Ten months of Dutch, honestly assessed
What moved quickly, what has not moved at all, and the practice habits that survive a busy week.
Ten months in, I can follow most meetings, order without rehearsing, and read the news with a dictionary nearby rather than open. I still cannot tell a story at a dinner table without losing the thread halfway through.
What moved quickly
Listening. Fifteen minutes of Dutch radio on the commute did more than any app. The language stopped sounding like one long word around month four.
What has not moved at all
Speaking under pressure. Prepared sentences are fine; anything spontaneous comes out slow and in the wrong order.
Volume beat intensity. Fifteen minutes every day did more than a four-hour session on Sunday.
The habits that survive a busy week
- Radio on the commute, no exceptions.
- One message a day to a Dutch-speaking friend.
- A running list of things I cannot say yet.