Alison Thomas

Double your Dutch

Woman Alive (Aug 1995)
I vividly remember the day many years ago when, as a teenager, I tried out my elementary German for the first time. Timid and self-conscious, I somehow found the courage to approach a group of young Germans staying in the same youth hostel. "Woher kommen Sie?" Three little words, and they understood me perfectly! The conversation which followed was brief and simple, but I was thrilled to bits.

There is no doubt that a holiday abroad is twice as much fun and infinitely more satisfying if you can speak the language, even just a little. But perhaps, like many people, you think back to classes at school with trepidation. All those verbs and complicated grammar! Worse still, perhaps you never studied a language at all. But don't be put off. The Scandinavians and the Dutch all seem to speak perfect English, and they are no more intelligent than we are. Everyone can learn a language. We learned English by listening to our parents and copying what they said, and this is how to tackle a second language too.

A great variety of language courses have appeared on the market in recent years. They vary in price, quality and level of difficulty; but they all follow the same principles of encouraging you to listen to native speakers on cassette and repeat what they say.

One advantage of this method is that you can study at your own pace and choose a time which suits you. But you must make sure that you practise regularly, every day if possible.

This is not as demanding as it might seem. A walkman can let you listen almost anywhere at any time. Previously wasted moments doing mundane chores – dusting, tidying, ironing – can be put to good use. And you will be amazed at how quickly you progress.

So how do you set about choosing a course?...