As a German, I can read a lot of Dutch writing. Some words are seriously funny, and the accent is cute, but I usually get the gist. If not, I can always ask in English (in the western parts) or German (in the eastern parts). I can attest that the Dutch are seriously good with English.
I think that most of this is due to TV and cinema, as everything foreign is English with Dutch subtitles, except maybe for the children’s TV.
Native English speaker here, but spoke French with my father’s family about 1/2 the time: I can read and pronounce Dutch well enough that my Dutch friends understand what I’m saying (we’ve laughed about it a few times when I was unaware of a few of the weird dipthongs they have). I can’t understand nearly anything I’m saying or reading.
As a German, I can read a lot of Dutch writing. Some words are seriously funny, and the accent is cute, but I usually get the gist. If not, I can always ask in English (in the western parts) or German (in the eastern parts). I can attest that the Dutch are seriously good with English.
I think that most of this is due to TV and cinema, as everything foreign is English with Dutch subtitles, except maybe for the children’s TV.
Native English speaker here, but spoke French with my father’s family about 1/2 the time: I can read and pronounce Dutch well enough that my Dutch friends understand what I’m saying (we’ve laughed about it a few times when I was unaware of a few of the weird dipthongs they have). I can’t understand nearly anything I’m saying or reading.