Share resources, tips, ask questions, and chat with thousands of other learners. Dutch is one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn and has over 23 million native speakers across the Netherlands (Holland), Belgium, Suriname, Curaao, and elsewhere in Europe and abroad. Surinamese-Dutch is 90% the same as Netherland-Dutch. 
Thank you. English, Spanish and Portuguese are also used.
While every Dutch dialect has its quirks, Surinamese Dutch is not significantly different, certainly less different than the Dutch Creoles that used to spoken in the Guianas. The other languages include Sranan Tongo, a major Creole language widely used on the streets, which was developed at the plantations when it was spoken between the masters and their slaves; Hindi or Samani, the third most-used language spoken by children of British Asian contract employees; Javanese, which is spoken by offspring of Javanese contract workers; Maroon, spoken by Amerindians, Caribs and Arawak; Hakka or Cantonese, a language of the descendants of Chinese contract workers; Mandarin, spoken by Chinese immigrants; and English, Spanish and Portuguese, which are the languages spoken by Latin American locals and their descendants and which are sometimes taught in some schools in the country. We mix it with some Sranantongo and sometimes (and I really mean sometimes) some English. Press J to jump to the feed.
Here are some bits from Street lab's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dfOj_zTbq4. Thanks for the shout out u/ParchmentNPaper. 
Thank you for the help. Like how Argentina, Mexico, and Spain all have different versions of Spanish. A subreddit for everybody interested in learning the Dutch language (*het Nederlands*) - whether you're a beginner, an expert, or just curious. It is used mainly in education, government, business and the media. Hakka Chinese and Cantonese are spoken by the descendants of the Chinese contract (koelie, coolie) workers. However in daily conversation we never speak 100% Dutch. If you're a foreigner they'll understand and go full Dutch on you. This is something you might hear (Dutch mixed with Sranantongo): https://youtu.be/uA43Wr8uwAw?list=PLvYrMTz_cv6Qm2madlEA3lfwuyxF34PhU.
If you're using HTTPS Everywhere or you're unable to access any article on Wikiwand, please consider switching to HTTPS (https://www.wikiwand.com). Dutch is the official language. Give good old Wikipedia a great new look: This article was just edited, click to reload, This article has been deleted on Wikipedia (. https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=Suriname_Languages&oldid=4303782. In the capital Paramaribo it is the main home language in two thirds of the households. The accent however might be different from the Netherland and Belgium accent. For examples, look at the posts from /u/sheldon_y14 on this sub. For word list and help researching in Suriname records, see: An exceptional variety of languages is spoken in Suriname. As a Surinamese I can tell you the following. Unless don't you plan to speak with Cubans or Brazilians from Brazil town, your Spanish and Portuguese are useless in Suriname. While Dutch is perceived as a remnant of colonialism by some, the use of the popular Sranan became associated with nationalist politics after its public use by former dictator Dsi Bouterse in the 1980s, and groups descended from runaway slaves like the Maroons resent it. Surinamese Hindi, a dialect of Bhojpuri, is the third-most used language, spoken by the descendants of British Asian contract workers. The Maroon languages, somewhat intelligible with Sranan Tongo, include Saramaka, Paramakan, Ndyuka, Aukan, Kwinti and Matawai. This browser is not supported by Wikiwand :( Wikiwand requires a browser with modern capabilities in order to provide you with the best reading experience.Please download and use one of the following browsers: An extension you use may be preventing Wikiwand articles from loading properly. The public discourse about Suriname's languages is a part of ongoing debates about the country's national identity. If you are using an Ad-Blocker, it might have mistakenly blocked our content. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for, Note: preferences and languages are saved separately in https mode. Would you like to suggest this photo as the cover photo for this article?
You can help our automatic cover photo selection by reporting an unsuitable photo. I made a post in this sub about the accents you'll find in Suriname, be sure to check that out. Only in the interior of Suriname is Dutch hardly known. I do know a bit of Spanish and Portuguese but I would love to get some practice with actual people speaking dutch since I live in the US. Dutch is spoken as a mother tongue by about 60% of the Surinamers, while most others speak it as a second or third language. I am going to Suriname on a vacation and I wanted to know how my dutch will be helpful. For making Dutch as the language of education, the government, business and media, the country has become as associate member of the Dutch Language Union.
Mandarin is spoken by more recent Chinese immigrants. Despite its being a multi-lingual country, Suriname maintains Dutch as its sole official language spoken by about 60% of its population, and two-thirds of households in Paramaribo, its biggest city. Please click the "Downloads" icon in the Safari toolbar, open the first download in the list. Some propose to change the national language to English, so as to improve links to the Caribbean and North America, or to Spanish, as a nod to Suriname's geography. Amerindian languages, spoken by Amerindians, include Carib and Arawak. An extension you use may be preventing Wikiwand articles from loading properly. Later it was used as a medium of communication among the native Surinamese until it became the official language of the countrys educational system. Sranan Tongo, a local creole language originally spoken by the Creole population group, is the most widely used language in the streets and often interchangeably with Dutch depending on the formality of the setting. To improve links to the Caribbean and North America, current proposals have been made to alter the national language to English or Spanish, to fit the countrys location in South America. Recognised regional languages: Sranan Tongo, Hindi, English, Sarnami, Javanese, Malay, Bhojpuri, Hakka, Cantonese, Saramaccan, Paramaccan, Ndyuka, Kwinti, Matawai, Cariban, Arawakan Kalina. This page was last edited on 22 March 2021, at 18:01. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://youtu.be/uA43Wr8uwAw?list=PLvYrMTz_cv6Qm2madlEA3lfwuyxF34PhU, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dfOj_zTbq4. Cover photo is available under {{::mainImage.info.license.name || 'Unknown'}} license. Javanese is spoken by the descendants of Javanese (Indonesian) contract workers. (Also, my dutch is much better than my Spanish) So, is the dutch in Suriname too different from Netherlands where I would have to learn new things. Your input will affect cover photo selection, along with input from other users. Suriname became the third member of the Dutch Language Union in 2004. I don't think your Spanish or Portuguese will be very helpful, but your Dutch will be. This page has been viewed 12,357 times (748 via redirect). My question is: how are you entering the country though? My mother has dual citizenship and she owns a house in Paramaribo, You be the judge! You will need to temporarily disable your Ad-blocker to view this page. Some features of the spoken Dutch were also later added by the immigrants from British India and Java while it continued to be heavily influenced by other languages, especially slang, spoken by residents on the streets. The Dutch language was introduced to the country at the time of its colonization by the Dutch. English is used in schools and business purposes, while Spanish and Portuguese are spoken by South American residents (Portuguese for Brazilians) and their descendants and also taught in schools. {{::lang.NameEnglish}} - {{::lang.NameNative}}, {{::mainImage.info.license.name || 'Unknown'}}, {{current.info.license.usageTerms || current.info.license.name || current.info.license.detected || 'Unknown'}}, Uploaded by: {{current.info.uploadUser}} on {{current.info.uploadDate | date:'mediumDate'}}. Learn Dutch! You can simply YouTube Suriname content and judge my guess is you will understand newscaster types just fine, casual speech on the street might be hard if you learned a specific dutch accent and aren't used to hearing stranger versions.
Thank you. English, Spanish and Portuguese are also used. While every Dutch dialect has its quirks, Surinamese Dutch is not significantly different, certainly less different than the Dutch Creoles that used to spoken in the Guianas. The other languages include Sranan Tongo, a major Creole language widely used on the streets, which was developed at the plantations when it was spoken between the masters and their slaves; Hindi or Samani, the third most-used language spoken by children of British Asian contract employees; Javanese, which is spoken by offspring of Javanese contract workers; Maroon, spoken by Amerindians, Caribs and Arawak; Hakka or Cantonese, a language of the descendants of Chinese contract workers; Mandarin, spoken by Chinese immigrants; and English, Spanish and Portuguese, which are the languages spoken by Latin American locals and their descendants and which are sometimes taught in some schools in the country. We mix it with some Sranantongo and sometimes (and I really mean sometimes) some English. Press J to jump to the feed.
Here are some bits from Street lab's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dfOj_zTbq4. Thanks for the shout out u/ParchmentNPaper. Thank you for the help. Like how Argentina, Mexico, and Spain all have different versions of Spanish. A subreddit for everybody interested in learning the Dutch language (*het Nederlands*) - whether you're a beginner, an expert, or just curious. It is used mainly in education, government, business and the media. Hakka Chinese and Cantonese are spoken by the descendants of the Chinese contract (koelie, coolie) workers. However in daily conversation we never speak 100% Dutch. If you're a foreigner they'll understand and go full Dutch on you. This is something you might hear (Dutch mixed with Sranantongo): https://youtu.be/uA43Wr8uwAw?list=PLvYrMTz_cv6Qm2madlEA3lfwuyxF34PhU. If you're using HTTPS Everywhere or you're unable to access any article on Wikiwand, please consider switching to HTTPS (https://www.wikiwand.com). Dutch is the official language. Give good old Wikipedia a great new look: This article was just edited, click to reload, This article has been deleted on Wikipedia (. https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=Suriname_Languages&oldid=4303782. In the capital Paramaribo it is the main home language in two thirds of the households. The accent however might be different from the Netherland and Belgium accent. For examples, look at the posts from /u/sheldon_y14 on this sub. For word list and help researching in Suriname records, see: An exceptional variety of languages is spoken in Suriname. As a Surinamese I can tell you the following. Unless don't you plan to speak with Cubans or Brazilians from Brazil town, your Spanish and Portuguese are useless in Suriname. While Dutch is perceived as a remnant of colonialism by some, the use of the popular Sranan became associated with nationalist politics after its public use by former dictator Dsi Bouterse in the 1980s, and groups descended from runaway slaves like the Maroons resent it. Surinamese Hindi, a dialect of Bhojpuri, is the third-most used language, spoken by the descendants of British Asian contract workers. The Maroon languages, somewhat intelligible with Sranan Tongo, include Saramaka, Paramakan, Ndyuka, Aukan, Kwinti and Matawai. This browser is not supported by Wikiwand :( Wikiwand requires a browser with modern capabilities in order to provide you with the best reading experience.Please download and use one of the following browsers: An extension you use may be preventing Wikiwand articles from loading properly. The public discourse about Suriname's languages is a part of ongoing debates about the country's national identity. If you are using an Ad-Blocker, it might have mistakenly blocked our content. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for, Note: preferences and languages are saved separately in https mode. Would you like to suggest this photo as the cover photo for this article?
You can help our automatic cover photo selection by reporting an unsuitable photo. I made a post in this sub about the accents you'll find in Suriname, be sure to check that out. Only in the interior of Suriname is Dutch hardly known. I do know a bit of Spanish and Portuguese but I would love to get some practice with actual people speaking dutch since I live in the US. Dutch is spoken as a mother tongue by about 60% of the Surinamers, while most others speak it as a second or third language. I am going to Suriname on a vacation and I wanted to know how my dutch will be helpful. For making Dutch as the language of education, the government, business and media, the country has become as associate member of the Dutch Language Union.
Mandarin is spoken by more recent Chinese immigrants. Despite its being a multi-lingual country, Suriname maintains Dutch as its sole official language spoken by about 60% of its population, and two-thirds of households in Paramaribo, its biggest city. Please click the "Downloads" icon in the Safari toolbar, open the first download in the list. Some propose to change the national language to English, so as to improve links to the Caribbean and North America, or to Spanish, as a nod to Suriname's geography. Amerindian languages, spoken by Amerindians, include Carib and Arawak. An extension you use may be preventing Wikiwand articles from loading properly. Later it was used as a medium of communication among the native Surinamese until it became the official language of the countrys educational system. Sranan Tongo, a local creole language originally spoken by the Creole population group, is the most widely used language in the streets and often interchangeably with Dutch depending on the formality of the setting. To improve links to the Caribbean and North America, current proposals have been made to alter the national language to English or Spanish, to fit the countrys location in South America. Recognised regional languages: Sranan Tongo, Hindi, English, Sarnami, Javanese, Malay, Bhojpuri, Hakka, Cantonese, Saramaccan, Paramaccan, Ndyuka, Kwinti, Matawai, Cariban, Arawakan Kalina. This page was last edited on 22 March 2021, at 18:01. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://youtu.be/uA43Wr8uwAw?list=PLvYrMTz_cv6Qm2madlEA3lfwuyxF34PhU, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dfOj_zTbq4. Cover photo is available under {{::mainImage.info.license.name || 'Unknown'}} license. Javanese is spoken by the descendants of Javanese (Indonesian) contract workers. (Also, my dutch is much better than my Spanish) So, is the dutch in Suriname too different from Netherlands where I would have to learn new things. Your input will affect cover photo selection, along with input from other users. Suriname became the third member of the Dutch Language Union in 2004. I don't think your Spanish or Portuguese will be very helpful, but your Dutch will be. This page has been viewed 12,357 times (748 via redirect). My question is: how are you entering the country though? My mother has dual citizenship and she owns a house in Paramaribo, You be the judge! You will need to temporarily disable your Ad-blocker to view this page. Some features of the spoken Dutch were also later added by the immigrants from British India and Java while it continued to be heavily influenced by other languages, especially slang, spoken by residents on the streets. The Dutch language was introduced to the country at the time of its colonization by the Dutch. English is used in schools and business purposes, while Spanish and Portuguese are spoken by South American residents (Portuguese for Brazilians) and their descendants and also taught in schools. {{::lang.NameEnglish}} - {{::lang.NameNative}}, {{::mainImage.info.license.name || 'Unknown'}}, {{current.info.license.usageTerms || current.info.license.name || current.info.license.detected || 'Unknown'}}, Uploaded by: {{current.info.uploadUser}} on {{current.info.uploadDate | date:'mediumDate'}}. Learn Dutch! You can simply YouTube Suriname content and judge my guess is you will understand newscaster types just fine, casual speech on the street might be hard if you learned a specific dutch accent and aren't used to hearing stranger versions.