Want to learn Dutch (travel lot to Belgium)

[MustangLady]

I want to learn Dutch (as used in Belgium) as I travel to Belgium quite a bit and have lot friends there. I know they mainly speak Flemish but cannot seem to find anywhere that teaches Flemish, but understand that Dutch is widely spoken but got to be careful not to get the Netherlands version! (Hope this makes sense). Can anyone recommend any CD version to learn, that is reasonable priced? I want to be able to play CD in my car & at home.
Have you used any types of learning process that you can recommend.
Thank you.

[mike11111]

As far as I am aware Flemish is merely a dialect of standard Dutch with some variations as to pronunciation and the popularity of certain words. If you learn Dutch you will be perfectly understood and can pick up regional variations when you are there.

[gingejbee]

A friend of mine (speaks several languages well) did start learning Dutch but gave up on it - said it was too difficult. So , be prepared!

[jno]

Dutch is one of the closest languages to English, I believe - I don't know but I wouldn't have expected it to be any harder than, say, German. As mike says, Flemish is a Dutch dialect, not a separate language.

[theshedman]

Have you tried Googling free Dutch courses. There are a few of them and on some you may be able to put it on CD so that you can listen in your car.

[MustangLady]

Thank you all. I do believe that Flemish is dialect.. have asked couple of my friends now and been told that 'standard' Dutch will be understand widely out there. I will google and see what comes up. Didn't know if anyone had used a particular method of learning a language and could recommend anyway of doing so. I will be prepared that learning will be difficult but willing to give it a go. My friends always speak English to me, but feel I want to be able to speak with them in their own language and converse with them when they speak amongst themselves (or at this have a little understanding). Thanks all again

[mike11111]

Although I have no knowledge of Dutch I am led to believe that any perceived difficulty lies in pronunciation, rather than complex linguistic structure. A lot of it seems to come from the back of the throat which is rare in English.

[Trottie]

I had to learn Dutch to work for KLM some years ago. Flemish (Vlaamse) is a dialect of Dutch - much like, say, Brummie English. I used linguaphone which had a Flemish supplement to assist in converting standard Dutch to Flemish. Having learnt French, German, Spanish and Italian in the past, I'd say Dutch is relatively straightforward, only getting the knack of pronouncing in the throat and not on the tongue is a bit tricky. I used linguaphone and manmaged an interview in Dutch after 6 months. Hope that helps.

[DTCwordfan]

Learn Dutch - then ask your friends.

Very simple to learn - look at the word, turn it inside out for the most unpronouncable way of saying it (and from the back teeth as to mouth position), then turn it again and you are there. Any verb starts with ge - as in gegegen = go, gebakken = roast/bake.........

Seriously, are there any Videos you can get hold of?