Dutch vs German: Differences And Similarities In Ultimate Guide With Examples

Did you ever hear some interesting language on your travels but never could have figured out what this blend between German and English was? Well, it was most probably Dutch!

In this blog post, we’re taking a look at the Dutch vs German debate. How do they stack up against each other?

These two languages are like cousins who grew up in different neighborhoods – they share a common ancestor but have their own unique features.

Both belong to the West Germanic language family, which means they’re related, but not quite twins…

Actually, Easy German made a pretty good comparison video between Dutch vs German vs English, so why not check it out immediately?

It’s a great warm-up for what we’re about to uncover. Time to grab a great cup of coffee (by the way, I have a coffee-themed blog, too – it’s called Emergent Brew!), and take on a different kind of language journey.

By the end of this post, you’ll be dropping Dutch vs German facts like a pro at the next dinner party!

1. Number of speakers: Dutch vs German

All right, first question: how many people speak Dutch and German?

When it comes to native speakers, German definitely takes the cake.

With around 95 million native speakers, German is like the popular kid in school that everyone knows.

To stay with these symbols, Dutch is more like the cool, artsy kid with a smaller but dedicated following – about 24 million native speakers.

But don’t let the numbers fool you!

Both languages have quite the history behind them.

These linguistic cousins evolved from Proto-Germanic, the grandaddy of all Germanic languages, way back in the first millennium BCE.

Over time, of course, they went their separate ways, because they were influenced by different neighbors, different culture and historical experiences.

German spread its wings across Central Europe, while Dutch found its cozy spot in the Low Countries.

They’ve been on their own paths for centuries, developing unique features while still keeping that family resemblance.

(It’s like they both inherited grandma’s eyes but ended up with different hairstyles!)

2. Similarities between Dutch and German

Now, let’s talk about how these languages are cut from the same cloth when it comes to sentence structure.

Both Dutch and German love to stick to the Subject-Verb-Object (S-V-O) order, just like English does in simple sentences.

But here’s where it gets interesting – they both have this quirky habit of sending the verb on a little vacation to the end of the sentence in certain situations.

Let us show you what we mean with a few examples:

See how in the second example, the main verb “eten/essen” (to eat) takes a trip to the end of the sentence?

And in the third example, after the comma, the verb comes before the subject in both languages. Interesting, right?!

Shared vocabulary between Dutch and German

Dutch and German share some vocabulary but there are also some false friends (false cognates if we want to be linguistically correct – more on this later), thanks to their common ancestry.

Check out this table of linguistic twins:

3. Differences between Dutch and German

While Dutch and German might look like twins on paper (written German language is easily understood by Dutch speakers, if they can see it with their own eyes), they sound more like distant cousins when spoken.

So, simply put, spoken German and spoken Dutch are hard to understand even for native speakers – and someone who doesn’t speak these languages, it’s even harder!

The pronunciation is where these languages really show their individuality.

German tends to have a stronger, more guttural sound, especially with those famous throat-clearing “ch” sounds.

Dutch, on the other hand, has its own sounds, like the infamous “ui” that sounds a bit like trying to say “ow” while eating hot soup. 🙂 (Sorry for this comparison, but we couldn’t come up with anything better.)

It’s funny because if you look at written Dutch and German, you might think, “Hey, I can totally read that!”

But then when you hear them spoken, it’s a whole different ballgame. It’s like they’re playing the same sport but with different rules. So, while your eyes might trick you into thinking you’re a linguistic genius, your ears might tell a different story!

False friends in Dutch vs German

Just as we mentioned it previously, these two languages are full of false cognates.

Beware of these tricky false friends!

They look similar but mean different things, check it in this table:

4. Final question: how well Dutch speakers understand German and vice versa

Now, here’s the real deal.

Dutch speakers often find they can understand quite a bit of German, especially if it’s spoken slowly.

It’s like they’ve got a built-in German decoder in their brains! Germans might struggle a bit more with Dutch. It’s kind of like Dutch is the little sibling who can understand the big sibling’s secret language, but not vice versa. (And who doesn’t like seeing into the secret language of the other’s?)

You know what would make this whole situation a lot easier?

Subtitles in real life!

Imagine walking down the street in Amsterdam or Berlin, and suddenly, subtitles appear floating above people’s heads as they speak. How cool would that be?

Unfortunately, we’re not living in a sci-fi movie (yet), so we’ll have to make do with our ears and a bit of context. And you could maybe take a look at our Lingopie review article, because it’s a great tool that puts subtitles on the most famous TV shows and movies from all around the world and thus helps you teach languages – German, Spanish, Dutch, you choose it!

In the end, while Dutch and German might not always understand each other perfectly, they can usually muddle through with a mix of similar words, context, and a healthy dose of gesturing. 🙂

Frustrating at times, but definitely entertaining! Just as language learning should be.

If you’re interested in learning any language with a fun and revolutionary method, check our Conversation Based Chunking method: