Indeed, it cannot be said enough to foreign people. Amsterdam is very, very different in culture from the rest of the Netherlands. There are similarities. But it might well be another country.
@@ronaldderooij1774 Amsterdam isn't dutch anymore, the city is still dutch but the population is no longer predominantly dutch and that makes a difference.
To me, the nicest thing about this group of people is that they somehow do not judge. They observe. From their perspective. And that is all you can expect from anyone. But you also hosted this group of diplomats a while ago, and they were completely different; quite judgmental and so attached to 'their ways' ... Anyhoo, I like this group, and I welcome them all. May we all learn from one another...
I am Dutch but I watch these videos to learn our culture from a foreigners perspective. That these videos are so incredibly funny in a recognizable way makes it all the more enjoyable to watch.
I do the same with videos about living in England. I think it is natural to be curious about how other people see us. I have to admit though that post Brexit I tend to avoid the comments section (not here but on some channels) as that's getting spiteful on both sides.
I think I watch them to realize how far people can drift from their ancestral culture generations after emigrating. I'm descended from some of the first Dutch colonists in New Amsterdam (New York). Modern Dutch culture feels very alien to me! (But who could possibly not appreciate the Durch?)
With the whole US election thing going on right now, I'm really curious about how foreigners perceive the Dutch political system compared to their own country. Like how in the US there are basically just democrats, republicans and one president, while in the Netherlands we have multiple parties with many different standpoints. Or how in the US, the president gets chosen based on electoral votes, while in the Netherlands parties earn seats based on votes and such.
Democracy in the US, are you kidding me?Big corporations and lobbygroups are the real in power. People have no say at all, they think they do, but are just cannonfodder and workforce for the rich.
I'm Dutch living and working in the UK for 20 years now, during this 20 years I gave never felt home sick but watching this video made me realise how much I miss the Dutch way of expressing one self. Perhaps me working for a full blown narcissist has something to do with that as a narcissist could not deal with the Dutch ways of communicating. I thing I just made up my mind. Thanks Bart this video opened my eyes.
Damn the irony here is too thick to cut, See i'm British and i've lived in the NL for over 20 years now and i absolutely hate it here. I actually miss the English way of expressing oneself, to put it lightly. Perhaps we could do more to be culturally understanding or accepting of other cultures instead of going through the misery of feeling isolated in other countries? It would be nice to see more Dutch people aware of what British culture is like, because really i don't see anybody in this country who gets what it's like to be British. Because of my experiences in the Netherlands, i have to hold back an impulse to confront you with some of my gripes with this country. However i am curious of your opinion on the concept of sharing??? I know for a fact in Holland the concept of sharing is somewhat of an alien thing. I know for a fact that in the UK we are actually used to the concept of sharing, generally speaking. I am honestly curious wether you as a person who grew up here, went to the UK, and experienced sharing as something negative? Like have you ever had an experience where a friend offered you something, probably food, and you felt awkward or some other emotion from this? What is your experience with our concept of sharing? Or did you find no difference? I am legit curious about your experiences, especially the negative. I don't want to misrepresent my country and there are problems that must be adressed but overall i feel like life in the UK has much to offer. From an outside perspective i can sort of understand how our culture can make it difficult to ''fit in'' because there are some things about our culture that you're essentially brought up with and only understand if you grew up with the culture or are explained what it's like. I mean the irony for example is that most British people consider every walking person in the country to be British or ''one of us''. This is supposed to be hospitable, it's supposed to make foreigners feel welcome, but i can understand how it can also feel, in an ironic manner, rather unwelcoming towards someone brought up with a different culture. These might be problems that need to be addressed... Perhaps even globally. It's going to be a fact that every foreigner will become homesick at one point or another. Perhaps we can do something to bring each culture a bit more closer to eachother. Anyway Going to do the jokes bit in another comment this one got a bit deep
I mean so you went to the UK and it took you 20 years to find a narcissistic boss? Cause that's quite an accomplishment right there i don't know if anyone should have told you but the UK is full of narcissism lmfao Also xxxPassiexxx is stating the obvious. I don't know if it takes you 20 years to realise that the way to communicate in Britain is through sarcasm but that's literally our de facto language. It's not English, you thought it was english, but actually the Brits did away with proper english a long time ago and all we use is sarcasm so yeah go figure. You probably don't understand it because you're a foreigner (non derogatory, basic fact) and we grow up with a sense of self deprecation meaning we never really admit something is good but we will say how bad something is sarcastically to imply it is good. Also i don't know if that's actually narcissistic since we tend to downplay most of everything we should be proud of. I would say we're more on the spectrum of humility over narcissism but that wouldn't be very humble to speak about see. But yes there are virtues to Dutch ''directness'' (as are there vices) and if used correctly can impress a person of English culture. The things we value about Dutch directness are the honesty and outspokenness even about controversial topics, but when it is done offensively or to depict grotesqueness, then it is not so impressive and actually considered a bad quality to have. Just my 2cents tho
@@RobotronSage I actually enjoy your long and deep answer. I understand it can be difficult to fit in. As a Dutch person, I never realized that until I started traveling. The sharing part is fascinating to me, cause I noticed it with my (foreign) partner. The way we look at the spectrum is from the opposite side. So the idea in Dutch society, is that we 'help' each other, but we expect from ourselves, to be able to take care of ourselves. So, when we give parties, or we give food, or we order something, paying for yourself is your contribution to the group process. It is what you contribute, your part as being part of the group. I also think Dutch people do share sometimes, but if someone expects us to share, that expectation from our point of view is that you are leeching off of us. It is the expectation that makes it unfavorable to us. But as I said, being able to provide for yourself and to pay for yourself, is how we see that everyone is equal, independent, and contributing to the group. Lastly, when I for instance buy something, I expect that thing to be mine. I plan on the use of it. When we plan parties (we plan a lot with our agendas) we try to imagine how much everyone will need and like. We want to be efficient, while showing we care and not be stingy. So if we plan a party, it will not be in abundance, because most of the time the food or drinks will have been too much. Then we just waste food and drinks, which (in our mind) is not efficient. So to sum up: groups working together and being a collection of individuals contributing, combined with being as efficient as possible is what makes us look like we do not share.
Ik, als Nederlandse volg jullie kanaal omdat ik als vrijwilliger taalcoach ben voor vluchtelingen uit o.a. Syrie. Zij hebben mij zelf gewezen op dit kanaal en ik vind het heerlijk om naar te kijken. Nu kan ik zien waar jullie mee worstelen en over welke onderwerpen we het gaan hebben in het uurtje per week die wij samen on line hebben. Ze vinden het alle drie (ja ik heb drie leerlingen) echt heel erg leuk om naar te kijken. Ook o.a. Jovi"s Home is een van de favorieten. Dank je Bart voor je filmpjes.
Hello a dutch person here. The reason that I watch the video`s is to know where forgein people struggle with when they come here, what they like what they dont like and see if I can work with these kinda things in real life when I come across someone that is not from the netherlands. Also I have a english girlfriend and I refer her to these kind of video`s, because the represent a bit of what she can aspect if she wants to move here. Thanks for the video`s!
Hi, another dutch person here. I totally agree. Also i'm just curious to hear what foreigners have to say about us. I do think we're kind of stubborn but also very tolerant towards others. We all need to accept that everyone is different but also the same.
Dutch directness is something Dutch only. Let me share my first work experience working for international company in The Netherlands (during my first 2 months): I needed to visit my colleagues from different team for transport of some equipment to another buiding. When I entered the room, the team leader, I was looking for, was not there. There was only one Dutch colleague who was busy sticking his nose in some white powder on his desk (around one full hand). He looked at me and in very friendly way said to me: "User007, come here, try from my cocaine!" I said something like: "NLuser008, it is working time..." However he looked at his watch and answered: "User007, it is 1PM, Friday, it is permitted!"... Next time I went to the same room, the same Dutch colleague was bumping his head on his desk repeating many times "I am a gay, I am a gay...". I didn't know what has happened... He was typical Dutch, above 2 m high and above 100 kg weight... However, I needed to say something, my Dutch colleague was very, very unhappy... So, I said: "Well, NLuser008, don't worry so much, nobody is perfect!".... probably everybody remembers this famous ending "Nobody is perfect!" of the old comedy "Some like it hot" starring Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon: ruclips.net/video/-mHhr-aaLnI/видео.html My Dutch colleague immediately asked me: "User007, are you are gay?"... I answered: "No, no, I am married for many years..." Then my Dutch colleague asked me: "OK, User007, lets go then on Saturday to Red Lights District in Amsterdam - women, men, whatever you want...". Well, it is a great fun to have a Dutch friend!
Geweldig aan Nederland is dat ze nooit zomaar bij je binnen zullen vallen. Je weet waar je aan toe bent en dat ze op de centen zijn, vind ik geen slechte eigenschap. Ik ben zelfs besmet met koopjes jacht virus.Ook fijn dat ze over het algemeen stipt zijn, wat je van veel allochtonen niet kan zeggen. Niet lullen maar poetsen mentaliteit is echt top.
I like these videos so much because it's interesting to hear unedited and unfiltered observations with respect to our culture. Personally I hardly notice many of these things, as I don't know what it's like to live anywhere other than here. They have a really unique view of our society, and that to me is incredibly interesting.
Ik vind het erg leuk om tenminste échte meningen te horen in plaats van alle meningen op internet ofzo. Deze mensen weten waar ze over praten en in sommige gevallen herken ik de Nederlander ook echt heel goed. Nogmaals, leuk om échte meningen te horen.
@@lowiebovens. Zeker niet alleen de randstedeling. Ik woon zelf in de kop van Noord Holland en daarin kan ik al wat meningen vinden maar ik kom ook overal in Nederland en als ik op een andere plek mensen spreek kan ik de meningen van de buitelanders hier ook best goed in vinden. Ik heb het trouwens ook niet echt over mijzelf hoor, maar ik herken vooral veel andere Nederlanders hierin. Misschien denken mensen dat ook wel over mij :-)
I am from South America. I visited Amsterdam and I love it. Now I am learning Dutch because my daughter and my grandson are living there. The weather drives me crazy. Rain or stop rainning but no both ! six times in the same day ! I enjoy your culture. It is a pleasure to learn from you, Dutch people.
You visited Amsterdam and loved it but Amsterdam isn't The Netherlands, it's only the capital and it has nothing to do with the rest of the country. I may hope you learn your family there are other places here than only Amsterdam
Why I watch these videos is: 1. They are funny; 2. I’m curious how foreigners look at us and our culture; 3. I want to know how to socialize with foreigners living here, I hate to offend people. If I need to be less direct, it will be a humongous task, but I will try to change. But only with foreigners. Cannot walk on my toes all the time. I still wanna be able to say to my superior that he can take a hike because I’m busy working for him, or something like that. But in the end I listen to him when it’s important, even if I don’t agree. I will tell him of course if I don’t agree.
I don't think you need to change your behaviour in order to socialize with foreigners in the Netherlands (such as myself). Notice that in the video almost everyone said that even if they were initially surprised by the directness, they eventually came to prefer it rather than constantly needing to guess what others actually want. I certainly prefer the more straightforward culture, though admittedly there's not much difference between the culture in the Randstad compared to my previous home in Toronto.
@@OntarioTrafficMan Bro how can you people not get that the thing we value from ''directness'' is the openness / honest qualities and the parts that we do not like about it is the rude or confrontational element. It's like you people never heard of politeness neither do you know what it's used for or in what contexts lmfao.
Example: Telling your boss you would rather not work for him (that day or w/e) Heulemaal prima Telling your boss to ''take a hike because i'm busy working'' Bro why are you telling your boss (the guy who pays your wages, literally the hand that feeds you) to take a hike? I mean if your boss is an abusive prick by all means tell him to fuck off but if he didn't wrong you then why be rude when you can just be honest without the insults I mean for one it would be great for socio economic relations and we know how much you guys love money right?
I am so in love with these kinds of videos! It's great to see how people see our culture, especially since I have a few foreign friends. n_n These videos make it easier to anticipate what my friends might be struggling with. Also, one of my best friends' girlfriend is from America and I 100% recognize that my friend, another friend and I will be speaking in English so she can understand us, but when she's not really joining in on the conversation it's just SO easy to switch back to Dutch, because we're so used to talking Dutch with each other. Whenever I notice it, I kind of feel guilty about it, because I don't want my friend's girlfriend to feel left out.
An approach I have encountered is that the language is in proportion to the origin of those in the conversation, so if 1 in 5 is an english speaker then one fifth of the conversation is in english
I am Czech living in the Netherlands. I find Dutch people warm in their hearts, considerate, polite, honest, confident, concrete, direct and very friendly (I do not consider directness as unfriendliness or being impolite, just the opposite). It is on one hand a very closed society, but on the other hand very open to the world. They have a great sense for order and the whole country has a feel of cosiness. Lots of flowers and greenery everywhere even if there is not much nature like lakes, mountains, woods. Dutch are responsible with money and they like to invest in their houses looking well kept.They work hard and are very busy, that is why they plan ahead. They come in time, you can rely on them, they respect you and expect that you respect them. They give you space to think for yourself and do not interfere with your opinions. You get help everywhere as everything is perfectly organised. Prices of everything are high because the country and the market are small with not so much competition around. You can be relaxed around Dutch people, they are natural. Women are very strong, practical, good mothers, good carers...that's the way it should be...they have a natural beauty, not overdone with make up. Men are softer which doesn't mean unmanly, they respect the women. There are no or little hierarchies in Netherlands, people are equal to each other.
Thanks for the kind appraisal! May I advise you to travel a bit in the Netherlands? For we have lots of lakes and beautiful woods. We don't have mountains, but in the province Limburg there are some nice hills. Just ask your local tourist organization and they'll provide you with lots and lots of nice places to visit. It's so worth it. Where do you live?
Thanks for the nice words. I was in Praha in 2004. A Czech acquaintance brought me and a friend everywhere, to places where locals, no tourists, hang out. What a beautiful city. Loved it. Our guide was super nice.
At 7:15 the lady says that when you plan to meer futher ahead of time that person is less of a priority.. That is really not true for the Dutch, or at least not for me. To plan in a few days or weeks does not say anything about how important that person is to you, it just means you either do or don’t have much space in your calendar..
One thing I've noticed about dutch people as a dutchy while watching these video's is that we reflect a lot. When I got to know a foreigner trying to learn the language is when i saw my friends watch these video's too just to see if we could help a bit more. Its also when we all just stopped talking English all the time
Ja, de meeste van deze studenten hebben het altijd over hoe ze zelf dan Nederlands praten, en dat de Nederlanders ze toch gewoon in Engels blijven aanspreken... Ik denk dan: nou, laat dat Nederlands dan maar eens horen in de video, ook! Al was het maar voor één video! En dan Bart zelf ook, hè?
@@bobosims1848 Ik heb nooit ervaringen van gehad, niemand spreekt Engels tegen mij als ik heb met die geproaten heb. Ik heb een heel zwaare Engels accent omdanks spreken zij Nederlanders) nog Nederlands en ik heb er niets tegen.
Yeah, we (the Dutch) are very self aware, but have limited view from inside. So that’s why I like watching these videos, and it might improve me in interacting with foreigners, like my coworkers, on a daily basis. So thank you for spilling the beans.
Being (very?) self aware but having a limited view from inside kinda describes the situation quite accurately. There's a lot to talk about. There are a lot of failing aspects in Dutch society that are ignored in the guise of ''we have good StAtIsTiCs'' but when you realize these statistics are produced by a large and significant number of authorities telling people ''not to bother'' with things such as ''aangiftes'' (filing reports) then you realize a lot of bad statistics are literally censored from the consensus. Example: you say you have good healthcare then why is one of my friends waiting for his teeth to rot out from his mouth because he can't afford the dentistry bill? Why are so many people struggling? Why did my local hospital go bankrupt after multiple rumours and claims of malpractice? Why did that same hospital make multiple mistakes with my girlfriends pregancy that could have costed her her very life and left her with injuries that could have been totally preventable if the people in the hospital were competent? Why there are so many questions why. Why are you so proud of being greedy? Why do you say your economy is ''SO GOOD'' when you also are proud of being SO greedy? You do know that economies tend to fail abysmmally with a greedy populace right? You DO know you pay 2 to 3 times more for groceries in this country than you would anywhere else right?!?! Please stop making such claims as ''we have a good economy'' when really you don't know what a good economy actually looks like. Take the UK for example, we have about 20x (at the BARE minimum) more stuff than you do in our supermarkets. In reality this is more like 100x the selection, but i doubt you'd believe that. We have food over there that you've never tasted in your life, things the Dutch people literally miss from their lifetimes and will never know about. And why is 1/3 of all Dutch households in debt with such a good economy and such a good government? These are all fucking lies my man. I see SO many people (many of my friends) struggle facing actual poverty in a so called and proudfully claimed ''first world'' country. The town i live in is facing bankrupcy. I did not even know a town could even face bankrupcy. I thought it was impossible for such a thing to happen because government wouldn't allow an entire town to become desolate would it???? Apparently over in holland they don't fucking care!
>Please stop making such claims as ''we have a good economy'' when really you don't know what a good economy actually looks like. Also don't do this for me. Do this for your country. The government will not make the Dutch economy any better if every Dutch person is repeating the propoganda that this place somehow has a good economy despite being 2 to 3x more expensive than practically any European country. When 1/3 of households in debt, you are mugging yourself by spreading the lie that you have a good economy. However if every Dutch person starts complaining, someone will have to listen to that, and if everyone is saying the economy needs to be fixed, it is likely the government will feel enough pressure to get the economy fixed.
I love to see the perspective of people not born in the Netherlands to learn more about my own behaviour that is ingrained through my cultural background, that's why I personally watch this channel
It’s already so funny to see how different the cultures in the Netherlands are. I am Dutch Indonesian and we have a lot of Asian influences especially when you compare it to Dutch Hospitality.
The dude that said he found his people...I feel that. American expat living in Nijmegen and on lesson 34 of the Vocabulary course....going for Grammar next!
The 'No, I planned to do nothing tomorrow' is not that they don't WANT to hang out with you, but it's because they feel they need to recharge to be energetic again :) Work balance again ;) We watch the videos because we are curious what others think of us or are willing to explain certain behaviours in the comments!
As a Dutch person living in Germany, I like seeing foreigners perspective on the Dutch and their customs. It also teaches me about their customs or values. Often the videos are hilarious.
I'm Dutch and I love watching these videos. These videos make me laugh and sometimes people mention things they find strange or funny that are just so normal to me! I'm an expat myself, currently living in the UK, and like the people in these videos I notice things about my adoptive country and its people. These videos have made me much more self aware of my Dutchness and what it looks like to others. I'm probably getting 'contaminated' by the British culture a bit, but a lot of the behaviours/culture mentioned in these videos ring true to me.
I'm dutch and also lived all over the world so i like to hear what these foreigners think of the Dutch mentality. Yes we are very direct, i love that! We keep things direct and don't waste time on bs... Yes we plan everything, more than i realised but still nothing like the Japanese do, they are the masters in planning/organising/developing/building/running....I think Holland can learn a lot from the Japanese. Also most expats in Holland live in Amsterdam/The Hague/Utrecht....that's not the real Holland like in villages and small cities.
Well, Holland only consists of 2 of the 12 provinces, so Amsterdam/Den Haag IS the real Holland. The Netherlands is very diverse in a socially manner and in it's culture/language. If I recall correctly it is the most diverse linguistic area in the world, to give you an idea of how diverse it is. I am from the northern part of The Netherlands and the general impression I have from people from Holland is that they talk too much/loud and that they always have something to whine about.
That's what I love about these videos, these people are all living in Drenthe or Overijssel, they offer a different perspective from the average expat. Because let's be honest, Amsterdam is not really comparable to the rest of the Netherlands.
Top video! Meningen, voorbeelden en toelichtingen met goede nuanceringen! Zo belangrijk als je het over cultuur en mensen hebt. Mocht je een video maken met Nederlanders, dan ben ik wel benieuwd naar de cultuurschok die Nederlanders ervaren, die weer in Nederland wonen na tijd in het buitenland te hebben gewoond. Maar ja, dat zullen wel geen studenten van jou zijn😄
Ik ben bezig met een nieuwe reeks. Daarin reageren Nederlanders op wat de taalcursisten zeggen. Maar duurt nog wel een tijdje... misschien zijn deze video's klaar in maart-april.
These points about integrating. Indeed learning the language is one of the most important things of integration, it helps you to communicate on an equal level. Don't expect a local to understand your language. Something I hear a lot about French people is "they don't speak English". This is true, and something I recognize when I went on vacation there. However this also forces you to learn the language if you'd actually go and live there.
The French are as client unfriendly as they get. We stayed in a middle class hotel and closed the door behind us, returned the key and prepared to leave. Only then I remembered I forgot something, so I needed to go back into the room. I tried my best French, but had forgotten the word for key (cley, which is almost the same!). They made no effort to understand me. So we asked the employee to come with us and we were pretending to stick our finger in the lock and STILL he didn't want to understand. And that happens a lot. So much so, that I don't even go to France anymore, or the French speaking part of Belgium, where some are 'at war' with English or Dutch speaking customers, it seems. To be a well paying customer and still being treated like dirt don't fit together. People are too stupid.
There should be videos like this about most cultures and have them publicly available and at jobs so before you have to speak with people from other countries and cultures, specially if they're from different hemispheres, it makes it easier for you to engage in a productive conversation or discussion with them and reduce, at least a little, the huge frustrations that arise when exchanges occur between different cultures. Awesome material!!!!
I am Dutch and left the country in 1996 and the age of 56. Lived nearly 12 years in Romania and adopted to live there by learning the language and participating in social life. After that I left for the south of France. Having to adopt myself to different cultures I like to watch your videos on how foreigners try to integrate in Dutch society. I love the efforts made by them for feeling well in their new country !! “BISOUS”
I don't know the Netherlands, but I was an American student in Belgium and studied a bit of Dutch there. After learning Afrikaans, which was much simpler, I think I'll have a better understanding of Dutch now.
I like that they noticed and talk about that there is a difference between people in the city Amsterdam and the rest of the Netherlands. I feel that the people in Amsterdam don't really represent the rest of us.. like at all xD. I think it could be a nice video idea to compare different parts of the Netherlands? Thanks for the videos!
I'am a Dutchman from the south and think the People in the West are so direct, so I'am not suprised you feel that way. And... offcourse our glasses and snacks here in the South are way bigger then in the West. 😁
True. I’m from the west (Rotterdam) and I’ve insulted my friend from Gelderland at several occasions without meaning to. It has upsides and downsides but we can’t help ourselves.
Yeah... not totally true. Indeed north and south holland are direct. But if you come in like drenthe, groningen and friesland you have the same thing again. But only with the "nuchtere mentaliteit" ;)
I am a foreigner living in NL and at first I lived in the west, now living in Enschede and man... The difference is HUGE! I cannot even explain how different everything is here, I still hope I can get used to it because I find it very shocking with mother culture :(
@@geke3475 to me it feels like they are less friendly, I think more closed but I also know these are more farmers lands so understansable... I mean it all with respect
I work a lot with expats from all around the world and it's interesting to see how people from other countries and culture experience life in the Netherlands.
Its good to see people acknowledging the difference in directness between north and south. I am from Noord-Brabant and I've never really felt that our directness is as "severe" as up north. Not sure why there's such a difference.
the cultural difference between north and south goes back years. the catholic south was oppressed, often continued to do their own thing ... did not take it so closely with the authority from the hague. the south has been exploited for a long time to realize the "dutch golden age". Catholics were more traditional, cared more about each other, there was a lot of poverty so people had to pay more attention to each other. this had the downside that people were also almost obliged to go to church. brabant and limburg also have more in common with the flemish culture. almost all famous limburgers and brabanders are called "flemish". the painters known as "flemish" may very well come from the south of the netherlands..
@@You-mr3lo yeah that makes sense, religion was very important and still is to a lot of people so there is indeed no doubt that different traditions would “produce” different habits and codes of conduct
It is because the Romans decided that the Rhine was the border. This left the south in a Gallo-Roman influence and the north in pagan Germanic (old Frisian-Saxon) influence. After ages this resulted in Roman Catholicism and Protestant domination in these cultures that still persist today.
Well, I'll take the directness of the north any day over the backstabbing habits of the south. We lived in Noord-Brabant for two years. Big mistake! We left traumatized. Learned they are only kind, when drunk! They are vicious! Jealous, lazy, backstabbing. Horrid experience. Never again.
I recently discovered these RUclips videos on Dutch culture. Although I haven't lived in the NL, I have visited several times, as I lived several years in Sweden, Germany and the UK. I read several of the comments, including those from Dutch citizens. Interestingly, some mentioned a difference in the directness approach of Dutch people from different parts of the country. Dutch people living in the southern part of the country were viewed as being less direct in their interactions with others. This cultural divide is also basically true for people in the U.S. As a native Texan/ Southerner, I find many of the U.S. northerners to be more direct/brash in their interactions with others. On the other hand, U.S. Southerners tend to generally be more polite/courteous in their interactions with others. Northerners tend to view Southerners as slow, slow talkers, more conservative and even backwards. For example, New Yorkers and Texans are very different culturally. >>> Anyway, I am enjoying these video clips on the Dutch culture. P.S. I like the NL and its people. As an American, the Netherlands has always been a good friend to the United States. Dank Nederland!!!
Ontzettend grappig om expats over ‘ons’ te horen praten. Echt genieten, dit soort video’s. Really funny to hear expats talk about us Dutchies. I’m really enjoying watching those kind of videos.
Its great to find at least one nation in the world that does not pretend to please others. It will definitely feel like “coming home” to me as well! Well said!!!👏👏👏Keep keeping it real, Dutch people👏👏👏
Ik vind dit echt geweldig vind t leuk om te horen hoe andere over ons denken en hoe dat overkomt je weet veel dingen echter sta je er niet echt bij stil
Me as a very direct dutch person am always very frustrated when i just want to make a short call to one of my international friends, just to ask for something. But before i can say where i called for i have to go through 30 seconds of them creating a ''how are you conversation'' like: How are you? yes i'm fine and you? yes i'm fine too what have you been up to? i just wanted to ask which time we should meet haha My preferred phone calls are as short and direct as possible just the necessities like: Hey, Where should we meet? Which time? Oke good, See you there bye.
I really like that the Brazilian couple and Antony being involved in this video again. Curious to see if Antony still considers the Dutch "his people".
The person who got recognosed at the dentist. I'm pretty sure I occasionally see him in the albert heijn. I'm a cashier there, but I've never asked if it's really him.
8:40 I worked in a supermarket and I did this consciously to foreign people because most foreign people at my store where like poor Dutch speakers, so I tended to speak English. Even if you react in Dutch (but look foreign or spoke an other language to the person you were with), I would ask “Nederlands?” And if you answered Ja just then I would speak Dutch. And when you just talk Dutch to bad Dutch speakers they tend to just nod in agreeance even when it is about something they have to pay.
My reason to watch these video's is first because I am curious how people look at us, and second to learn from it. How different people can be. To getting more open minded!
Ik volg je ook al een tijdje en het is prettig om even de video te gebruiken over de directheid om buitenlanders te weten dat je geen hufter ben, maar daarentegen is het ook weer leuk om het te botvieren zoals ik laatst in Amsterdam was, twee weken terug.. een zooitje kinderen zaten bij mekaar en er passeerde een sloep met foreigners en een gids en ik riep tot groot vermaak van die kinderen: Hey!! Niet liegen, hé!!
Hoi, Misschien is het leuk om een video te maken over de verschillende steden waarin de reageerders wonen. Misschien zijn er wel grote culturele verschillen per regio. Bedankt voor de leuke video's.
Ja, dat zou kunnen bv de Achterhoek is heel apart bv Amstercam, oos twee keer "bv" Nou dat doet Nederlanders nooit je bent gelikig als wat een keer krijgt, sorry als dat niet leuk is maar als die onze boterhammen jaten als je binnen het land komt dan kan je niet meer verwachten.
I live in the netherlands and in my village you can just come around through the back door we got plenty of time and you can have everything you want coffee, cake, pie. Atleast in my family we like to eat alot of food and share it :D
I always found it unfortunate that i cant look at my country and language from an foreigners perspective thats why these videos are interesting to watch for me from time to time. (As a dutchie ofcourse)
Unlike the British - who tend to 'cushion' everything they say... it's more honest and very clear... From an Australian that has UK heritage and a Dutch husband :o)
couple examples: get out of my way, i dont like you stay away from me, let me pass, can i ask you a question, you look beautiful with what you wear, i dont have time today maybe an other day. In general as short and efficient communication as possible, in return we expect the same direct efficient communication back, no whole conversations, that ruins our time, the time we have is precious, and it must not be ruined by unnecessary long conversations. its waste of our time. while you can be *short and direct* with the same end result :)
@@lexburen5932 Yeah, that's something i find kinda weird tho. I get the directness now, but when a Dutch person ask you 'how you feeling' they really mean it like they really wanna know if everything is good.. so why is everything based on 'time' but when asking someone if everything alright they want to know lmao.
@@lexburen5932 like when Americans ask you if everything is alright they don't mean it and just ask it cuz it's the right thing to do but they don't actually care.
After seeing many of these, How to deal with the Dutch, like videos I came to think it’s not about getting used to the Dutch but more reflect on yourself as a foreigner. At first there is the shock but almost al prefer the directness later on.
Dealing with dutch culture is very easy. Just go to a city like amsterdam go to a cafe and start a confersation (i recommend with older ppl). Dutch ppl like to talk and meet new ppl, so you will learn much from them.
This is a little embarrassing but.. the guy wearing the Volkswagen t-shirt is so attractive. Is he still in The Netherlands now? Coming from a Dutch girl that just moved back after living abroad for 12 years. I watch these videos sometimes to try and deal with my current identity crisis, reverse culture shock is really a thing. Although it seems I haven't lost my directness.
Hahaha, so funny. What makes you say that? Are you not direct? Do you love to share? Or are you not well organized? Do you not even own an agenda? Me, I'm very direct, but I always share and give of my time, my things, my money, my attention, my knowledge, etc. I'm well organized and live by my agenda, but love to visit friends or have them visit me just like that.
Love the comment about beer. I lived in New Zealand for a while and my partner at the time was Turkish. When we visited family and friends, we had to eat all the time in Turkey, and drink all the time in NL. Returned to NZ 10 kgs heavier....
I am half Indonesian and Dutch and just moved back to The Netherlands after living in China for 15 years and in The Philipines for a year. I met my wife in Shanghai 11 years ago and she is Filipina and we love watching these videos and learning to understand the Dutch. I am definitely not a typical Dutch 🤣
@5:00 sure mein und dein, goes way back, you either trade, sharing is among friends not familiars , or keep yours and mine seperate, in that way you don't owe eachother
I was just thinking to myself in the first half of the video if I would recognise any of them if I ever saw them in real life. And then I was like pfff, the chances of me running into them are very slim. Then she mentioned she lives in Assen, and I just moved there haha! How strange 😂
Ofcourse you have a connection, all that was more or less decent they built the Germans from, and all that was less quality they made Dutch people. With both populations they forgot to built in the feelings and sense of humor.
One of the things I don't like about Dutch people in general is not the directness that you're referring to, 9n fact they are not as much as Spanish people are. What I don't like is their fake interest in you. They approach to you and seem interested, they ask you always the three or four personal questions to quench their thirst for novelty and they forget you for ever. In Spain, if you had a so deep conversation, this person would become your friend. Here, they forget about you right away. Very rude people!!
I think it's fun to see how peeps from other country's experience getting face to face with the Dutch people, heads up though, it kinda differs from town to town city to city
Comming from an imigrant family :) portuguese / indonesian, with roots in germany sometime during dutch / indies bit odd anyways :) the thing that annoys my parents the most, would be that you cannot simply go to a family's friend ( Kennis ) their house, and ring the door haha, making the apointments, it's so accurate, but it also is annoying to me, growing up, i was taught to just go by whom ever i want to :) if their there, they are there, if they arent they arent, i even struggle with this sometimes :) the agenda thing haha, that goes multiple ways, some use it as an excuse ( polite way ) of saying, i don't want yous here, or don't feel like meeting up the others use it, because their schedule is litterly busy, and they would want to make sure they can prepair on your arrival, like getting some snacks, some drinks, you know standard things, it's embarrasing to us, if you dont have something ready to go, noticed how the dutch culture, growing up with it, is also very strict, MEMORY From the past: When i arrived at a friends place, around 5 or 6 in the afternone / evening, they were going to have dinner, i rang their door, wanting to play, my friends parents told me, i should simply wait, or come around later, i was roughly around 11 years old? they would not even remotely invite me over in their house, to join up for dinner haha, with my family and my parents, if we have food, and you ring the door, you are going to eat with us :) sometimes i always felt her father never liked me haha, because i was brown ish, it never bothered me nonetheless tho, alot of ppl in the netherlands are really accepting, which is amazing, but i was also a little shit! when little haha, very diffrent then dutch kids just wanted to say this quickly haha, sorry for the long reply!
watching all these video's made me realise that a LOT of cultural key aspects people see as typically Dutch, are different in the south where I live (Tilburg). Seems to me that we are actually closer related (culturally) to Belgium, which makes sense of course given the history and geographical distance.
I would like to know what exactly is “direct “ because I don’t see why that would be rude. One can be direct and not be stern or aggressive. So what is this “directness” that seems so rude?
As a Dutch person who was raised in the states I can say how hard it is trying to explain to someone why I need two week’s notice for EVERYTHING pretty sure my mama would lose it if not
Without planning g things our country would be a mess and nothing would really work. We don't like manana style since there is important work to be done. That's why things are arranged properly unlike the Southern countries, they may live by the day but only very few things do operate and how do you expect to earn a decent living when you hang around all day?!
at any "deal" ask for the copy of Klantenbon (Kassenausdruck) registrated-deal Document....do at with the same person (petrol station , supermarket etc.) hours later again - and you see a "how the tea snoort..."
who is the guy who says 'when I came here (Netherlands) it felt like home". ? thanks the more i watch these the more it becomes a revelation for me 0o0
Unlike the British - who tend to 'cushion' everything they say... it's more honest and very clear... From an Australian that has UK heritage and a Dutch husband :o)
What Mark said. If you don't give a shit about how I am doing, or if you don't want to deal with me explaining why I am doing bad, than don't fucking ask. Easy as pie. Empty politeness is just an annoyance and we are not shy to outright tell you to stop exhibiting that behaviour.
I am from the Netherlands, but I do seem to be different from the general rule. Over all I don't really plan things as much unless there is no other choice. I am however super direct and to the point. I can't stand it when people beat around the bush. I might have gotten something from my Norwegian ancestors I guess? For speaking English to foreigners, well I do think it comes down to trying to make things run smoother and easier over all. It's the Dutch directness and trying to not waste time thing. I personally however also differ from that, I do try to allow people to speak Dutch if they prefer and help where needed. I find it rather more effective if that person can actually speak the language and learn to improve so it will be much smoother later on. I think about the future more in that regard. And yes, I do try to learn other languages myself without any help from anyone at all. Norwegian and Danish I can read to some extend without even learning the basics. It's really similar to the Dutch language and Frisian which I can also understand to some extend. I'm not really looking for why something is shocking about the Dutch culture, I can make a educated guess in that. I rather find it interesting about people that are not from the Netherlands and actually trying their best to learn the language and try to fit in.
In retrospect a lot of the reactions and comments made it clear to me that everything I do or did in my life could be flagged as extra-ordinary. I have stood up to superiors because I thought they were really screwing up. I have told women in my life that I was serious and needed to know what they wanted. Being Dutch sure does make life easy: "Either you is, or you is not my forever love." And that's still how Dutchies will treat the loves of their lives.
We should not compare only people of countries, because they have different societies and governments. But for me at the first time in nederlands, I felt I really like there and people too. They really are themselves. They are kind, they do care about the environment.
3:12 individualism is completely different from self centeredness or egoisme. The Dutch are very individualistic but not selfcentered unlike Americans. I can tell from experience.
@@atzonaftaniel4798 Basically thinking of your own interests/happiness first(egoism) vs being infatuated with yourself/inflating your self importance(egotism)
I also heard in the video that Dutch hospitality is not so great. NOT TRUE. Dutch are not false or pretending. When you come to visit them it is about people and what they share, not about what is on the table. In my own country I have to prepare a lot before a visitor comes. This costs so much time and puts often so much pressure on me. It is more about the food than about people. Also in restaurants....in Netherlands it is ok that everyone pays for themselves and often no tips...fair is fair, no pretence, no hesitation, just simpleness.
I live in Enschede and people really don’t talk that much but you just gotta find the right person, most of the time they don’t talk to you is because your a tourist
All this talk about Dutch directness causes me to worry about my own directness 🤓 ... I am myself Dutch as clogs, Dutch born and bred and I live in NL, and every now and then a friend or family member will complain: "Wow Theon, you can be very direct sometimes!" Then I squirm inside - imagine! Even the Dutch find me too direct 😱, then I should maybe censor myself a bit more. LOL 😂
As for comparing us to the Germans. I have no problem with that. I do think it is a sort of sibling rivalry. We do have a lot in common. Maybe I say that because I grew up with German TV (before satellite and the internet) and live a few kilometers from the German border.
I hear mentioning a lot "yes but I don't live in Amsterdam, I live in .....". It is very true that north-eastern people will be more reserved, for sure, and not just emotionally but also socially. Goes for the whole east really and the north. In my experience the most social and open part of the country, let's say the most easy going, is Brabant in general. Neither area of the Netherlands is representative as "this is what the Netherlands are like:, as there are lots of differences between the provinces on all kinds of levels. And also: yes the Dutch do tend to speak English with foreigners because it's simply the easiest way to communicate. Unless you know that someone is actually not too bad at Dutch or that you are aware they are learning the language. But even then English might just be the easiest way to communicate. Why do Dutch people watch these videos? For entertainment!
As a Dutch person living in Australia, I must say I find it so not Dutch, to "make an appointment" to see a friend. It never used to be that way. That is something I find so disappointing. You get your diary out and make an appointment with a dr or a dentist or whatever. Not to see a friend. The easy going nature in that way is gone. 😞
Funny, how Brazil contrasts with the Netherlands. Brazilians find it offensive to ask people to leave, when it is bedtime. The Dutch find it really rude to just stay and stay and NOT consider, that the other person has a life, past your visit. He has responsibilities at work the next morning, and you not leaving at 23:00, but hanging out till 02:30, is disrupting someone else's life and biorhythm. He has to perform at his job, is paid for that. You 'stealing' his energy from the next day, is also 'stealing' from his boss and family. That's not cool. The people from Brazil actually come across as rather selfish in this aspect and they don't even know it.
De reden dat wij als nederlander deze filmpjes kijken omdat wij ook graag horen hoe andere culturen over ons denken zodat we zelf ook beter om kunnen gaan met andere culturen wat voor ons heel normaal is kan voor andere culturen als schokkend of beledigend ervaren worden
Just respond in the same language the person is using. Is it broken Dutch? Try to rephrase it in proper Dutch IF you are not sure what they want. When that doesn't work, you can always ask if they speak English.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Reminder Amsterdam is not representative for the rest of the Netherlands... 🤗
Indeed, it cannot be said enough to foreign people. Amsterdam is very, very different in culture from the rest of the Netherlands. There are similarities. But it might well be another country.
These people are in Drenthe, not Amsterdam.
@@ronaldderooij1774 Amsterdam isn't dutch anymore, the city is still dutch but the population is no longer predominantly dutch and that makes a difference.
@Bootsandcats Are you allright?
@@ronaldderooij1774 Bootsandcats is right though..
To me, the nicest thing about this group of people is that they somehow do not judge. They observe. From their perspective. And that is all you can expect from anyone. But you also hosted this group of diplomats a while ago, and they were completely different; quite judgmental and so attached to 'their ways' ... Anyhoo, I like this group, and I welcome them all. May we all learn from one another...
I absolutely agree!
I am Dutch but I watch these videos to learn our culture from a foreigners perspective.
That these videos are so incredibly funny in a recognizable way makes it all the more enjoyable to watch.
I do the same with videos about living in England. I think it is natural to be curious about how other people see us. I have to admit though that post Brexit I tend to avoid the comments section (not here but on some channels) as that's getting spiteful on both sides.
@@peterwesson7324 Understandable. Let's just keep it fun. :)
I think I watch them to realize how far people can drift from their ancestral culture generations after emigrating. I'm descended from some of the first Dutch colonists in New Amsterdam (New York). Modern Dutch culture feels very alien to me! (But who could possibly not appreciate the Durch?)
You find your own rudeness amusing? Well OK.
@@andremarais2706 No, that was not what I said nor meant.
With the whole US election thing going on right now, I'm really curious about how foreigners perceive the Dutch political system compared to their own country. Like how in the US there are basically just democrats, republicans and one president, while in the Netherlands we have multiple parties with many different standpoints. Or how in the US, the president gets chosen based on electoral votes, while in the Netherlands parties earn seats based on votes and such.
Great idea for another video!
@@LearndutchOrg Awesome, looking forward to it!
Look forward to see how students guess what ’polderen’ means
@@LearndutchOrg would love to see that
Democracy in the US, are you kidding me?Big corporations and lobbygroups are the real in power. People have no say at all, they think they do, but are just cannonfodder and workforce for the rich.
I'm Dutch living and working in the UK for 20 years now, during this 20 years I gave never felt home sick but watching this video made me realise how much I miss the Dutch way of expressing one self. Perhaps me working for a full blown narcissist has something to do with that as a narcissist could not deal with the Dutch ways of communicating. I thing I just made up my mind. Thanks Bart this video opened my eyes.
You are coming back in the Heimat?
Damn the irony here is too thick to cut,
See i'm British and i've lived in the NL for over 20 years now and i absolutely hate it here. I actually miss the English way of expressing oneself, to put it lightly.
Perhaps we could do more to be culturally understanding or accepting of other cultures instead of going through the misery of feeling isolated in other countries?
It would be nice to see more Dutch people aware of what British culture is like, because really i don't see anybody in this country who gets what it's like to be British.
Because of my experiences in the Netherlands, i have to hold back an impulse to confront you with some of my gripes with this country. However i am curious of your opinion on the concept of sharing??? I know for a fact in Holland the concept of sharing is somewhat of an alien thing. I know for a fact that in the UK we are actually used to the concept of sharing, generally speaking. I am honestly curious wether you as a person who grew up here, went to the UK, and experienced sharing as something negative? Like have you ever had an experience where a friend offered you something, probably food, and you felt awkward or some other emotion from this? What is your experience with our concept of sharing? Or did you find no difference?
I am legit curious about your experiences, especially the negative. I don't want to misrepresent my country and there are problems that must be adressed but overall i feel like life in the UK has much to offer. From an outside perspective i can sort of understand how our culture can make it difficult to ''fit in'' because there are some things about our culture that you're essentially brought up with and only understand if you grew up with the culture or are explained what it's like.
I mean the irony for example is that most British people consider every walking person in the country to be British or ''one of us''. This is supposed to be hospitable, it's supposed to make foreigners feel welcome, but i can understand how it can also feel, in an ironic manner, rather unwelcoming towards someone brought up with a different culture. These might be problems that need to be addressed...
Perhaps even globally. It's going to be a fact that every foreigner will become homesick at one point or another. Perhaps we can do something to bring each culture a bit more closer to eachother.
Anyway
Going to do the jokes bit in another comment this one got a bit deep
I mean so you went to the UK and it took you 20 years to find a narcissistic boss?
Cause that's quite an accomplishment right there i don't know if anyone should have told you but the UK is full of narcissism lmfao
Also xxxPassiexxx is stating the obvious. I don't know if it takes you 20 years to realise that the way to communicate in Britain is through sarcasm but that's literally our de facto language. It's not English, you thought it was english, but actually the Brits did away with proper english a long time ago and all we use is sarcasm so yeah go figure.
You probably don't understand it because you're a foreigner (non derogatory, basic fact) and we grow up with a sense of self deprecation meaning we never really admit something is good but we will say how bad something is sarcastically to imply it is good.
Also i don't know if that's actually narcissistic since we tend to downplay most of everything we should be proud of. I would say we're more on the spectrum of humility over narcissism but that wouldn't be very humble to speak about see.
But yes there are virtues to Dutch ''directness'' (as are there vices) and if used correctly can impress a person of English culture. The things we value about Dutch directness are the honesty and outspokenness even about controversial topics, but when it is done offensively or to depict grotesqueness, then it is not so impressive and actually considered a bad quality to have.
Just my 2cents tho
@@RobotronSage Please dont use "Holland" when referring to my country The Netherlands. Greets ... Cool statement by the way.
@@RobotronSage I actually enjoy your long and deep answer. I understand it can be difficult to fit in. As a Dutch person, I never realized that until I started traveling. The sharing part is fascinating to me, cause I noticed it with my (foreign) partner. The way we look at the spectrum is from the opposite side. So the idea in Dutch society, is that we 'help' each other, but we expect from ourselves, to be able to take care of ourselves. So, when we give parties, or we give food, or we order something, paying for yourself is your contribution to the group process. It is what you contribute, your part as being part of the group. I also think Dutch people do share sometimes, but if someone expects us to share, that expectation from our point of view is that you are leeching off of us. It is the expectation that makes it unfavorable to us. But as I said, being able to provide for yourself and to pay for yourself, is how we see that everyone is equal, independent, and contributing to the group. Lastly, when I for instance buy something, I expect that thing to be mine. I plan on the use of it. When we plan parties (we plan a lot with our agendas) we try to imagine how much everyone will need and like. We want to be efficient, while showing we care and not be stingy. So if we plan a party, it will not be in abundance, because most of the time the food or drinks will have been too much. Then we just waste food and drinks, which (in our mind) is not efficient. So to sum up: groups working together and being a collection of individuals contributing, combined with being as efficient as possible is what makes us look like we do not share.
Ik, als Nederlandse volg jullie kanaal omdat ik als vrijwilliger taalcoach ben voor vluchtelingen uit o.a. Syrie. Zij hebben mij zelf gewezen op dit kanaal en ik vind het heerlijk om naar te kijken. Nu kan ik zien waar jullie mee worstelen en over welke onderwerpen we het gaan hebben in het uurtje per week die wij samen on line hebben. Ze vinden het alle drie (ja ik heb drie leerlingen) echt heel erg leuk om naar te kijken. Ook o.a. Jovi"s Home is een van de favorieten. Dank je Bart voor je filmpjes.
Hello a dutch person here. The reason that I watch the video`s is to know where forgein people struggle with when they come here, what they like what they dont like and see if I can work with these kinda things in real life when I come across someone that is not from the netherlands. Also I have a english girlfriend and I refer her to these kind of video`s, because the represent a bit of what she can aspect if she wants to move here. Thanks for the video`s!
Hi, another dutch person here. I totally agree. Also i'm just curious to hear what foreigners have to say about us. I do think we're kind of stubborn but also very tolerant towards others. We all need to accept that everyone is different but also the same.
Dutch directness is something Dutch only.
Let me share my first work experience working for international company in The Netherlands (during my first 2 months):
I needed to visit my colleagues from different team for transport of some equipment to another buiding. When I entered the room, the team leader, I was looking for, was not there. There was only one Dutch colleague who was busy sticking his nose in some white powder on his desk (around one full hand). He looked at me and in very friendly way said to me: "User007, come here, try from my cocaine!" I said something like: "NLuser008, it is working time..." However he looked at his watch and answered: "User007, it is 1PM, Friday, it is permitted!"...
Next time I went to the same room, the same Dutch colleague was bumping his head on his desk repeating many times "I am a gay, I am a gay...". I didn't know what has happened... He was typical Dutch, above 2 m high and above 100 kg weight... However, I needed to say something, my Dutch colleague was very, very unhappy... So, I said: "Well, NLuser008, don't worry so much, nobody is perfect!".... probably everybody remembers this famous ending "Nobody is perfect!" of the old comedy "Some like it hot" starring Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon: ruclips.net/video/-mHhr-aaLnI/видео.html My Dutch colleague immediately asked me: "User007, are you are gay?"... I answered: "No, no, I am married for many years..." Then my Dutch colleague asked me: "OK, User007, lets go then on Saturday to Red Lights District in Amsterdam - women, men, whatever you want...".
Well, it is a great fun to have a Dutch friend!
Geweldig aan Nederland is dat ze nooit zomaar bij je binnen zullen vallen. Je weet waar je aan toe bent en dat ze op de centen zijn, vind ik geen slechte eigenschap. Ik ben zelfs besmet met koopjes jacht virus.Ook fijn dat ze over het algemeen stipt zijn, wat je van veel allochtonen niet kan zeggen. Niet lullen maar poetsen mentaliteit is echt top.
@@User-oc1kl this has to be in Amsterdam on the Zuidas with all the fancy buildings hahah. White stuff....
@@joycek93 Unfortunately, no... it is about the Royal City of The Hague...
I like these videos so much because it's interesting to hear unedited and unfiltered observations with respect to our culture. Personally I hardly notice many of these things, as I don't know what it's like to live anywhere other than here. They have a really unique view of our society, and that to me is incredibly interesting.
Ik vind het erg leuk om tenminste échte meningen te horen in plaats van alle meningen op internet ofzo. Deze mensen weten waar ze over praten en in sommige gevallen herken ik de Nederlander ook echt heel goed. Nogmaals, leuk om échte meningen te horen.
'in sommige gevallen herken ik de Nederlander'. De Randstedeling zul je bedoelen, in al deze reacties herken ik me als Limburger totaal niet.
@@lowiebovens. Zeker niet alleen de randstedeling. Ik woon zelf in de kop van Noord Holland en daarin kan ik al wat meningen vinden maar ik kom ook overal in Nederland en als ik op een andere plek mensen spreek kan ik de meningen van de buitelanders hier ook best goed in vinden. Ik heb het trouwens ook niet echt over mijzelf hoor, maar ik herken vooral veel andere Nederlanders hierin. Misschien denken mensen dat ook wel over mij :-)
I am from South America. I visited Amsterdam and I love it. Now I am learning Dutch because my daughter and my grandson are living there. The weather drives me crazy. Rain or stop rainning but no both ! six times in the same day !
I enjoy your culture. It is a pleasure to learn from you, Dutch people.
You visited Amsterdam and loved it but Amsterdam isn't The Netherlands, it's only the capital and it has nothing to do with the rest of the country. I may hope you learn your family there are other places here than only Amsterdam
You are right I would like to come back and know much more from Neerderlands.
Why I watch these videos is: 1. They are funny; 2. I’m curious how foreigners look at us and our culture; 3. I want to know how to socialize with foreigners living here, I hate to offend people. If I need to be less direct, it will be a humongous task, but I will try to change. But only with foreigners. Cannot walk on my toes all the time. I still wanna be able to say to my superior that he can take a hike because I’m busy working for him, or something like that. But in the end I listen to him when it’s important, even if I don’t agree. I will tell him of course if I don’t agree.
You're not a real dutch person.
i agree with you
I don't think you need to change your behaviour in order to socialize with foreigners in the Netherlands (such as myself). Notice that in the video almost everyone said that even if they were initially surprised by the directness, they eventually came to prefer it rather than constantly needing to guess what others actually want. I certainly prefer the more straightforward culture, though admittedly there's not much difference between the culture in the Randstad compared to my previous home in Toronto.
@@OntarioTrafficMan Bro how can you people not get that the thing we value from ''directness'' is the openness / honest qualities and the parts that we do not like about it is the rude or confrontational element.
It's like you people never heard of politeness neither do you know what it's used for or in what contexts lmfao.
Example: Telling your boss you would rather not work for him (that day or w/e)
Heulemaal prima
Telling your boss to ''take a hike because i'm busy working''
Bro why are you telling your boss (the guy who pays your wages, literally the hand that feeds you) to take a hike?
I mean if your boss is an abusive prick by all means tell him to fuck off but if he didn't wrong you then why be rude when you can just be honest without the insults
I mean for one it would be great for socio economic relations and we know how much you guys love money right?
I am so in love with these kinds of videos! It's great to see how people see our culture, especially since I have a few foreign friends. n_n These videos make it easier to anticipate what my friends might be struggling with. Also, one of my best friends' girlfriend is from America and I 100% recognize that my friend, another friend and I will be speaking in English so she can understand us, but when she's not really joining in on the conversation it's just SO easy to switch back to Dutch, because we're so used to talking Dutch with each other. Whenever I notice it, I kind of feel guilty about it, because I don't want my friend's girlfriend to feel left out.
An approach I have encountered is that the language is in proportion to the origin of those in the conversation, so if 1 in 5 is an english speaker then one fifth of the conversation is in english
I am Czech living in the Netherlands. I find Dutch people warm in their hearts, considerate, polite, honest, confident, concrete, direct and very friendly (I do not consider directness as unfriendliness or being impolite, just the opposite). It is on one hand a very closed society, but on the other hand very open to the world. They have a great sense for order and the whole country has a feel of cosiness. Lots of flowers and greenery everywhere even if there is not much nature like lakes, mountains, woods. Dutch are responsible with money and they like to invest in their houses looking well kept.They work hard and are very busy, that is why they plan ahead. They come in time, you can rely on them, they respect you and expect that you respect them. They give you space to think for yourself and do not interfere with your opinions. You get help everywhere as everything is perfectly organised. Prices of everything are high because the country and the market are small with not so much competition around. You can be relaxed around Dutch people, they are natural. Women are very strong, practical, good mothers, good carers...that's the way it should be...they have a natural beauty, not overdone with make up. Men are softer which doesn't mean unmanly, they respect the women. There are no or little hierarchies in Netherlands, people are equal to each other.
Thanks for the kind appraisal!
May I advise you to travel a bit in the Netherlands? For we have lots of lakes and beautiful woods. We don't have mountains, but in the province Limburg there are some nice hills. Just ask your local tourist organization and they'll provide you with lots and lots of nice places to visit. It's so worth it.
Where do you live?
@@gardenjoy5223 I live close to Winterswijk, very nice place:)
Thanks for the nice words. I was in Praha in 2004. A Czech acquaintance brought me and a friend everywhere, to places where locals, no tourists, hang out. What a beautiful city. Loved it. Our guide was super nice.
At 7:15 the lady says that when you plan to meer futher ahead of time that person is less of a priority.. That is really not true for the Dutch, or at least not for me. To plan in a few days or weeks does not say anything about how important that person is to you, it just means you either do or don’t have much space in your calendar..
I love the Brazilian couple! They are so funny!
Lol, they are and actually live in my town, never saw them tho... But will keep an eye out for them. 😉😉
“One bitterbal” en “Like the dog under the table” 😂❤️
Yeah they are a very couple, my favorite.
@@DuartJansen 👀 😘
@@all_is_well_Mara Hello!! 😘🐰🐱🐱🐶♥️
One thing I've noticed about dutch people as a dutchy while watching these video's is that we reflect a lot. When I got to know a foreigner trying to learn the language is when i saw my friends watch these video's too just to see if we could help a bit more. Its also when we all just stopped talking English all the time
Zijn de studenten al toe aan een Nederlandstalige video?
Ja, de meeste van deze studenten hebben het altijd over hoe ze zelf dan Nederlands praten, en dat de Nederlanders ze toch gewoon in Engels blijven aanspreken... Ik denk dan: nou, laat dat Nederlands dan maar eens horen in de video, ook! Al was het maar voor één video! En dan Bart zelf ook, hè?
@@bobosims1848 Ik heb nooit ervaringen van gehad, niemand spreekt Engels tegen mij als ik heb met die geproaten heb. Ik heb een heel zwaare Engels accent omdanks spreken zij Nederlanders) nog Nederlands en ik heb er niets tegen.
Yeah, we (the Dutch) are very self aware, but have limited view from inside. So that’s why I like watching these videos, and it might improve me in interacting with foreigners, like my coworkers, on a daily basis. So thank you for spilling the beans.
Being (very?) self aware but having a limited view from inside kinda describes the situation quite accurately.
There's a lot to talk about. There are a lot of failing aspects in Dutch society that are ignored in the guise of ''we have good StAtIsTiCs'' but when you realize these statistics are produced by a large and significant number of authorities telling people ''not to bother'' with things such as ''aangiftes'' (filing reports) then you realize a lot of bad statistics are literally censored from the consensus.
Example: you say you have good healthcare then why is one of my friends waiting for his teeth to rot out from his mouth because he can't afford the dentistry bill? Why are so many people struggling? Why did my local hospital go bankrupt after multiple rumours and claims of malpractice? Why did that same hospital make multiple mistakes with my girlfriends pregancy that could have costed her her very life and left her with injuries that could have been totally preventable if the people in the hospital were competent?
Why there are so many questions why. Why are you so proud of being greedy? Why do you say your economy is ''SO GOOD'' when you also are proud of being SO greedy? You do know that economies tend to fail abysmmally with a greedy populace right? You DO know you pay 2 to 3 times more for groceries in this country than you would anywhere else right?!?!
Please stop making such claims as ''we have a good economy'' when really you don't know what a good economy actually looks like. Take the UK for example, we have about 20x (at the BARE minimum) more stuff than you do in our supermarkets. In reality this is more like 100x the selection, but i doubt you'd believe that. We have food over there that you've never tasted in your life, things the Dutch people literally miss from their lifetimes and will never know about.
And why is 1/3 of all Dutch households in debt with such a good economy and such a good government? These are all fucking lies my man. I see SO many people (many of my friends) struggle facing actual poverty in a so called and proudfully claimed ''first world'' country. The town i live in is facing bankrupcy. I did not even know a town could even face bankrupcy. I thought it was impossible for such a thing to happen because government wouldn't allow an entire town to become desolate would it???? Apparently over in holland they don't fucking care!
>Please stop making such claims as ''we have a good economy'' when really you don't know what a good economy actually looks like.
Also don't do this for me. Do this for your country. The government will not make the Dutch economy any better if every Dutch person is repeating the propoganda that this place somehow has a good economy despite being 2 to 3x more expensive than practically any European country. When 1/3 of households in debt, you are mugging yourself by spreading the lie that you have a good economy.
However if every Dutch person starts complaining, someone will have to listen to that, and if everyone is saying the economy needs to be fixed, it is likely the government will feel enough pressure to get the economy fixed.
I love to see the perspective of people not born in the Netherlands to learn more about my own behaviour that is ingrained through my cultural background, that's why I personally watch this channel
Yep, helemaal te gek.
It’s already so funny to see how different the cultures in the Netherlands are. I am Dutch Indonesian and we have a lot of Asian influences especially when you compare it to Dutch Hospitality.
The dude that said he found his people...I feel that. American expat living in Nijmegen and on lesson 34 of the Vocabulary course....going for Grammar next!
"Fit in to stand out" is like when the Victorian government says "Staying apart keeps us together".
"Staying apart keeps us together" reminds me of quarantine.
Yes..very imperialistic victorian .. they dont give oppotunities to the "auslanders" to grow in work...
Its all very controlled limited
The 'No, I planned to do nothing tomorrow' is not that they don't WANT to hang out with you, but it's because they feel they need to recharge to be energetic again :) Work balance again ;) We watch the videos because we are curious what others think of us or are willing to explain certain behaviours in the comments!
As a Dutch person living in Germany, I like seeing foreigners perspective on the Dutch and their customs. It also teaches me about their customs or values. Often the videos are hilarious.
I'm Dutch and I love watching these videos. These videos make me laugh and sometimes people mention things they find strange or funny that are just so normal to me! I'm an expat myself, currently living in the UK, and like the people in these videos I notice things about my adoptive country and its people. These videos have made me much more self aware of my Dutchness and what it looks like to others. I'm probably getting 'contaminated' by the British culture a bit, but a lot of the behaviours/culture mentioned in these videos ring true to me.
I'm dutch and also lived all over the world so i like to hear what these foreigners think of the Dutch mentality. Yes we are very direct, i love that! We keep things direct and don't waste time on bs...
Yes we plan everything, more than i realised but still nothing like the Japanese do, they are the masters in planning/organising/developing/building/running....I think Holland can learn a lot from the Japanese.
Also most expats in Holland live in Amsterdam/The Hague/Utrecht....that's not the real Holland like in villages and small cities.
Well, Holland only consists of 2 of the 12 provinces, so Amsterdam/Den Haag IS the real Holland. The Netherlands is very diverse in a socially manner and in it's culture/language. If I recall correctly it is the most diverse linguistic area in the world, to give you an idea of how diverse it is. I am from the northern part of The Netherlands and the general impression I have from people from Holland is that they talk too much/loud and that they always have something to whine about.
That's what I love about these videos, these people are all living in Drenthe or Overijssel, they offer a different perspective from the average expat. Because let's be honest, Amsterdam is not really comparable to the rest of the Netherlands.
As a generalization it's pretty accurate, but all people differ.
Top video! Meningen, voorbeelden en toelichtingen met goede nuanceringen! Zo belangrijk als je het over cultuur en mensen hebt. Mocht je een video maken met Nederlanders, dan ben ik wel benieuwd naar de cultuurschok die Nederlanders ervaren, die weer in Nederland wonen na tijd in het buitenland te hebben gewoond. Maar ja, dat zullen wel geen studenten van jou zijn😄
Ik ben bezig met een nieuwe reeks. Daarin reageren Nederlanders op wat de taalcursisten zeggen. Maar duurt nog wel een tijdje... misschien zijn deze video's klaar in maart-april.
@@LearndutchOrg Ik wacht tot Uw reeks klaar is.
These points about integrating. Indeed learning the language is one of the most important things of integration, it helps you to communicate on an equal level. Don't expect a local to understand your language. Something I hear a lot about French people is "they don't speak English". This is true, and something I recognize when I went on vacation there. However this also forces you to learn the language if you'd actually go and live there.
The French are as client unfriendly as they get. We stayed in a middle class hotel and closed the door behind us, returned the key and prepared to leave. Only then I remembered I forgot something, so I needed to go back into the room. I tried my best French, but had forgotten the word for key (cley, which is almost the same!). They made no effort to understand me. So we asked the employee to come with us and we were pretending to stick our finger in the lock and STILL he didn't want to understand. And that happens a lot. So much so, that I don't even go to France anymore, or the French speaking part of Belgium, where some are 'at war' with English or Dutch speaking customers, it seems. To be a well paying customer and still being treated like dirt don't fit together. People are too stupid.
Terrific content. Great final statement.
There should be videos like this about most cultures and have them publicly available and at jobs so before you have to speak with people from other countries and cultures, specially if they're from different hemispheres, it makes it easier for you to engage in a productive conversation or discussion with them and reduce, at least a little, the huge frustrations that arise when exchanges occur between different cultures.
Awesome material!!!!
I am Dutch and left the country in 1996 and the age of 56. Lived nearly 12 years in Romania and adopted to live there by learning the language and participating in social life. After that I left for the south of France. Having to adopt myself to different cultures I like to watch your videos on how foreigners try to integrate in Dutch society. I love the efforts made by them for feeling well in their new country !! “BISOUS”
I don't know the Netherlands, but I was an American student in Belgium and studied a bit of Dutch there. After learning Afrikaans, which was much simpler, I think I'll have a better understanding of Dutch now.
I like that they noticed and talk about that there is a difference between people in the city Amsterdam and the rest of the Netherlands. I feel that the people in Amsterdam don't really represent the rest of us.. like at all xD.
I think it could be a nice video idea to compare different parts of the Netherlands?
Thanks for the videos!
I'am a Dutchman from the south and think the People in the West are so direct, so I'am not suprised you feel that way. And... offcourse our glasses and snacks here in the South are way bigger then in the West. 😁
True. I’m from the west (Rotterdam) and I’ve insulted my friend from Gelderland at several occasions without meaning to. It has upsides and downsides but we can’t help ourselves.
Yeah... not totally true. Indeed north and south holland are direct. But if you come in like drenthe, groningen and friesland you have the same thing again. But only with the "nuchtere mentaliteit" ;)
I am a foreigner living in NL and at first I lived in the west, now living in Enschede and man... The difference is HUGE! I cannot even explain how different everything is here, I still hope I can get used to it because I find it very shocking with mother culture :(
@@JohanaRosero enschede more direct then in the west of the country or how come?
@@geke3475 to me it feels like they are less friendly, I think more closed but I also know these are more farmers lands so understansable... I mean it all with respect
You guys are a backbone to all of us
I work a lot with expats from all around the world and it's interesting to see how people from other countries and culture experience life in the Netherlands.
Its good to see people acknowledging the difference in directness between north and south. I am from Noord-Brabant and I've never really felt that our directness is as "severe" as up north. Not sure why there's such a difference.
the cultural difference between north and south goes back years. the catholic south was oppressed, often continued to do their own thing ... did not take it so closely with the authority from the hague. the south has been exploited for a long time to realize the "dutch golden age". Catholics were more traditional, cared more about each other, there was a lot of poverty so people had to pay more attention to each other. this had the downside that people were also almost obliged to go to church. brabant and limburg also have more in common with the flemish culture. almost all famous limburgers and brabanders are called "flemish". the painters known as "flemish" may very well come from the south of the netherlands..
@@You-mr3lo yeah that makes sense, religion was very important and still is to a lot of people so there is indeed no doubt that different traditions would “produce” different habits and codes of conduct
It is because the Romans decided that the Rhine was the border. This left the south in a Gallo-Roman influence and the north in pagan Germanic (old Frisian-Saxon) influence. After ages this resulted in Roman Catholicism and Protestant domination in these cultures that still persist today.
Well, I'll take the directness of the north any day over the backstabbing habits of the south.
We lived in Noord-Brabant for two years. Big mistake! We left traumatized. Learned they are only kind, when drunk! They are vicious! Jealous, lazy, backstabbing. Horrid experience. Never again.
I recently discovered these RUclips videos on Dutch culture. Although I haven't lived in the NL, I have visited several times, as I lived several years in Sweden, Germany and the UK. I read several of the comments, including those from Dutch citizens. Interestingly, some mentioned a difference in the directness approach of Dutch people from different parts of the country. Dutch people living in the southern part of the country were viewed as being less direct in their interactions with others. This cultural divide is also basically true for people in the U.S. As a native Texan/ Southerner, I find many of the U.S. northerners to be more direct/brash in their interactions with others. On the other hand, U.S. Southerners tend to generally be more polite/courteous in their interactions with others. Northerners tend to view Southerners as slow, slow talkers, more conservative and even backwards. For example, New Yorkers and Texans are very different culturally. >>> Anyway, I am enjoying these video clips on the Dutch culture. P.S. I like the NL and its people. As an American, the Netherlands has always been a good friend to the United States. Dank Nederland!!!
Thanks! 😀 I would love to visit NY and the state of Texas one time. I have family in Indiana and California btw
Ontzettend grappig om expats over ‘ons’ te horen praten. Echt genieten, dit soort video’s.
Really funny to hear expats talk about us Dutchies. I’m really enjoying watching those kind of videos.
Its great to find at least one nation in the world that does not pretend to please others. It will definitely feel like “coming home” to me as well! Well said!!!👏👏👏Keep keeping it real, Dutch people👏👏👏
Ik vind dit echt geweldig vind t leuk om te horen hoe andere over ons denken en hoe dat overkomt je weet veel dingen echter sta je er niet echt bij stil
Me as a very direct dutch person am always very frustrated when i just want to make a short call to one of my international friends, just to ask for something.
But before i can say where i called for i have to go through 30 seconds of them creating a ''how are you conversation'' like: How are you? yes i'm fine and you? yes i'm fine too what have you been up to? i just wanted to ask which time we should meet haha
My preferred phone calls are as short and direct as possible just the necessities like: Hey, Where should we meet? Which time? Oke good, See you there bye.
Dat bedoelen ze dus....
I really like that the Brazilian couple and Antony being involved in this video again. Curious to see if Antony still considers the Dutch "his people".
Thanks! 😘 I believe that Antony is fully integrated with "his people". 🤭
The person who got recognosed at the dentist. I'm pretty sure I occasionally see him in the albert heijn. I'm a cashier there, but I've never asked if it's really him.
8:40 I worked in a supermarket and I did this consciously to foreign people because most foreign people at my store where like poor Dutch speakers, so I tended to speak English. Even if you react in Dutch (but look foreign or spoke an other language to the person you were with), I would ask “Nederlands?” And if you answered Ja just then I would speak Dutch. And when you just talk Dutch to bad Dutch speakers they tend to just nod in agreeance even when it is about something they have to pay.
My reason to watch these video's is first because I am curious how people look at us, and second to learn from it. How different people can be. To getting more open minded!
Ik volg je ook al een tijdje en het is prettig om even de video te gebruiken over de directheid om buitenlanders te weten dat je geen hufter ben, maar daarentegen is het ook weer leuk om het te botvieren zoals ik laatst in Amsterdam was, twee weken terug.. een zooitje kinderen zaten bij mekaar en er passeerde een sloep met foreigners en een gids en ik riep tot groot vermaak van die kinderen: Hey!! Niet liegen, hé!!
Hoi, Misschien is het leuk om een video te maken over de verschillende steden waarin de reageerders wonen.
Misschien zijn er wel grote culturele verschillen per regio.
Bedankt voor de leuke video's.
Ja, dat zou kunnen bv de Achterhoek is heel apart bv Amstercam, oos twee keer "bv" Nou dat doet Nederlanders nooit je bent gelikig als wat een keer krijgt, sorry als dat niet leuk is maar als die onze boterhammen jaten als je binnen het land komt dan kan je niet meer verwachten.
As a dutch person, i like the comments over the Netherlands. ;)
I live in the netherlands and in my village you can just come around through the back door we got plenty of time and you can have everything you want coffee, cake, pie. Atleast in my family we like to eat alot of food and share it :D
Blijft fascinerend leuk om naar te kijken, het is natuurlijk een soort spiegel.
I always found it unfortunate that i cant look at my country and language from an foreigners perspective thats why these videos are interesting to watch for me from time to time.
(As a dutchie ofcourse)
I really would like to hear some examples of the 'direct' thingy cuz i never really noticed it.
Unlike the British - who tend to 'cushion' everything they say... it's more honest and very clear... From an Australian that has UK heritage and a Dutch husband :o)
couple examples: get out of my way, i dont like you stay away from me, let me pass, can i ask you a question, you look beautiful with what you wear, i dont have time today maybe an other day. In general as short and efficient communication as possible, in return we expect the same direct efficient communication back, no whole conversations, that ruins our time, the time we have is precious, and it must not be ruined by unnecessary long conversations. its waste of our time. while you can be *short and direct* with the same end result :)
@@knolcollis Ah, that makes sense.
@@lexburen5932 Yeah, that's something i find kinda weird tho. I get the directness now, but when a Dutch person ask you 'how you feeling' they really mean it like they really wanna know if everything is good.. so why is everything based on 'time' but when asking someone if everything alright they want to know lmao.
@@lexburen5932 like when Americans ask you if everything is alright they don't mean it and just ask it cuz it's the right thing to do but they don't actually care.
After seeing many of these, How to deal with the Dutch, like videos I came to think it’s not about getting used to the Dutch but more reflect on yourself as a foreigner.
At first there is the shock but almost al prefer the directness later on.
Dealing with dutch culture is very easy. Just go to a city like amsterdam go to a cafe and start a confersation (i recommend with older ppl). Dutch ppl like to talk and meet new ppl, so you will learn much from them.
This is a little embarrassing but.. the guy wearing the Volkswagen t-shirt is so attractive. Is he still in The Netherlands now? Coming from a Dutch girl that just moved back after living abroad for 12 years. I watch these videos sometimes to try and deal with my current identity crisis, reverse culture shock is really a thing. Although it seems I haven't lost my directness.
I love direct people . I’m not Dutch but I also plan everything 🌸
Maybe you were born in the wrong country :D
I’ve lived in the Netherlands all my life. Apparently I’m not Dutch at all.
If you are born in the netherlands, own a dutch passport or own the dutch 'staats burgerschap' you are dutch
Hahaha, so funny. What makes you say that? Are you not direct? Do you love to share? Or are you not well organized? Do you not even own an agenda?
Me, I'm very direct, but I always share and give of my time, my things, my money, my attention, my knowledge, etc. I'm well organized and live by my agenda, but love to visit friends or have them visit me just like that.
Love the comment about beer. I lived in New Zealand for a while and my partner at the time was Turkish. When we visited family and friends, we had to eat all the time in Turkey, and drink all the time in NL. Returned to NZ 10 kgs heavier....
I am half Indonesian and Dutch and just moved back to The Netherlands after living in China for 15 years and in The Philipines for a year. I met my wife in Shanghai 11 years ago and she is Filipina and we love watching these videos and learning to understand the Dutch. I am definitely not a typical Dutch 🤣
@5:00 sure mein und dein, goes way back, you either trade, sharing is among friends not familiars , or keep yours and mine seperate, in that way you don't owe eachother
Rowan pronounced enschede so good even the hard sch. Good job men its the hardest sound.
That was the first thing i noticed aswell.
I was just thinking to myself in the first half of the video if I would recognise any of them if I ever saw them in real life. And then I was like pfff, the chances of me running into them are very slim. Then she mentioned she lives in Assen, and I just moved there haha! How strange 😂
funny , for me as a german these cultural things sound very familiar hahah
Arbeitzeugnisse and
Mietverträge are the antithesis of directness;)though;)
@Debbie V Het zal Nederlanders zeker bevalen;)
Ofcourse you have a connection, all that was more or less decent they built the Germans from, and all that was less quality they made Dutch people. With both populations they forgot to built in the feelings and sense of humor.
One of the things I don't like about Dutch people in general is not the directness that you're referring to, 9n fact they are not as much as Spanish people are. What I don't like is their fake interest in you. They approach to you and seem interested, they ask you always the three or four personal questions to quench their thirst for novelty and they forget you for ever. In Spain, if you had a so deep conversation, this person would become your friend. Here, they forget about you right away. Very rude people!!
I think it's fun to see how peeps from other country's experience getting face to face with the Dutch people, heads up though, it kinda differs from town to town city to city
Comming from an imigrant family :) portuguese / indonesian, with roots in germany sometime during dutch / indies bit odd anyways :)
the thing that annoys my parents the most, would be that you cannot simply go to a family's friend ( Kennis ) their house, and ring the door haha, making the apointments, it's so accurate, but it also is annoying to me, growing up, i was taught to just go by whom ever i want to :) if their there, they are there, if they arent they arent, i even struggle with this sometimes :)
the agenda thing haha, that goes multiple ways, some use it as an excuse ( polite way ) of saying, i don't want yous here, or don't feel like meeting up
the others use it, because their schedule is litterly busy, and they would want to make sure they can prepair on your arrival, like getting some snacks, some drinks, you know standard things, it's embarrasing to us, if you dont have something ready to go, noticed how the dutch culture, growing up with it, is also very strict, MEMORY From the past: When i arrived at a friends place, around 5 or 6 in the afternone / evening, they were going to have dinner, i rang their door, wanting to play, my friends parents told me, i should simply wait, or come around later, i was roughly around 11 years old?
they would not even remotely invite me over in their house, to join up for dinner haha, with my family and my parents, if we have food, and you ring the door, you are going to eat with us :)
sometimes i always felt her father never liked me haha, because i was brown ish, it never bothered me nonetheless tho, alot of ppl in the netherlands are really accepting, which is amazing, but i was also a little shit! when little haha, very diffrent then dutch kids
just wanted to say this quickly haha, sorry for the long reply!
Good observations
Saludos desde México!!😄👍
Saludos! 😘♥️
watching all these video's made me realise that a LOT of cultural key aspects people see as typically Dutch, are different in the south where I live (Tilburg). Seems to me that we are actually closer related (culturally) to Belgium, which makes sense of course given the history and geographical distance.
I live in Tilburg too and I totally agree with you
I would like to know what exactly is “direct “ because I don’t see why that would be rude. One can be direct and not be stern or aggressive. So what is this “directness” that seems so rude?
As a Dutch person who was raised in the states I can say how hard it is trying to explain to someone why I need two week’s notice for EVERYTHING pretty sure my mama would lose it if not
Gosh the whole planning thing is so true. I have a problem with that as well, being half-Italian...
Without planning g things our country would be a mess and nothing would really work. We don't like manana style since there is important work to be done. That's why things are arranged properly unlike the Southern countries, they may live by the day but only very few things do operate and how do you expect to earn a decent living when you hang around all day?!
at any "deal" ask for the copy of Klantenbon (Kassenausdruck) registrated-deal Document....do at with the same person (petrol station , supermarket etc.) hours later again - and you see a "how the tea snoort..."
who is the guy who says 'when I came here (Netherlands) it felt like home". ? thanks the more i watch these the more it becomes a revelation for me 0o0
I still don't really understand this directness. I can't really come up with an example.
Unlike the British - who tend to 'cushion' everything they say... it's more honest and very clear... From an Australian that has UK heritage and a Dutch husband :o)
What Mark said.
If you don't give a shit about how I am doing, or if you don't want to deal with me explaining why I am doing bad, than don't fucking ask.
Easy as pie.
Empty politeness is just an annoyance and we are not shy to outright tell you to stop exhibiting that behaviour.
I do plan my nothing time, "vandaag doe ik ff helemaal nix". that is a keen observation.
In Amsterdam every one speaks English. But when you come in a small remote town like Vledderveen (Drenthe) things will become very different.
I am from the Netherlands, but I do seem to be different from the general rule. Over all I don't really plan things as much unless there is no other choice. I am however super direct and to the point. I can't stand it when people beat around the bush. I might have gotten something from my Norwegian ancestors I guess?
For speaking English to foreigners, well I do think it comes down to trying to make things run smoother and easier over all. It's the Dutch directness and trying to not waste time thing. I personally however also differ from that, I do try to allow people to speak Dutch if they prefer and help where needed. I find it rather more effective if that person can actually speak the language and learn to improve so it will be much smoother later on. I think about the future more in that regard. And yes, I do try to learn other languages myself without any help from anyone at all. Norwegian and Danish I can read to some extend without even learning the basics. It's really similar to the Dutch language and Frisian which I can also understand to some extend.
I'm not really looking for why something is shocking about the Dutch culture, I can make a educated guess in that. I rather find it interesting about people that are not from the Netherlands and actually trying their best to learn the language and try to fit in.
Face it, Anthony: some of you are BN'ers and you are one of them. :)
In retrospect a lot of the reactions and comments made it clear to me that everything I do or did in my life could be flagged as extra-ordinary. I have stood up to superiors because I thought they were really screwing up. I have told women in my life that I was serious and needed to know what they wanted. Being Dutch sure does make life easy: "Either you is, or you is not my forever love." And that's still how Dutchies will treat the loves of their lives.
7:23 well my good lady, it means time is for YOU, making time for YOU, a person can show up un announced, but no, be sent , all attention is for YOU
We should not compare only people of countries, because they have different societies and governments. But for me at the first time in nederlands, I felt I really like there and people too. They really are themselves. They are kind, they do care about the environment.
3:12 individualism is completely different from self centeredness or egoisme. The Dutch are very individualistic but not selfcentered unlike Americans. I can tell from experience.
Selfcentered as in egotism or in egoism?
@@entropino9928 these are different things as stated before
@@atzonaftaniel4798 yea that’s why I wanted to clarify which one
@@entropino9928 The English language is much broader in its semantics so they could be the same or totally different. In this case the latter.
@@atzonaftaniel4798 Basically thinking of your own interests/happiness first(egoism) vs being infatuated with yourself/inflating your self importance(egotism)
I also heard in the video that Dutch hospitality is not so great. NOT TRUE. Dutch are not false or pretending. When you come to visit them it is about people and what they share, not about what is on the table. In my own country I have to prepare a lot before a visitor comes. This costs so much time and puts often so much pressure on me. It is more about the food than about people. Also in restaurants....in Netherlands it is ok that everyone pays for themselves and often no tips...fair is fair, no pretence, no hesitation, just simpleness.
I live in Enschede and people really don’t talk that much but you just gotta find the right person, most of the time they don’t talk to you is because your a tourist
All this talk about Dutch directness causes me to worry about my own directness 🤓 ... I am myself Dutch as clogs, Dutch born and bred and I live in NL, and every now and then a friend or family member will complain: "Wow Theon, you can be very direct sometimes!"
Then I squirm inside - imagine! Even the Dutch find me too direct 😱, then I should maybe censor myself a bit more. LOL 😂
The most important difference is that our primary school or even kindergarden is like your highschool or maybe even university.
And now Ayax will give a star to each fan of them. It's a great idea. Congrats !!!!!
As for comparing us to the Germans. I have no problem with that. I do think it is a sort of sibling rivalry. We do have a lot in common.
Maybe I say that because I grew up with German TV (before satellite and the internet) and live a few kilometers from the German border.
Am I the only foreigner that actually wants to go to the Hague and Rotterdam? and not Amsterdam?
"yes, but as a 'Nederlander' you have a different perspective"
.....okay yep, this guy is intergrated, one of us
I hear mentioning a lot "yes but I don't live in Amsterdam, I live in .....". It is very true that north-eastern people will be more reserved, for sure, and not just emotionally but also socially. Goes for the whole east really and the north. In my experience the most social and open part of the country, let's say the most easy going, is Brabant in general. Neither area of the Netherlands is representative as "this is what the Netherlands are like:, as there are lots of differences between the provinces on all kinds of levels. And also: yes the Dutch do tend to speak English with foreigners because it's simply the easiest way to communicate. Unless you know that someone is actually not too bad at Dutch or that you are aware they are learning the language. But even then English might just be the easiest way to communicate. Why do Dutch people watch these videos? For entertainment!
As a Dutch person living in Australia, I must say I find it so not Dutch, to "make an appointment" to see a friend. It never used to be that way. That is something I find so disappointing. You get your diary out and make an appointment with a dr or a dentist or whatever. Not to see a friend. The easy going nature in that way is gone. 😞
6:36 they save that time in agenda for YOU.. nothing unless a parent or their child dies will come inbetween that. time is spared to spend with YOU
Funny, how Brazil contrasts with the Netherlands. Brazilians find it offensive to ask people to leave, when it is bedtime. The Dutch find it really rude to just stay and stay and NOT consider, that the other person has a life, past your visit. He has responsibilities at work the next morning, and you not leaving at 23:00, but hanging out till 02:30, is disrupting someone else's life and biorhythm. He has to perform at his job, is paid for that. You 'stealing' his energy from the next day, is also 'stealing' from his boss and family. That's not cool.
The people from Brazil actually come across as rather selfish in this aspect and they don't even know it.
De reden dat wij als nederlander deze filmpjes kijken omdat wij ook graag horen hoe andere culturen over ons denken zodat we zelf ook beter om kunnen gaan met andere culturen wat voor ons heel normaal is kan voor andere culturen als schokkend of beledigend ervaren worden
1:46 breda isnt in holland but in the south of the NETHERLANDS!!
Quick question, working in hospitality, would you like me to drop the question if you want to speak Dutch or English?
Just respond in the same language the person is using. Is it broken Dutch? Try to rephrase it in proper Dutch IF you are not sure what they want. When that doesn't work, you can always ask if they speak English.
There is also a huge difference in education. We Dutch people get thought stuff in primary school they teach in universities in America.