English in the Netherlands

English language in the Netherlands refers to the use of the English language in the Netherlands. Research states that between 90% and 93% of the Dutch population claims to be able to converse in English. According to some, the main reasons for the high degree of English speakers is the country's small size, dependency on international trade, and the use of subtitles for foreign languages on television rather than audio dubbing. Occupations which require a complex knowledge of the English language, such as those in aviation and the sciences, are also abundant in the Netherlands. Furthermore, it is (alongside Dutch) an official language of the municipality of Amsterdam and the Caribbean municipalities of Saba and Sint Eustatius.

Various explanations contribute to the popularity of English in the Netherlands. Due to the small size and population of the Netherlands, and hundreds of years of having a trade and commerce economy, particularly between mainland Europe and the United Kingdom, the Dutch put strong emphasis on learning English and other foreign languages, especially German. The Netherlands was also liberated from the Germans by English speaking troops which boosted the status of the English language. In the following decades, with American-dominated globalization, English gradually increased in importance as a lingua franca, at the expense of German and French, which both lost popularity as secondary languages in the latter part of the 20th century. This is in spite of the fact that German is much closer to Dutch than English, and that Germany is the most important trade partner of the Netherlands. Nevertheless, knowledge of more than one foreign language is still widespread compared to other states of the European Union. 70% of the population can speak German and about a quarter can speak French.

In Amsterdam, in particular, visitors may get the impression that it is possible to live in the Netherlands for a long time without learning Dutch. A substantial number of the inhabitants of Amsterdam have English as their native language (mostly British and North American immigrants), however most of them make an effort to learn at least some Dutch. Nevertheless, in and around Amsterdam one may find announcements, traffic signs and advertisements in both Dutch and English, or even in English only (as in Schiphol Airport). Amsterdam however already has had an English speaking community for hundreds of years. A church worshipping in English, the English Reformed Church was reopened for worship in 1607.

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