Dutch vocabulary? Check! Dutch pronunciation? Check! Dutch grammar? Check! But when it comes to writing, your mind gets stuck for a while. Whether a simple message or an email, you stare at paper or screen for a while. Is it relatable?
Most students ignore that speaking and writing use entirely different parts of the brain. Speaking is quick, instinctive, and forgiving. Writing is slow, laborious, and unforgiving. Every error is visible to all and cannot be undone. No wonder writing is harder!
At The Dutch Minds, our students have transformed their Dutch language writing skills for fluency with the right approach in a shorter time than you ever thought possible.
But Why Writing Matters More Than You Think?
You may be thinking that you should only focus on speaking. Many students do. And that’s understandable. Talking is what happens in conversations, after all! But here’s the thing about writing.
Writing makes you think differently. Every email and text you send, every journal you write, is helping you build those same pathways in your brain as you are speaking. Students who focus on learn dutch writing online have stronger speaking skills just as much as their writing.
And finally, in the Netherlands, writing is important. Emails to your college/office. Text your landlord. Notes to coworkers. Forms for the municipality. Being able to write is not optional in the Netherlands. It’s required.
Want to know How Long Does It Take to Learn Dutch with a Language Course?
How You Can Leverage Your Writing Skills with Dutch Courses Online?
At the Dutch Minds, our online Dutch language classes do not focus on vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, speaking, and textbook learning, but on the practical aspect of Dutch. Here are some tips and tricks that can leverage your Dutch language writing skills for fluency throughout the course.
Tip One: Use Grammar as a Tool, Not as a Tyrant
Most students think of grammar as rules to follow or else. This is not a fun way to think about writing, though. Here’s how you can think about grammar: Grammar is a set of tools that help you say exactly what you mean.
When you’re learning something new, such as a grammar rule, use it to write something immediately. Did you just learn about separable verbs? Try writing a paragraph using all you can.
This changes your focus from “I must not make any mistakes” to “Hey, look what I can say!” which changes everything about how writing is.
Tip Two: Practice “Micro-Writing” Daily
For the majority of students, the reason they don’t write enough is that writing is a big production. It doesn’t have to be. Micro-writing is the small, insignificant writing moments you have in your day.
Write your grocery list in Dutch. Write a one-sentence caption for your photo. Write a quick note to yourself about your day today.
These small writing moments add up to hours of practice without feeling like you are really working hard. Students in our Online Dutch Language Classes who dedicate just five minutes a day to micro-writing progress twice as fast as students who only write in response to assignments.
Tip Three: Read Your Writing Aloud
This is the simplest editing trick in the world to learn Dutch writing online. What you do is take what you’ve written and read it out loud. Slowly. Carefully.
What your ears will pick up on, your eyes will not. Awkward combinations of words will leap out at you. Missing words will become glaring. Long sentences will leave you gasping for breath.
If at all possible, read your work out loud to someone else, or record it and play it back. The difference between what you meant to say and what actually ended up on the page will become very apparent.
Tip Four: Write Conversations You Already Had
Here’s a great trick that ties both of these skills together. After a successful conversation in Dutch, where you felt comfortable and understood, take five minutes to write it down. Not the words, but the content. What did you talk about? What kind of sentences did you use? What words did you use?
This is great for a couple of reasons. First, it takes the skill you’ve already demonstrated as a speaker and applies it to a writer. You’re writing words that you know work, because you’ve already successfully used them. Second, it gives you a sense of accomplishment as you look back on what you’ve learned.
Tip Five: Keep a “Writing Wins” Journal
Most students keep track of their mistakes. They recall all the corrections, all the mistakes, and all the awkward sentences. This is good, but it is also frustrating.
Try to balance the tracking of mistakes with the tracking of wins. Create a separate document and log your writing wins. An email that got a good response. A message that felt natural to write. A sentence that your teacher complimented. When you feel like giving up, look at your wins. They will remind you that you are making progress, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Students in our online Dutch course who keep a win journal remain motivated even in the midst of a plateau, while their peers give up.
Mix Right Strategies with the Right Online Dutch Language Classes
With the help of the right strategies, you’ll take your Dutch language writing skills to fluency, making writing come as naturally to you as speaking.
Our Online Dutch Language Classes offer you the structure, the feedback, and the motivation you need to succeed. Your between-classes activities offer you the practice, the habit, and the application you need to succeed. Together, these two forces will propel you towards fluency, towards writing with confidence, towards speaking with fluency.
Stop fearing that blank piece of paper, start writing with confidence, and to start communicating with others with ease with our learn Dutch writing online Programs here at The Dutch Minds.
One word, one sentence, one email at a time.
