoy Netherlands, like York?
Because we are strong individuals we do respect it from others. And we are down to earth and have sayings like do not act crazy it is already crazy enough as it is😂. And we are very direct we wanna get to the point. It feels honest to us. No bullshit. Speak the truth. We all deserve honesty in our lives. Other culture might share more within their culture and we less, but we are very welcoming to other countries / international people. And because we save money etc we can help others who are truly in need. You need a foundation to build.
I went to the Netherlands totally the opposite of England foreign people in the Netherlands do invite you for a tea or whatever, good chemistry with the Dutch and Dutch-foreign
Hey man. After watching your reaction. And here your words and see your facial expression. I’m sure. You have to visit the Netherlands. And not only Amsterdam. We are a small country and beautiful from the north to the south and the east to the west. I like to show you the north of the Netherlands. That’s where I live and grew up. Keep up the nice reactions. And watch a lot of videos from the Netherlands 😉🤜🏼🤛🏽
Born and raised in the netherlands. I live up north and that’s no Amsterdam at all. But for peace and nature the best way is to go on a “fiets” and go outside the randstad.
I have lived in the Netherlands for 36 years. You would love The Netherlands I think. One thing is very true: we do say what we think! I am born Australian, lived in Australia for 30 years, and even I get comments from Australia people who say they think I am being rude!😂 Greetings from Lizzy from Australia 🦘.
We, the Dutchies, are friendly and strait forward. I’ve worked with French , Belgium and German people. We are too strait forward to be honest. We always have an opinion. But, I am glad to say, we have hospitality and like to welcome tourists. We immediately speak English to explain something or when we want to point the right direction. I like to invite you to see Noordwijk. You are welcome, I like to show you Netherlands.
We don't really let go (only when Holland wins with soccer). I saw a couple win 9 million euros a few years ago. In the US people go nuts. Scream and yell. Here the people who won went like 'oh, that's nice, thank you'. That's Dutch, lol.
I once knew a lovely old Dutch gentleman, who was a bit of a cuddly teddy bear of a man. Two of my sisters visited The Netherlands and enjoyed their visit. It's certainly on my list of countries to visit. My Grandma came from Finland, but I'd like to visit some of the other countries in that part of Europe. Including The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Something my fellow Aussies and the Dutch have in common is our directness. But we'll also say please and thank you as well. Unless we see or hear someone treating another person badly. Then you'll be told exactly what we think about what you've done. Everyone is welcome in Australia, but if you come here for a visit, don't walk around naked in public. Aussie parents don't want children seeing certain body parts. Another way in which Aussies are very direct is when we find someone attractive. We'll check you out as a way of paying them a compliment. I'm attracted to men, but I don't want to see just any random guy's equipment.
@arthurhagen3826 No, it's just a bit different in Australia. For instance, a lot of Aussies will describe someone as the slang name we have for a lady's equipment, which some Americans call the C-bomb. I recently watched a UA-cam video made by an American lady who visited Australia. The first time some called her a Sick C...t, she thought it was an insult. Then she learnt it was a compliment. Another thing that shocks people from the UK and US is how often Aussies swear, including in front of their children. For instance, in the US, if a student swears in school, they'll get into trouble. Aussie teachers couldn't care less about it. Adult Aussies will talk about practically anything, including their love life and what happens in their bedroom with practically anyone. Personally, because of my religious beliefs, I don't do any of the above. But pretty much everyone else in Australia does.
@@larissahorne9991 :-) That's definitely a significant cultural difference. I find talk like that very coarse, while being anything but a prude. 33 yrs in NL also makes for ample open-mindedness. I don't find it shocking, just very coarse as said.
@@larissahorne9991I was aware of that. Americans are easily triggered by mere words. But I was refering to 'seeing certain bodyparts'. I've seen plenty of people from the anglosphere get hysterical about nudity.
@@larissahorne9991I can imagine that a non-Australian person would think that when someone calls them a “Sick C..t” that it’s an insult. Funny enough a direct translation to Dutch is actually used to insult a woman by some Dutch people: “K.t wijf”. 😂 When they say that to you in the Netherlands it most certainly isn’t a compliment. 😂
You should really visit the Netherlands, you will like it here. Dutch people are indeed very open, direct and helpfull. I don't know if we are really progressive, most people have liberal views and tolerate differences to a certain point. We have still lots of issues around discrimination and racism, and when you look at the outcome of last national election , you could say the Dutch are getting more closedminded rightwing conservative and sadly populist politicians like in the US are very popular at the moment. But overall it's a nice country with good people so I'm sure you will love it here!
You made the classical left wing mistake. We are a progressive people in social life, in work life, in services, in healthcare, only not progressive as being left wing in politics. And certainly not close-minded, although the left is close-minded in asylum procedures as well as they are conservative, they don’t want any change at all. Despite we are having one of the biggest problems coping with all the foreign people in pur country. We as a country just had a necessary correction in all the left wing nonsense we had the last decade, that’s called change. Also known as progressive, moving forward. The left has stayed conservative on this issue, stubbornly holding on to their asylum standpoints, not wanting to move an inch, and was punished electorally for this. Luckily for you we have a democracy and next election you’ll have another chance.
I'm Dutch and living in the North.here the people are different than people from the west (randstad) as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Utrecht. See it as a New Yorker and some one from Texas.
Some video suggestions: "pick your choice" Russell Shorto & Dutch-American Heritage Day How The Netherlands Helped America Gain Its Independence and How It Cost Them How The Dutch Created the Netherlands When the Dutch Ruled the World: The Rise & Fall of the East India company 10 Dutch Inventions and Discoveries Waarom Nederland niet onder water staat (English spoken) Holland's Barriers to the Sea (by Julian YOLO Live) How the Netherlands Helps Other Countries With Their Water Problems How the Netherlands Stopped the Wind (by Tom Scott) Earth Day: A Dutch Solution May Mitigate Flood Damage How Rotterdam's Flood Defenses Could Help Save Us All Dutch Architecture in the USA Foundation For Adopting Graves American Cemetery Margraten-Netherlands (Documentary) How do 80,000 “Lipsticks” Help the Largest Port in Europe Run on Automation? Why Amsterdam is Removing 10,000 Parking Spaces End of World Hunger,. This Is How The Netherlands Feeds The World Why the Dutch Lead the World in Agriculture Exports Why the Dutch King Works as a Pilot for KLM How to Survive Dutch Koningsdag! (by Survival Guide to the Dutch) The Netherlands from Above (parts 1 & 2) The Netherlands Explained (parts 1 &2) This Bizarre Town is Stuck in 2 Countries! Earthrise - Dutch Aquatecture (by Al Jazeera English) Why the Dutch Turned a Sea into a Lake How The Dutch Dug Up Their Country From The Sea How The Netherlands Built a Biking Utopia (by Distilled) How the Netherlands Became the World Leader in the Maritime Industry The 10 100m+ yachts from The Netherlands The Fishmigrationriver Afsluitdijk - new impression Why is The Netherlands so Rich (by Economics Nation) The Entire World Relies on a Machine Made by ONE Company (by Newsthink) … or... The Netherlands is Controlling China, And Trying To Takeover The World Economy What Makes the Netherlands a Secret Economic Powerhouse Why the Dutch always say what they mean
A pitfall I've noticed other countries have is that they equate the bluntness characteristic with honesty when speaking about Dutch people.This is not the same. There are things that we experience in The Netherlands that aren't honest and aren't spoken about enough 'honestly'. We are definitely stubborn people, individualistic, creative, competitive and most are down to earth, I agree with that 100%. Born, raised and living in Amsterdam. 80s kid.
Dutch people are pointed, on time and critical in general, I call it the hasty-complaining culture. I am Dutch by the way, so I can be as blunt as I want to be 😉😅
Do you know ‘dutch’ actually meant ‘germanic’ in germanic, since ‘germanic’ itself is a romance word? It was derived from Germania which was used by the Romans. So when an American confronts a German with “his mistake” by telling everyone that he is ‘Deutsch’, one should know that Deutsch and Dutch are etymologically related words and refer to us being germanic nations. However we make the mistake ourselves as well, by thinking that the line in our national anthem means that we are of German descent. However “ben ik van Duitschen bloed” stems from the time in which we used the word Duitsch to refer to ‘germanic’ for which we now use the word ‘germaans’. Germany as a country didn’t even exist back then so perfectly fine to refer to the germanic by using ‘duitsch’. So for all germanic people out there including Americans, you could consider yourself to be Dutch if you weren’t allowed to use words from Roman descent. I’m greatful the English chose to give us the germanic name for germanic, namely “the Dutch”; while opting for the romance name for germanic when naming the germans to whom the name “the Germans” had been given. One must be creative when trying to correctly refer to two continental germanic nations across the channel without any form of miscommunication to occur. Dutch and Deutsch are just two labels too much alike you know. I can’t blame the English for it.
Hi there If you visit the Netherlands, come to Rotterdam. I guide several groups each years. Friends from abroad, relatives, co-workers... The Dutch are quite opiniated, but are very good in self reflection. Big mouths, big hearts. Whenever we have fundraisers (international disasters) you will be shocked how much is raised.
Dutch guy here. Just found your reaction on my timeline about my country. What i am always saying: you got to be Straight To The Point with us. Not going around it. And yess that first guy was right but we are not gold hearted😅😂 We are Straight To The Point because of our history as trader during the colonization of the dutch. You got to be Straight To The Point if you want to trade around the world. Thats why we are somethimes a little stubbern and wat you americans also say... rude😅 bud we don't mean it that why😊. We are Straight To The Point. If you want to ask somthing to go Straight To The Point. What do you want en why?. And yess we are very nice People. Thats why all the countrys was not alout in japan exept us doring the colonization with trading
Yeah this vid was pretty spot on. Us Dutchies, we keep to ourselves but we are very open to other cultures and unknown people. The mix of different cultures might be difficult to some people at times, but we all adapt and accept and agree upon what's the best in the long run. (jeez i'm gonna go on a mansplaining episode now) As long as you don't come here and disrespect our culture, ur fine
First of all, your remark that the Netherlands is much more than just Amsterdam, well I guess that goes for any country. Now I am Dutch myself, so perhaps I am a bit prejudiced, but when I take France for example, where I've been a lot. I've been in both Paris as in areas very far away from Paris and the difference is a lot. Actually I think you can never get to know a country by visiting its capital, but it's mostly outside of the capital you really get to know a country, especially in the areas that have not been spoiled by tourism. When it comes to hospitality I am not so sure about my own people. I mean I've been in Greece before where some Greek really welcomed me as one of them even though I don't speak the Greek language and even though they didn't really speak English or Dutch to well (except for a few notable exceptions as one Greek bartender I met there was fluent in Dutch, but behaved as a true Greek in the end, which was really wonderful), and in Ireland I was completely overwhelmed. I was there moving in a horse drawn carriage and when we took up the entire narrow road the Irish didn't mind at all. Really in the Netherlands they wouldn't even bother to blow the horn, but just try to push you off the road... damn, I'm not kidding. And of course, you can't say you've been in Ireland when you didn't visit at least one pub and so we did, well, the Irish welcomed us with open arms immediately making us (me, my back then girl friend and her father) feel like one of them (now I must say that my ex-gf's old man was the type of guy who easily makes friends with anyone). Also the relaxation when I was in a small supermarket and the power went down (most like due to a malfunction of the energy network). The shopkeeper didn't care, and just took out a pocket calculator to calculate how much money I owed him. Really, if such a thing happened in the Netherlands a big panic would break out. So I won't deny that Dutch can be friendly, easy to access as a foreigner (not only due to them mostly having English as a second language), and such, but I think a but of nuance is indeed in order. In many countries just hopping into somebody else's place without a notification or anything is quite common. Much Dutch won't thank you for it. Should you however visit a Dutch in their home, then a sign that you are welcome could be if they ask "Koffie?" (Lit "Coffee?", but they mostly mean "Do you want a cup of coffee?").
So, I'm from The Netherlands. And yes, we don't beat around the the bush. One of the things we most value is honesty. So when we say something, it might sound rude but it's our honest opinion. Most Dutchies however are open to other opinions. We might not agree with them and then we will say it. But we also say, that's an interesting point of view, I did'nt think about that. For example Trump. I spoke to some Trump supporters and I said: good point, let me think about that. But after a few days I was certain Trump is an a** hole who wants to destroy our good relationship with the USA. So I told them that. They now hate me for some reason. It's just my honest opnion!
We give alot but the thing is it doenst feel like much we give to other people but if you compare the euro whit the dollar you get less but the amount of money is more
Dutch people are not a sub species of the human race with common inherent character trades. We are all different from one another. Some Dutch people may have a more direct communicative approach than others. Some may even have conflicting political views and differing philosophies on life, believe it or not😂
So here is the thing about that intelligent lockdown part. Yes, we generally like to re-invent the wheel, or like to make our own version of the wheel. But what ends up happening we end up improving the the wheel, and we share/sell that new wheel to the rest of the world. There is a certain level of creativity the Dutch have. The ingenuity of the Dutch sometimes is really baffling. But we also sometimes end up with a miss, as with the lockdown.
Thats a fun insight. One thing that I noticed (mind you, im dutch myself), is that the interviewer isn't dutch???!!!! but I only noticed this in the end
7:30 you can stick a lot of labels on 'the Dutch' (assuming such a thing exists) like, cold, direct, arrogant, racist, frugal, inventive, polyglot, colonial, tolerant, open-minded, ingenious... but one label won't stick, and that is 'fake'.
Hello, There are a lot of differents in the Netherlands i saw you calling Amsterdam but for us who are living in a different part of the Netherlands is Amsterdam not the nicest place to be i am living up on the great rivers as they call it there are a lot of diferences with the people who are living here or in Amsterdam. Foreigners are talking a lot of Amsterdam but that comes from how it is shown to the world its known for the red light district where a lot of tourists finds that probably interesting and not to forget the drugs that are legalised in the Netherlands read the coffeshops but the Netherlands is so much more than that it's beautiful to live in this country a lot of things are really good organized and our history is beautiful and there are a lot of differences between the south provences of the netherlands and the northern provences so i would say to you that if you are coming to the Netherlands take your time to discover the whole of the netherlands and not just Amsterdam there is so much more beauty in our country to discover. Greetings
It’s funny when ppl are talking about typically dutch it’s mostly about the culture of the big cities in the northwest. Individual, opinianated, not very hospitable, blunt. Our country has four different corners with different cultures.
I have had Dutch friends for over thirty years. With my Dutch "family " I went to their wedding and have watched their children grow from babies to adults. I have visited many times and have travelled all over the Netherlands and not once have I had what I would call a bad experience. I have met friendly and helpful people everywhere. My Dutch is not good but everybody I have met speaks English and have been happy to help. So for me it's Hup Oranje !!
thats why i dont think directness or coldness is the proper word to explain dutch people
we're just honest, and these days many people are hurt by honesty
Don't praise our people or country please, more refugees will come
😊
That ending where they got sidetracked discussing the weather and "gezelligheid" was the most Dutch thing ever 😂.
I'm originally from the US but have been living in the Netherlands for 30 years. In fact, I became Dutch in 2023. This is the fourth country I've lived in but also the longest I've lived anywhere. I love the Netherlands and I'll probably live here forever.
I lived in Amsterdam for almost 2 years, worked 2 different jobs, and loved every minute of it. And developed a life-time friendship with several people there.
im a dutch guy i was born in the amsterdam... but i dont see amsterdam as a city in the netherlands...
I agree Joel, it seems that many in the US are overly concerned about how they are viewed by others. Whereas they project a confidence they lack confidence in themselves, hence the need to wear a mask. I like the honesty and straightforwardness of the Dutch, who seem at ease with themselves. I also respect nationalities that are known to learn many different languages.
As a dutch man, it can be a bit hard sometimes to not be percieved as rude, i believe strongly that sugarcoating or beating around the bush is disrespectful and deceiving, but when i am with foreigners i sometimes have to mention that im dutch and its just a culture diffrence and that i'm just being respectfully honest haha
When you are in the Netherlands you can expect a honest answer. If you went to the hairdresser for example and you ask someone if he or she likes your new hair, you take the risk that they say they doesn't like it and they like you hair how it was before. When you are shopping and are trying some new clothes, you can expect the employee of the shop tells you honestly if the clothes suits you. We don't like small talk. If you ask 'how are you' we tell you exactly how we are. Probably not the 'fine, and how are you' you were expecting. We are open but it takes a long time before we call someone a friend. We need to feel a real deep connection with you before you are a friend. Also we really don't care about social standings and the things you have and how much money you make although we like to know how much house rent you pay for example just to compare and to know if we are paying to much by ourselves. We are not materialistic and we value free time to spend on our family, friends, hobbies and traveling more than we value money. Please be welkom to visit the Netherlands, Amsterdam is nice for one day but there are much more and nicer places to visit then Amsterdam.
What are Dutch people like....i live just accross the border in Belgium so....where do i start 😂. Stereotypes coming up : They are very confident, to the point that it can be perceived as arrogant . Pretty open, progressive, .. and yes sometimes down to earth 😂, practical, inventive, and actually quite frugall or even stingy ( unlike what the guy in the video said). This originates from the Calvinist inlfuence on the culture. Also the phrase " Act Normal" and dont go i to excess stems from this. BUT On the other hand of this you have days where they go insane and i avoid trips accros the border ( Carneval, Koningsdag,....) 😂., because Normal goes out the window those days 😂.
They are passionate supporters and i love seeing the Orange Army at sporting events, for example the F1 in Spa or Footballmatches, always a great atmosphere, never a dull moment. Dutch people do speak very well english, but besides english, unlike what the guy in the video said most of them hardly speak other languages properly 😂. They just think they do. And are not affraid of making mistakes ( again the confidence/arrogance ) . It is always funny and actually kind of emberassing to see them try.
All together they are the Best neighbours i could wish for, we kind of compliment eachothers strenghts and weaknesses. We have a friendly rivalry and make fun of eachother all the time but when it matters will always have eachothers back. Very much like "We are allowed to pick on eachother, we're family, an outsider does not have that privelige"
In my humble opinion, one that isnt really that controversial, 1830 was a big mistake and we should have remained one nation. So if you have the opportunity to visit, you should GO !!!! See Amsterdam , but indeed limit your time there. Personal favorites, coz it is close and beautifull are Maastricht and Breda. 😊
Greetz from Limburg, Flanders ( Belgium) , 😉 Southern-Netherlands
I think you're right about the level of knowing French (can't compete with our Southern neighbours). German might be better for part of the Netherlands, but also seems to be getting worse these days.
@@KeesBoonsi guess you are correct, i am obviously comparing it to myself and my countrymen. Here , 3 languages is a minimum to get any kind of office job, preferably 4. ( French , dutch, german and english is pretty standard) . So yes , it may not be a fair comparison , as this is one of the few things we actually do better 😂 than almost anyone else. I think it is correct to say compared to the rest of Europe the Dutch actually do speak more languages than almost anyone. Almost 😉🤘❤️
@@CobraChicken101 Doesn't Belgium already have 3 National languages? ;o)
@@KeesBoonsTouché 😂. Well played . Truth is that it can be a real pain in the Butt, organising the country is practically impossible. Less than12million people, and we need 6!!! Different governments and parliaments to make sure we discuss and sort out our differences in parliament and not on the streets.
@@CobraChicken101 I know Frans. I live just across the border by Achel. I've had much contact with the Flemish speaking part of Belgium all my life. Still find it kind of funny how it still works out reasonably well for the average Belgium person.
One big misconception when it comes to Dutch directness, and the one that keeps causing unnecessary problems, is that visitors tend to take an opinion or perspective personally. When a Dutch person is asked something they will generally give an honest answer, their own opinion or view on something based on their own ideals, etc. The person asking then gets offended if it doesn't match up with what they want or expect to hear (based on cultural differences mostly).
In reality, it's just an own opinion and they are totally fine with the other person having a totally different one. Also, the Dutch are open and often expect a discussion, an interesting backwards and forwards of thoughts and experiences.
It's about sharing and respecting each other ('s viewpoint).
So, once again, a voiced opinion is their own, strictly personal, and says nothing about the other person. The other person is free to voice theirs, to agree or disagree. It's all good. Humour and lightness goes a looooooong way!
There is usually the assumption that people can handle it, there is some expectation that could be considered a compliment. You asked my opinion because so you can deal with it, I criticize your work because I assume you could do better, I tell you it doesn't suit you because you look better in other clothes, I give you an opionion so you can disagree. But fresh foreigners are often too flabbergasted to react that way, believing it's too confrontational.
@@DenUitvreter Absolutely. I'm a foreigner myself, living in NL now for 33 years. Originally from South Africa. I've gone through it all, believe me. Haha!
Dutchies are at the extreme end of directness compared to the rest of the world. That is a fact. But, there is a distinct difference between being honest and being rude. The Dutch are not rude. It does happen, like anywhere in the world actually, that people can say something uncalled for. That's not an inherently Dutch thing. The Dutch do not say something rude for the sake of it and don't generally give a comment or opinion unasked for.
Also, I find that because the Dutch are generally very well travelled they are experienced with other cultures. They are open and friendly partly due to this. They are known to be very good at foreign languages and therefore also in dealing with foreigners.
Relatively few Dutchies do not have these experiences.
That, I feel, translates into a certain maturity when it comes to communication. They are honest, and therefore "direct".
Large parts of the world are not.
Sticking my neck out here with a comment like that, but it is my personal observation. I've become pretty Dutch myself, apparently.
Edit: spelling
@@MYoung-mq2by Do you happen to speak Afrikaans? I always got the impression that's an even more no nonsense than Dutch, more working class not bothering with the politenesses and subtleties to make class distinctions, which a lot of language is actually about.
As a Dutchman, especially in my own country, I feel like a lot of things are so self evident to us that we really don't understand why foreign people overcomplicate things so much to the extend that we show little empathy with foreigners not being used to that. If we don't agree we don't agree, what's the problem? We are equals, that happens. Maybe there is a need for us to agree so there is a problem, but not one that will be solved by falsely pretending to agree. "Let's agree to disagree" is something the Dutch actually do, while in many foreign countries it's just a phrase to avoid further confrontation, to bury the disagreement, it's and end, for the Dutch it's the begin, the staring position.
It might be blunt but I think it's related to a general practicality, of taking things as they are and not creating a fog for (temporary) comfort. But if you're used to that, it might get uncomfortable at first.
I've been living in the Netherlands now for 22 year and love it. I've found Dutch people to be very open, helpful and direct. I can't speak for living in the major Cities like Amseterdam or Rotterdam though, I live in Noord Brabant. A good honest video and definitely a country I would recommend visiting.
Amsterdam and Rotterdam are ruined by the far green left.
I have a friend at work she is Dutch and the most wonderful, smart and down to earth person, loves nature, sees the good in people (where others would be judgmental), she tries to enjoy every day no matter how stressful work gets and she DOES NOT FAKE anything. I am from CZ myself originally so we have conversations that would make many Americans uncomfortable and on the other hand we don't give much weight to other stuff Americans consider 'important' like who thinks what of who and how to project success and over competitiveness and social status. The mindset is much different (not saying which is right that's not for me to say). I just love the stoic attitude and chill energy she shines. And once friend, always a friend. I love that about the Dutch.
Many Dutch people are very judgemental.
i've had several dutch people invite me to stay with them after only knowing me a very short time (and i did so when travelling through the Netherlands, so they weren't just offering without the intention to follow through). I made lots of friends there very easily and have visited them multiple times on subsequent trips. maybe they just like Australians? 🤷🏻♀️😂
(in response to the guy who said dutch people won't invite you to their homes)
yeah we do, ozzies are allright.
I as a Dutchie always said the same. It's probably the reason why Dutch people are easy to emigrate to Australia.
I lived in Australia for a while (got relatives in NSW) and travelled to many countries, had a lot of friends abroad. I always felt the most at home in Australia as Aussies are also rather straight forward and not afraid to speak their minds either. Which I prefer in people as there is nothing I hate more than ppl being nice and polite to your face while not meaning it.
@@sheilasydneynotyerbizniz2933 quite true!
One day my neighbor asked me out of the blue "How's your penis?" She wanted to know whether I had had a prostate check-up - you do that in the Netherlands after you're 50. As an immigrant, I was kind of shocked at first, but then I actually found it funny. So much for the directness of the Dutch.
Never heard of that, I am Dutch and over 50.
I'd love such a neighbour and I think you really misunderstood 😂
As a Dutch person I would agree that it’s very strange to ask it in that way. I guess it might have been a language barrier that made her ask it that way. She might not have been able to come up with the word ‘prostate’ and therefore used ‘penis’ instead. 😂
But besides that, such a medical question is really not something a dutch person would normally ask another dutch person just like that either, unless they’re very close or there was a good reason to ask about it, for instance if the person had a prostate exam themselves and is talking about that.
Hahahahaha😂
Shes confused
Also, we indeed do not invite every stranger in our home, but i think the boundry to be invited is lower then people think. If we have an honest conversation you'll quickly be seen as a friend and from that point we are very open.
So yeah, we are only open to friends, but its not hard to become our friends.
🇸🇪 here 😁. If you visit the Netherlands, you can also kill two birds with one stone - at least when it comes to food. I don't know if you know this but Indonesia was a Dutch colony from the 17th century until after WWII.
One of Indonesia's parade dishes is called 'Rijstafel' (meaning rice table and pronounced roughly 'reistafel' [with an 'a' as in 'car']).
The world's best 'Rijstafel' is allegedly served in the Netherlands (I don't doubt it after eating it both in Indonesia and the Netherlands).
Google it and for the world don't miss it when you’re there if you like asian food!
Ehhh...to be precise....it is rijsttafel (with TWO t's) 😊.
It' just the words "rice" and "table" glued together...
How nice of you to say. I was born in Indonesia, but consider myself Dutch (it's more about mentality and stand in life what determines your nationality rather than etnicity).
In 1989 I visited Sweden, the lake district 🧡🇸🇪
What a beautiful country 🤩
The open sounding a from tafel sounds more like the 'aaa' from opening your mouth at the dentist. The 'a' from 'car' is more pronounced with the throat. Dutch people actually use the saying 'having a hot potato in your mouth' for this extremer way of pronunciation. All 5 vowels have a more open sounding variation. The grammatical rule would also make it 'taffel' when pronounced that way. My dad was German and used to make jokes about it, German only has the open sounding vowels. And you're very right about the food, Amsterdam has a rich variation of food from many different cultures :)
I’ve been to Amsterdam, Prague (in the Czech Republic), and Paris… I’d say Amsterdam was my favorite city. The charming Dutch architecture and the people.. just awesome.
Interesting to hear Dutch people talking about themselves. I was married to a Dutch woman and spent a lot of time there in the 70's, 80's and 90's and most of the aspects of Dutch culture mentioned agree with my experience except perhaps the "arrogance", opiniated certainly but rarely arrogant. The geography of the country is mostly flat. They invite you to visit their "hills" as tourist attractions but also boast of their landscapes being 2/3 sky and 1/3 land. This openness translates to their conversation which is very direct and to the point. This can be disconcerting but as the lady said, 'You know where you stand' The other strong cultural influence is the Protestant Church which emphasises not wasting the benefits provided by the Lord. Thus "soundig" or careful, not mean. Btw, master-linguist, Joel, the Dutch language is very easy to acquire for English speakers, e.g. "Waar is de huis?"/ Where is the house?. Just saying
I think with soundig you intended to say zuinig (frugal)?, and it's not de huis, but het huis, but you're right that it's reasonably ease to make yourself understandable in Dutch for an English speaker. When you get more involved in the grammar, that completely changes.
@@KeesBoons Thanks, I spoke rather than wrote Dutch as you noted
@@dereknewbury163 I imagined as much :o).
Reason for a lot of similarities in the language is that old-dutch, old english and old-german all had the same common "ancester" language, that later locally developped into separate languages. In the 17th century and thereafter a lot of words were exchanged between dutch and english as we were both seafaring and trading nations that shared the north sea. e.g. the words for all sorts of winds (storm, breeze, ...) are the same. We never even had long lasting wars between our nations, (just a couple of days/weeks in the 17th century).
After a couple of pints we all sounds like our germanic parents.
I have several very good Dutch friends whom I have known for over thirty years. Through them I have met many more Dutch people and have visited all the provinces, many on several occasions. My most recent visit was for ten days in October 2023. I have always found the people friendly and hospitable and would genrally concur with the views expressed in this video.
''They have a cold heart, never invite you for...........''
Hey, ever thought you could be the problem ?
😂😂😂 exactly!!
That was my first thought as well.
"You must be an A hole if no one invites you"....
😂😂😂😂
Yes, my 2cts as well!
When you have friends from France, Belgium, Cameroon, Hungary and English you're not the problem. Dutch people are friendly but you aren't allowed to get close.
@@annekathleen4498 ''Dutch people are friendly but you aren't allowed to get close.''
I think you have a mental problem.
@@peet4921 not me. Peet. Although living among arrogant people can give you issues if you're not careful. Maybe it's different outside the big cities 🤔
So, ummm, are we going to get a Netherlands Vlog soon? Sounds like a fun idea. You’ll like the cycling experience.
I'm probably one of the few people who dont see the directness as a problem in fact, it's refreshing from the people pleasing tendencies and anxieties I suffered in California 😂 Maar ja, I'm American and have lived in the NL for a few years.
Recently though since the elections my perspectives on Dutch people have changed, in that every Dutch person is extremely different as an individual and opinions are varied for the most part. There exists this general calm and kind aspect deep down with the Dutch folks here in the North. However, there are extreme contrasts with individuals who can be hateful and ignorant as well (just like every country).
In any case, some of these are just stereotypes 😅
Maar ja,🤣🤣 🤣typical dutch. Love that comment!
Don't worry about the recent elections, it's the outcome of the Dutch rebel mindset.
American's have a different level of sensitivity in their social interactions when compared to several other places, including here in Barbados. We are somewhere between the two: the U.S. and the Netherlands in that we can be a little coy for want of better word, but can be painfully blunt as well when speaking to others. But we are a warm and friendly people.
Happy newyear Joel!! When you do get the Netherlands I'll buy you a beer and show you a bit around the eastern part (away from Amsterdam, Rotterdam,..)
bring him to Deventer, Kampen, Zwolle Nijmegen or whatever
@@hansd3295And Zutphen, the Hague etc.
all i have to say as a dutchie, come visit the dutchies!
The funny thing is that adults in the Netherlands say that we don't invite people for food, but the younger ones are much more social and really the most fun to mingle with.
I agree from my own experience and knowledge. The Netherlands are worth visiting and I definitely recommend you to go there on your next trip to Europe 👍
In many ways, NL is ahead of the crowd, like urban development, public transport, architecture, comfort food and open-mindedness in general.
Speed limits and so forth...
Better in fields I care about than the big neighbor Germany, but with friendly cooperation ❤️
the guy that sayed we are cold hearted because we dont inv people is not because we are cold hearthed. its because we plan everything we do and if something gets in the way of that we can kind of slightly panic because we have to review our whole planning. also we are a bit skittish when it comes to strangers. but if we know you better we are very helpful and friendly
Every one was friendly.....And you think there was not a single one who refused to talk to the guy???That you dont see...😄 I am a Dutchman myself..
Im Dutch, i think foreigners should know that we are very direct, but you should never mistake that for rudeness or meanness. We are direct to not waste time.
For example, If you look silly we'll mention it, so you don't look in the mirror at home after an entire day and think, man for how long did i look silly. Nah, well tell you imediatly, but not to make you feel bad!
En zo is het wij zeggen HATSEEE OVERFLAKEE EN DOORRR
En scheten is weten
@@berta.9912 echte wijsheid 😂
I,m a brit with dual dutch nationality + personally I always thought they were having jokes at my expence which gave me the push to learn the language after living for 10 yrs here. Although I,m not 100 per cent I can hold a conversation if it,s not to technical + not soeone from the east of the country. Their dialect to me is extremely hard to understand. People here say what they mean like it or not. Everyone is a comedian so most people walk around with a smile on their faces. They like it if you attempt to speak dutch but will speak mostly english if they realise you can,t. Most dutch here will begin to speak english to me while I,m speaking dutch which I consider an insult so I continue in dutch.😊
If you ever come to Amsterdam, let me know. I worked as a tour guide here and of course you'll get a free tour, incl. Coffeeshops and the famous Red Light district 😀
I would say there is a lot of difference between the region. People in the west of the Netherlands are direct. People here in the north, where I live, less so.
I agree that the Dutch consider themselves to be superior to all other nations. We like to tell other nations what they do wrong. This doesn't work the other way around. Don't tell the Dutch what you think the Netherlands is doing wrong, because you will no longer be taken seriously. The Dutch would then say that you're a foreigner and don't no the first thing about the Netherlands and should look at your own country.
Historian Hans Goedkoop once stated that we are good at judging others, but looking at ourselves in a critical way, we don't do that. I agree with him completely. We have no self-reflection at all.
Having said that Dutch might now tell me that if I'm so critical about the Netherlands, then why don't I go and live somewhere else. I've gotten that remark more than once.
Moreover the Netherlands is a deeply divided society in which a large group of people do not accept that others have different views. This is a large group, but thankfully not the majority.
Having said that, there are lots of positive things as well. I think the Dutch are pretty well organised and society is pretty well structured.
As an American you will find it enjoyable to visit the Netherlands. As someone from an Arab country, probably less so. But let's face it, the ideal society doesn't exist. Every society has it' pro's and cons.
Je weet dat overdrijven ook een kunst is, en jij bent er een ster in, zie paragraaf 2.
Man I love you’re videos!!! Keep on going!!!!
❤ My late sister's father was from Eindhoven, so, though _I_ never knew him, the fact that I have even the slightest tenuous link to
The Netherlands, means videos such as this, hold an interest for me.
Thank you Joel, for sharing this.😊🏴🖖
I am Irish born and immigrated to the Netherlands in 78. I stayed with my sister and then found a room in a student house. The rent was 62.50 guldens per month. So I went to the bank first, paid my deposit and then 1 month in advance. The next month I paid again. We had a house meeting every 2 months. At the of the meeting they asked if anybody had any questions....a few other people asked about this and that. Then the Penningmeester [the treasurer] stood and said " guys, all is good, however, we did have one small issue with Steve.....I was so .embarrassed he then said Steve will have money back this week as he paid too much rent". I was like, what ???. He said the rent was 62.50 but I had transfered 63 guldens per month [rounded it off above] and he would pay me back tomorrow.....brilliant......first very big culture shock
I can't remember, but have you seen the video on the Netherlands by Geography Now? Hightly recommend it if you're looking to learn more about my country and the history. Btw love watching you go through this rabbithole.
I'm Dutch and one thing that might be very Dutch is how open we can be in welcoming people in our house. For example I had a colleague with an Arabic background. And he was super confused that my sisters boyfriend was living in our house (where I lived with my sister and me). And I shared my bathroom with him. For this Arabic guy that was unthinkable.
And when friends come over and it gets late or they drink too much to drive home we always offer a place to sleep and this usually results in letting them sleep in my own bed next to me.
Im not sure it this is typical Dutch but I know that many other cultures wouldn't be OK with this.
But even within the Netherlands there's many difference. I live in Brabant which is considered the most "gezellig" part of the Netherlands.
Joel you have a friend who is Dutch Background me as I am a Canadian citizen and Dutch Citizen as well because of my Maternal Grandparents who lived there all there life. I speak English and Dutch fluently.
I would recommend the channel of Ava: Dutch Americano
Cool reaction vid! I think there are nuances throughout the country. In the south (Brabant, Limburg), people tend to be less direct and more compared to Belgians, a bit 'warmer' in approach. Up north, the directness increases. Fact is that people are more on their own, I guess that is due to the (original) climate of long, cold winters. Probably, it's the same for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, etc.
I am going to compliment you on your videos and your interest in Europe. I noticed a few things in this video that can explain some background of what I saw in your videos. The Netherlands was established in 1815, but Belgium was established in 1830 as a resistance by French speakers in the southern part of Belgium. This was because William I of the Netherlands wanted to Dutchify all of Belgium. Before that time, you had the northern part of Belgium (Flanders) which had a shared bond. After William I was pushed back to his current borders, Flanders was Frenchified for a time until 1960. Dutch dialects continue to exist in Flanders. In a much further past, which had its origins around the year 1000 (the County of Flanders), you saw cities like Bruges, Ypres, Kortrijk (West Flanders province) as the New York of that time. Even to this day, you see the core cities of these very old cities with textile industries. Later in the Golden Age (16th century), with the 17 provinces experiencing significant economic and collective prosperity, you also see more modern cities in the Netherlands. It also explains why William I wanted to turn back time in the 19th century by Dutchifying all of Belgium. Until today, both Flanders as a region of Belgium and the Netherlands share the same language only with a slightly different accent. With the fall of Antwerp in the 16th century, many people from the region of Antwerp (port) moved to Amsterdam above the Moerdijk, an area where people are "more arrogant" than in other areas of the Netherlands. Meet an Amsterdammer or an Antwerpian, and you'll notice the same arrogance. There aren't as many Antwerpians anymore. Amsterdamers, however, still exist. The mentality of the Dutch partly lies in the background where the County of Flanders was the cradle for current Dutch because mainly the areas in Flanders were occupied. As a result, you can see in the video: you can find many characteristic elements in the reactions that come in your videos (stubbornness, directness, Dutch people are pleasant, and I say that as a Flemish person). The positive aspect of the arrogance is that when something needs to be done and they are addressed, they also go all the way, for example, with charity; then they are not stingy at all. When I see how you make and comment on your videos, I see many similarities with the Flemish and Dutch. Their language is both Dutch (Low Dutch), and the German spoken in Germany and Switzerland is (High Dutch). There are comparisons there too, but the mentality is different, yet you also see the directness in German.
This was filmed in Alkmaar (I know as I live there). If you ever visit the Netherlands, and don't want to stay in that expensive tourist trap called Amsterdam, I'd recommend it to any tourist wanting to see canals, shop souvenirs (cheaper than Amsterdam) and have nice lunch/dinners. Also, it has a traditional cheese market every Friday, which is a sight to see. The area around Alkmaar is post card grade rural Holland for the most part, and extremely nice to visit too (windmills, canals, cheese farms, small 16th century towns, you name it..)
"You don't get invited" said this guy? Looking and listening to him I can guess why he has this problem. 😂
I am Dutch and what you see is what you get... I am not a negative person, but if you meet me, you will hear me saying how it is not how I want it to be..
I'm a dutchie and all i hear is Amsterdam, i've been in New York and New York doesn't represent America that's just like Amsterdam in the Netherlands, there is so much more dutchies in the south are different than the dutchies in the North Rotterdam and Amsterdam is an other stories 2 complete different cities with different people but the dutchies are mostly very direct indeed if you ask me how am i doing and my day sucks i will tell you that my day sucks why do i have to make it
prettyer than it is, here we don't judge people by their jobs, what car they drive how much money they make, here we judge people who they are, for example.....the prime minister rides a bike to his office and that is completely normal here and if you are here i think 95% speaks english and most of us always wanted to help zo that is Dutch in a nutshell
Nice video Joel, I like your grounded comments and openness towards opinions, so much better than the videos out here full of bad jokes and making the video about you instead of the topic. Keep it up! PS I am Dutch, living abroad.
I am Dutch and I agree with most of these people. If you are open to connect with us we are very welcoming. Speaking for myself I like our directness and get unconfortable when people are "fake". It's very nice to know where you stand,when somebody takes time for you you know it's real interest and not just politeness. Don't expect people to imvite you over and if you are being invited don't expect to stay for dinner unless that was specified during/in the invitation. We are proud and stubborn, but most Dutch people are very willing to accomadate your needs and be considerate to the cultural differences and change their behaviour accordingly unless you offend them 😅 It would be nice if you get to visit. Between may and october-ish might be the best time to visit. Always expect any kind of weather, mostly prepare for rain. Any city is great to visit, if you want to you can hit me up for advice.
Ik ben ook dutch
Recommendation: Michael Downie (DownieLive) watching an F1 race in the Netherlands.
i'm English lived in Holland for years, yes their friendly and direct even in the big citys a bit different in many ways from the US and UK but i love it that way. Its a small country but so much to see and do for sure outside of the citys some unexpected things to explore.
As a Dutch guy I would say:
1. Very direct, which makes us seem arrogant to others.
2. Horizontal structure in life and in business (virtually no hierarchy or cast or ranking system)
3. Very individual, and therefore confident. That's why we are not afraid to tell the interviewer a lot of negative traits and flaws about ourselves, while you see the foreigners/tourists primarily say positive things.
Hello Joel. So you want to head flat out for the low countries? I watch a lot of videos from a channel by Hilbert, a Flemish Netherlander (from their north) raised as a Geordie, but he only likes reactions if they really add value (he did a funny video about that).
As a northerner myself, but an English one, I have claimed to be "no nonsense", so you might enjoy Netherlands, like York?
And go to Belgium after
Because we are strong individuals we do respect it from others. And we are down to earth and have sayings like do not act crazy it is already crazy enough as it is😂. And we are very direct we wanna get to the point. It feels honest to us. No bullshit. Speak the truth. We all deserve honesty in our lives.
Other culture might share more within their culture and we less, but we are very welcoming to other countries / international people. And because we save money etc we can help others who are truly in need. You need a foundation to build.
I went to the Netherlands totally the opposite of England foreign people in the Netherlands do invite you for a tea or whatever, good chemistry with the Dutch and Dutch-foreign
Hey man. After watching your reaction. And here your words and see your facial expression. I’m sure. You have to visit the Netherlands. And not only Amsterdam. We are a small country and beautiful from the north to the south and the east to the west. I like to show you the north of the Netherlands. That’s where I live and grew up. Keep up the nice reactions. And watch a lot of videos from the Netherlands 😉🤜🏼🤛🏽
Born and raised in the netherlands. I live up north and that’s no Amsterdam at all. But for peace and nature the best way is to go on a “fiets” and go outside the randstad.
im dutch and i can say our stubbornes is mostly also pride in things we can and even cant do.😂
I have lived in the Netherlands for 36 years. You would love The Netherlands I think. One thing is very true: we do say what we think!
I am born Australian, lived in Australia for 30 years, and even I get comments from Australia people who say they think I am being rude!😂
Greetings from Lizzy from Australia 🦘.
To be fair, we Dutchies were right in the beginning with Covid :)
And I've to applaud The Swedes, they sticked with it, we folded
Videos are great....I live in Vietnam now, but 23 years in the Netherlands was like my adopted country....love them to death
We, the Dutchies, are friendly and strait forward. I’ve worked with French , Belgium and German people. We are too strait forward to be honest. We always have an opinion.
But, I am glad to say, we have hospitality and like to welcome tourists.
We immediately speak English to explain something or when we want to point the right direction.
I like to invite you to see Noordwijk. You are welcome, I like to show you Netherlands.
We don't really let go (only when Holland wins with soccer). I saw a couple win 9 million euros a few years ago. In the US people go nuts. Scream and yell. Here the people who won went like 'oh, that's nice, thank you'. That's Dutch, lol.
I once knew a lovely old Dutch gentleman, who was a bit of a cuddly teddy bear of a man. Two of my sisters visited The Netherlands and enjoyed their visit. It's certainly on my list of countries to visit. My Grandma came from Finland, but I'd like to visit some of the other countries in that part of Europe. Including The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Something my fellow Aussies and the Dutch have in common is our directness. But we'll also say please and thank you as well. Unless we see or hear someone treating another person badly. Then you'll be told exactly what we think about what you've done. Everyone is welcome in Australia, but if you come here for a visit, don't walk around naked in public. Aussie parents don't want children seeing certain body parts. Another way in which Aussies are very direct is when we find someone attractive. We'll check you out as a way of paying them a compliment. I'm attracted to men, but I don't want to see just any random guy's equipment.
With typical Dutch directness ... I think people in the anglosphere in general are quite prudish :)
@arthurhagen3826 No, it's just a bit different in Australia. For instance, a lot of Aussies will describe someone as the slang name we have for a lady's equipment, which some Americans call the C-bomb. I recently watched a UA-cam video made by an American lady who visited Australia. The first time some called her a Sick C...t, she thought it was an insult. Then she learnt it was a compliment. Another thing that shocks people from the UK and US is how often Aussies swear, including in front of their children. For instance, in the US, if a student swears in school, they'll get into trouble. Aussie teachers couldn't care less about it. Adult Aussies will talk about practically anything, including their love life and what happens in their bedroom with practically anyone. Personally, because of my religious beliefs, I don't do any of the above. But pretty much everyone else in Australia does.
@@larissahorne9991 :-) That's definitely a significant cultural difference. I find talk like that very coarse, while being anything but a prude. 33 yrs in NL also makes for ample open-mindedness.
I don't find it shocking, just very coarse as said.
@@larissahorne9991I was aware of that. Americans are easily triggered by mere words. But I was refering to 'seeing certain bodyparts'. I've seen plenty of people from the anglosphere get hysterical about nudity.
@@larissahorne9991I can imagine that a non-Australian person would think that when someone calls them a “Sick C..t” that it’s an insult. Funny enough a direct translation to Dutch is actually used to insult a woman by some Dutch people: “K.t wijf”. 😂 When they say that to you in the Netherlands it most certainly isn’t a compliment. 😂
You should really visit the Netherlands, you will like it here. Dutch people are indeed very open, direct and helpfull. I don't know if we are really progressive, most people have liberal views and tolerate differences to a certain point. We have still lots of issues around discrimination and racism, and when you look at the outcome of last national election , you could say the Dutch are getting more closedminded rightwing conservative and sadly populist politicians like in the US are very popular at the moment. But overall it's a nice country with good people so I'm sure you will love it here!
You made the classical left wing mistake. We are a progressive people in social life, in work life, in services, in healthcare, only not progressive as being left wing in politics. And certainly not close-minded, although the left is close-minded in asylum procedures as well as they are conservative, they don’t want any change at all. Despite we are having one of the biggest problems coping with all the foreign people in pur country. We as a country just had a necessary correction in all the left wing nonsense we had the last decade, that’s called change. Also known as progressive, moving forward. The left has stayed conservative on this issue, stubbornly holding on to their asylum standpoints, not wanting to move an inch, and was punished electorally for this. Luckily for you we have a democracy and next election you’ll have another chance.
ZWIJG HEIDEN EN STEM SGP @@RealConstructor
I'm Dutch and living in the North.here the people are different than people from the west (randstad) as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Utrecht. See it as a New Yorker and some one from Texas.
Nicest people on earth.😊
Some video suggestions: "pick your choice"
Russell Shorto & Dutch-American Heritage Day
How The Netherlands Helped America Gain Its Independence and How It Cost Them
How The Dutch Created the Netherlands
When the Dutch Ruled the World: The Rise & Fall of the East India company
10 Dutch Inventions and Discoveries
Waarom Nederland niet onder water staat (English spoken)
Holland's Barriers to the Sea (by Julian YOLO Live)
How the Netherlands Helps Other Countries With Their Water Problems
How the Netherlands Stopped the Wind (by Tom Scott)
Earth Day: A Dutch Solution May Mitigate Flood Damage
How Rotterdam's Flood Defenses Could Help Save Us All
Dutch Architecture in the USA
Foundation For Adopting Graves American Cemetery Margraten-Netherlands (Documentary)
How do 80,000 “Lipsticks” Help the Largest Port in Europe Run on Automation?
Why Amsterdam is Removing 10,000 Parking Spaces
End of World Hunger,. This Is How The Netherlands Feeds The World
Why the Dutch Lead the World in Agriculture Exports
Why the Dutch King Works as a Pilot for KLM
How to Survive Dutch Koningsdag! (by Survival Guide to the Dutch)
The Netherlands from Above (parts 1 & 2)
The Netherlands Explained (parts 1 &2)
This Bizarre Town is Stuck in 2 Countries!
Earthrise - Dutch Aquatecture (by Al Jazeera English)
Why the Dutch Turned a Sea into a Lake
How The Dutch Dug Up Their Country From The Sea
How The Netherlands Built a Biking Utopia (by Distilled)
How the Netherlands Became the World Leader in the Maritime Industry
The 10 100m+ yachts from The Netherlands
The Fishmigrationriver Afsluitdijk - new impression
Why is The Netherlands so Rich (by Economics Nation)
The Entire World Relies on a Machine Made by ONE Company (by Newsthink) … or...
The Netherlands is Controlling China, And Trying To Takeover The World Economy
What Makes the Netherlands a Secret Economic Powerhouse
Why the Dutch always say what they mean
This video was shot in Alkmaar my hometown!
One of my gaming buddies is Belgian and another friend is Dutch/Canadian and they are all great
Eigenwijs is often use to describe people who dont blindly follow advise, but like to do their own research resulting in a i know best aditude.
I was married to a Dutchman and had 4 children with him. He was very arrogant and always knew best...apparently. But his family were very nice....
A pitfall I've noticed other countries have is that they equate the bluntness characteristic with honesty when speaking about Dutch people.This is not the same. There are things that we experience in The Netherlands that aren't honest and aren't spoken about enough 'honestly'. We are definitely stubborn people, individualistic, creative, competitive and most are down to earth, I agree with that 100%. Born, raised and living in Amsterdam. 80s kid.
An American friend told me once about the difference between the Dutch and the Americans: Americans brag, Dutch nag. I say, he nailed it.
Dutch people are pointed, on time and critical in general, I call it the hasty-complaining culture.
I am Dutch by the way, so I can be as blunt as I want to be 😉😅
Do you know ‘dutch’ actually meant ‘germanic’ in germanic, since ‘germanic’ itself is a romance word? It was derived from Germania which was used by the Romans.
So when an American confronts a German with “his mistake” by telling everyone that he is ‘Deutsch’, one should know that Deutsch and Dutch are etymologically related words and refer to us being germanic nations. However we make the mistake ourselves as well, by thinking that the line in our national anthem means that we are of German descent. However “ben ik van Duitschen bloed” stems from the time in which we used the word Duitsch to refer to ‘germanic’ for which we now use the word ‘germaans’. Germany as a country didn’t even exist back then so perfectly fine to refer to the germanic by using ‘duitsch’.
So for all germanic people out there including Americans, you could consider yourself to be Dutch if you weren’t allowed to use words from Roman descent. I’m greatful the English chose to give us the germanic name for germanic, namely “the Dutch”; while opting for the romance name for germanic when naming the germans to whom the name “the Germans” had been given. One must be creative when trying to correctly refer to two continental germanic nations across the channel without any form of miscommunication to occur. Dutch and Deutsch are just two labels too much alike you know. I can’t blame the English for it.
I have first, 2nd and 3rd cousins in The Netherlands and 1 Aunt.
Hi there
If you visit the Netherlands, come to Rotterdam. I guide several groups each years. Friends from abroad, relatives, co-workers...
The Dutch are quite opiniated, but are very good in self reflection. Big mouths, big hearts. Whenever we have fundraisers (international disasters) you will be shocked how much is raised.
lekker centen verdienen hihi ouwe schetenlater
With coldhearted he means, we dont like to pretend to care.
dutch dont care, they want results and efficiency.
Dutch guy here. Just found your reaction on my timeline about my country.
What i am always saying: you got to be Straight To The Point with us. Not going around it. And yess that first guy was right but we are not gold hearted😅😂
We are Straight To The Point because of our history as trader during the colonization of the dutch. You got to be Straight To The Point if you want to trade around the world. Thats why we are somethimes a little stubbern and wat you americans also say... rude😅 bud we don't mean it that why😊. We are Straight To The Point. If you want to ask somthing to go Straight To The Point. What do you want en why?. And yess we are very nice People. Thats why all the countrys was not alout in japan exept us doring the colonization with trading
The direct and blunt thing you find in the west of the country, in the big cities, NOT in the rest of the country.
Im from the south in the Netherlands.
I think we are more open here than in middle en north Netherlands.
I have 2 interesting videos to look as American: 1. Dutch speech about freedom in de 17th century. 2. 3 Ways Dutch Independence is Different | GSUSE
Yeah this vid was pretty spot on.
Us Dutchies, we keep to ourselves but we are very open to other cultures and unknown people. The mix of different cultures might be difficult to some people at times, but we all adapt and accept and agree upon what's the best in the long run.
(jeez i'm gonna go on a mansplaining episode now)
As long as you don't come here and disrespect our culture, ur fine
Omg I love your videos.
I hope that you will make some about denmark in the future 😍
First of all, your remark that the Netherlands is much more than just Amsterdam, well I guess that goes for any country. Now I am Dutch myself, so perhaps I am a bit prejudiced, but when I take France for example, where I've been a lot. I've been in both Paris as in areas very far away from Paris and the difference is a lot. Actually I think you can never get to know a country by visiting its capital, but it's mostly outside of the capital you really get to know a country, especially in the areas that have not been spoiled by tourism.
When it comes to hospitality I am not so sure about my own people. I mean I've been in Greece before where some Greek really welcomed me as one of them even though I don't speak the Greek language and even though they didn't really speak English or Dutch to well (except for a few notable exceptions as one Greek bartender I met there was fluent in Dutch, but behaved as a true Greek in the end, which was really wonderful), and in Ireland I was completely overwhelmed. I was there moving in a horse drawn carriage and when we took up the entire narrow road the Irish didn't mind at all. Really in the Netherlands they wouldn't even bother to blow the horn, but just try to push you off the road... damn, I'm not kidding. And of course, you can't say you've been in Ireland when you didn't visit at least one pub and so we did, well, the Irish welcomed us with open arms immediately making us (me, my back then girl friend and her father) feel like one of them (now I must say that my ex-gf's old man was the type of guy who easily makes friends with anyone). Also the relaxation when I was in a small supermarket and the power went down (most like due to a malfunction of the energy network). The shopkeeper didn't care, and just took out a pocket calculator to calculate how much money I owed him. Really, if such a thing happened in the Netherlands a big panic would break out.
So I won't deny that Dutch can be friendly, easy to access as a foreigner (not only due to them mostly having English as a second language), and such, but I think a but of nuance is indeed in order. In many countries just hopping into somebody else's place without a notification or anything is quite common. Much Dutch won't thank you for it.
Should you however visit a Dutch in their home, then a sign that you are welcome could be if they ask "Koffie?" (Lit "Coffee?", but they mostly mean "Do you want a cup of coffee?").
We have a saying,'If it ain't Dutch, it ain't much.`
yeeey it's my city! Alkmaar! one of the most beautiful cities in The Netherlands!😊
Nee hoor
So, I'm from The Netherlands. And yes, we don't beat around the the bush. One of the things we most value is honesty. So when we say something, it might sound rude but it's our honest opinion. Most Dutchies however are open to other opinions. We might not agree with them and then we will say it. But we also say, that's an interesting point of view, I did'nt think about that. For example Trump. I spoke to some Trump supporters and I said: good point, let me think about that. But after a few days I was certain Trump is an a** hole who wants to destroy our good relationship with the USA. So I told them that. They now hate me for some reason. It's just my honest opnion!
We give alot but the thing is it doenst feel like much we give to other people but if you compare the euro whit the dollar you get less but the amount of money is more
Dutch people are not a sub species of the human race with common inherent character trades. We are all different from one another. Some Dutch people may have a more direct communicative approach than others. Some may even have conflicting political views and differing philosophies on life, believe it or not😂
I'm Dutch... we are gullible, but we're a bit superstitious at the same time. Some might call us cheap... but we're friendly, in a certain way.
So here is the thing about that intelligent lockdown part. Yes, we generally like to re-invent the wheel, or like to make our own version of the wheel. But what ends up happening we end up improving the the wheel, and we share/sell that new wheel to the rest of the world. There is a certain level of creativity the Dutch have. The ingenuity of the Dutch sometimes is really baffling.
But we also sometimes end up with a miss, as with the lockdown.
Thats a fun insight. One thing that I noticed (mind you, im dutch myself), is that the interviewer isn't dutch???!!!! but I only noticed this in the end
Fun to see your interest in my country! Come to Amersfoort 🇳🇱
Dit is enorm hilarish vanuit een nederlands perspectief haha
Good thanks❤❤❤
7:30 you can stick a lot of labels on 'the Dutch' (assuming such a thing exists) like, cold, direct, arrogant, racist, frugal, inventive, polyglot, colonial, tolerant, open-minded, ingenious... but one label won't stick, and that is 'fake'.
Greets from Dordrecht (oldest city of Holland) The Netherlands
Im dutch amd why am i reading the english part when i can understand them😂
Hello, There are a lot of differents in the Netherlands i saw you calling Amsterdam but for us who are living in a different part of the Netherlands is Amsterdam not the nicest place to be i am living up on the great rivers as they call it there are a lot of diferences with the people who are living here or in Amsterdam. Foreigners are talking a lot of Amsterdam but that comes from how it is shown to the world its known for the red light district where a lot of tourists finds that probably interesting and not to forget the drugs that are legalised in the Netherlands read the coffeshops but the Netherlands is so much more than that it's beautiful to live in this country a lot of things are really good organized and our history is beautiful and there are a lot of differences between the south provences of the netherlands and the northern provences so i would say to you that if you are coming to the Netherlands take your time to discover the whole of the netherlands and not just Amsterdam there is so much more beauty in our country to discover.
Greetings
It’s funny when ppl are talking about typically dutch it’s mostly about the culture of the big cities in the northwest. Individual, opinianated, not very hospitable, blunt. Our country has four different corners with different cultures.