Don't let them break your egg!

Believe it or not, there is a great power within you that allows you to open up, say anything you want, and express yourself in Dutch - I call it the inner language eagle!

Why "eagle?" Because it allows you to "fly," it gives you freedom... unless you or those around you kill it. The worst part is that they will do it with your permission. Curious? Read on!

The scientist & The bird

Here’s a great story: once there was a scientist observing a bird trying to come out of its egg. The little one was trying hard but with no success.

So, the scientist felt pity for the poor creature, jumped to "rescue" it by breaking the eggshell - he couldn’t stand looking at the bird "suffering" - and the bird was finally free!

Happy ending? Hardly… The bird died a few days later simply because it wasn’t ready for the real challenge called life. The painful truth is that breaking its egg would give it the necessary strength to survive.

Of course, the scientist had good intentions but what he perceived as an act of help, compassion, love etc. was, in fact, ignorant and foolish.

So, it’s important to remember that sometimes it’s better not to "help." Sounds cruel but that’s how things work.

Undeniably, starting to speak Dutch is like coming out of an egg: it takes a lot of effort to construct your first sentences and feels like it will take ages to set yourself free. So, most people just cry out for help and unfortunately, most Dutch will immediately start speaking English.

Feels good at first but in reality they are just breaking your egg and killing your language eagle!

How to protect your language eagle

To start, you have to accept that struggling to create sentences in Dutch is to be expected - it’s normal. It might feel like an eternity but it’s something you have to do if you want to set yourself free and live without limitations, and more importantly, it’s something YOU have to do - YOU have to break your egg!

Also, never ever "invite" Dutch to speak English, or apologise for your "low level of Dutch."

Albert Both is a specialist on learning Dutch fast and gaining Dutch fluency while having fun.
› Download his e-book "Why You Hate Learning Dutch and 7 Secrets to Change It,"
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