I think there are enough similarities with the standard language that you can, or I can, enjoy a good Flemish show. It does take some time to get used to hearing ‘gij zijt’ in place of ‘jij bent’, or ‘ek ik’ as in ‘wa doe ek ik hier?’ in place of ‘wat doe ik hier?’ or ‘zunne’ in place of ‘hoor’, or ‘den ene’, ‘den andere,’ etc., ‘efkes,’ ‘amai,’ the seemingly countless uses of ‘allee’, not to mention merci/mercikes, çava/çavakes, salut/saluukes, etc.
But the differences are not so stark that you can’t immediately recognize it as Dutch. There are actually so many different dialects and accents of Dutch. From city to city, dorp to dorp, person to person. “Flemish” is really just a way of distinguishing with a broad brush between Belgian Dutch and Netherlands Dutch.
For me, it largely depends on who is talking and what they’re talking about. I just recently started watching the Flemish soap Thuis (- YouTube) and I’m having quite a bit of trouble understanding. Sometimes I can make out the conversation (Jenny: “Als 't nu ooit zover zou komen dat ge… allee, dat er iemand is.” Bianca (haar dochter): “Dan zal ik 't u op tijd wel laten weten.”) Other times I can hardly make out anything. I didn’t have nearly as much trouble watching Tabula Rasa. Maybe because the storyline was so much more intriguing than a soap opera, I don’t know. Some TV dramas today are like extended movies. The production is outstanding.
I have to admit, I’m kind of hooked on the original opening theme song to ‘Thuis.’
“Geen vertrouwder huis dan thuis.
Nergens zo geborgen.
Van de nacht tot aan de morgen altijd thuis.
Waar je leven ooit begon.
En waar je groot werd in de zon, zoveel warmte kreeg je altijd
thuis.
Het leven neemt je mee naar het leven en je lacht om elk gevaar.
Soms ben je veel te lang gebleven, want naar huis dan gaan je zwaar.
Geen vertrouwder huis dan thuis.
Nergens zo geborgen.
Van de nacht tot aan de morgen altijd thuis.”
(Notice how the singer pronounces the word ‘geen.’ That threw me a bit at first.)
Why am I so fond of Dutch? I’m beginning to wonder that myself. I just think you have to find subject matter that is interesting and engaging for you. I too started learning Dutch by reading Anne Frank’s diary. I’m always reading something, trying to expand my vocabulary. On my Kindle I’m currently reading a collection of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror short stories (which I think I bought for a dollar) called EdgeZero: de beste Nederlandse genreverhalen van 2016.
Here are a few short video clips that I found interesting or entertaining on YouTube:
discussion about Black Mass (the film with Johnny Depp) (Het echte verhaal van crimineel James Bulger - RTL LATE NIGHT - YouTube) RTL Late Night
a short interview with a teacher in Suriname about the languages of Suriname (Atlas Suriname: de taal - YouTube)
clip from a nature series (Wild in Nederland: de jacht - YouTube)
Wij Zijn Bang (K3 - Wij Zijn Bang | Musical De 3 Biggetjes - YouTube) from the musical De Drie Biggetjes
maybe you’ll like this song by Normaal (Normaal Deurdonderen - YouTube) Deurdonderen (donderen door)
graphic designer Irma Boom (Dutch Profiles: Irma Boom - YouTube) Dutch Profiles
a clip from De Noorderlingen (Geniaal stukje uit De Noorderlingen - YouTube) Alex van Warmerdam film
Tussen de Schapen (Tussen De Schapen - YouTube) short documentary about sheepherding
Enjoy!