Dutch is a West Germanic language that is spoken by around 28 million people. It is spoken natively in the Netherlands and around 60% of Belgium. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after its close relatives English and German.

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Five interesting facts about the Dutch language:

1. A few Dutch words have made it into the English language, including bamboo, blink, coleslaw, cookie, and gherkin.

2. The first words written in Dutch appeared in Salic Law, an ancient Frankish civil law code from the 6th century.

3. Dutch words have many consonants.

4. Nearly one-third of the Dutch language was borrowed, with loan words originating from French, English, and even Hebrew.

5. The Dutch word ‘gezellig’ is untranslatable; it is an adjective for the noun ‘gezelligheid’, and basically describes a feeling of coziness and enjoyment.

Experts in Dutch translation services

If you would like to work with a professional translation agency for the translation of your documents from Dutch to English or English to Dutch, please do get in touch with the award-winning team at Surrey Translation Bureau

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