JON VAN EERD

There are a lot of misconceptions about Dutch culture. Because a large number of the Dutch seem to speak English very well, and since the majority of this number thinks they speak the language very well, many misunderstandings occur.
 
These are both lingual and cultural issues. In France 'a comédien' is not a comedian, it is an actor! At birthdays the Dutch congratulate everyone at someone's birthday party. Not just the birthday babe.
 
In The Netherlands, traditions, habits, do's and don'ts only seem comparable to the Anglophone theatre. But there are many invisible differences that can lead to huge misunderstandings. This page attempts to shed some light in the misconceptions, largely due to the lingual ignorance of us, the Netherlands-people.
 
Oh, and by the way, yes there IS an English word for 'gezellig'!