(07-05-2019, 03:21 PM)TheJason Wrote: Dutch, English, German are in the same language family - and even more related to each other than Swedish or Norwegian. Nonetheless, from what I've heard of German, it's impossible to pick up anything - me speaking American English. Anyway, how similar is Dutch to English you think? I'm sure Dutch would be incomprehensible like German to me.
Also, how close is Afrikaans to Dutch? I've heard conversations can go on - but it's very different.
I don't know about those specific languages, although I know some English words were derived from a Germanic background. For me specifically, I've found that the so called 'Romance' languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Romanian and Portuguese) are similar to what you're describing. Since I started learning Spanish, I've found that on my travels - to Italy mainly since I started - I've been able to understand more of what's happening around me. It's most helpful in areas with little English being spoken as I've been able to get the gist of food menus for example or informational notices at stations and such.
