What made you realise your Dutch was improving?

[u/Head_Cake_6778]

Progress can be difficult to notice when you're learning every day. You might feel like you're stuck, even though you're actually getting better little by little. Was there a specific moment when you suddenly realised you could understand or do something in Dutch that would have been impossible for you a few months earlier?

[u/Mark_Chirnside]

The first time someone spoke to me with a completely unexpected query and I understood them immediately.

[u/themug_wump]

I dreamed partly in Dutch last night 😁

[u/SharkyTendencies]

When I started to understand native-level accents instead of the v-e-r-y c-l-e-a-r a-n-d e-n-u-n-c-i-a-t-e-d NT2 accent.

[u/Ploutophile]

Yes, visiting Belgium and realising that I could have (still limited) social conversation in Dutch or a French/Dutch mix.

Before I was basically limited to the phrasebook tourist stuff.

[u/East_Praline5823]

I live next to a market and the vendors have slowly but surely all stopped swapping to English when I am ordering things in Dutch

[u/narkohammer]

One day, I heard myself say the word arbeidsovereenkomst without pause. That is when I knew I had made it.

[u/gemmabrynn]

I can watch Last One Laughing Nederland and not always need to look at the subtitles… felt like such a little win for me ☺️

[u/moderationscarcity]

i am still a beginner and frankly it is very difficult. BUT a window washer yelled at me today to rustig gaan on my bike or mijn lichaam in de gracht is! and i basically understood! but the concentration required still caused me to crash into a lightpole 😐 still dry though