Advanced Dutch 2 (standard track)

Once you have completed the course, you will be able to:

• talk about your own positive traits and about those of people you admire;
• give compliments;
• respond to compliments appropriately;
• conduct a conversation about current affairs and society;
• talk about your personal and general wishes for the future;
• react appropriately in emotionally charged situations;
• talk about your own, someone else’s, or your company’s concrete plans for the future;
• reach agreements with your discussion partners about tasks/activities that must be performed;
• remind discussion partners of agreements/promises made;
• provide a well-founded opinion about tasks/activities;
• present clear and structured arguments;
• write formal letters.

Grammar is always covered in a communication context and for functional purposes.

Example: When you learn to write formal letters, you will also learn about the passive voice as knowledge about this grammatical topic is useful and relevant for writing a good formal letter at a higher level.

Culture and history influence the language of a country. That is why this course will also pay attention to interesting and relevant aspects of Dutch culture and history. Knowledge about these topics will make it easier to understand Dutch people and their responses.

Example:

What type of compliments are appropriate among colleagues? How do you remind a friend of a promise they haven’t kept yet, in a friendly but firm way? In the Netherlands, how long can you discuss your own positive traits before people start to think you are arrogant?