Has anyone had a positive experience with any vehicle to learn Dutch such as tapes, or online? I had used the Pimsleur Tapes for Japanese and thought they were great but cannot find Dutch. Any tips before I spend LOTS of wasted money..what did you try or buy that worked or didn't? It's mostly geared for my soon to be 11 year old..Thanks.

Annie, I think anything would be better than the small Berlitz Dutch language book I bought prior to our recent trip to Bonaire. I am really quite good with languages, but their pronunciation guide was filled with errors, at least according to native Dutch speakers I checked with on-island...so anything where you can actually hear correct pronunciation would be an improvement. Hope you get some good replies here!

Dutch is arguably one of the hardest languages to learn. Our pronunciation and grammar are sometimes unique and very illogical.

Hi Ann!

I was told by a guy whom I met on a ship in Norway that he had great experiences with the original "Teach Yourself ...." series. I believe he taught himself English and Thai in that way.

After I got home from the trip, I bought the 'Teach yourself Norwegian' one. I lack the discipline to actually go through the whole book and tapes, but I really think that series is a good pick.

I even found the 'Teach Yourself Dutch' title on:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0844238570/104-7628346-7596735?vi=glance

Good luck!

Or http://www.wannalearn.com/Academic_Subjects/World_Languages/Dutch/0844238570.shtml

Your son is at an ideal age to start. I picked up the Teach Yourself Dutch (with CDs) and plan to practice on the bike trail. I'm already fluent in German and speak a bit of Danish and can read a lot of Dutch already. I just need some practice listening to the sounds. Discipline is the key. Have a look at the Learn Dutch Online site: http://www.learndutch.org/
Taalthuis has an online course and other resources: http://www.taalthuis.com/
TravLang Books has the Pimsleur course and others at: http://www.multilingualbooks.com/tlstore/dutch.html

I am wondering if there is a specific type of Dutch being spoken on Bonaire. My husband and I plan on moving there, and would like to learn the language. Any advice is helpful!

Hi Hazel, the Dutch spoken on Bonaire is Dutch. Most locals do speak Papiamento, and that is very different than Dutch.

OK, that was a real short answer. Dutch, although there are different accents, is very much the same. It's not like the English, with all the different styles and sounds.

Gotcha. That was easy. Thank you!