Babbel User Portraits are glimpses into the lives of people around the world. If you would like to share your story with us, just leave a comment below. This month, we talked with Daniela Schaller who has been living in Brussels for a few months with her husband and young son, and who learned Dutch quickly with Babbel.
I started learning Dutch with Babbel in May of 2013. At that time, I had no idea I’d be living in Belgium one day. I’d always been interested in the language, and the defining moment for me to start was the wedding of a friend, who married a Dutchman. I wanted to at least be able to chitchat with him and the other Dutch guests. When my husband got the offer for a position at the European Parliament, it was a wonderful coincidence.
Arriving in Brussels, I would have placed myself at a beginner level of A1 or A2, but when I took the assessment test at a Belgian language school, I was placed at advanced level B1 or B2. At that point, I’d only learned with Babbel. Here in Brussels, there are tons of beginner’s courses, but barely any for advanced learners – at least none that I can fit into my schedule. I have a young son that I pick up every day from kindergarten. So I’ll just keep learning with Babbel.
What I also really like about Babbel is that I can easily integrate it into my everyday life. When we were still living in Potsdam, I was always learning on the subway or on the way to work. But now I also like to sit at home for a half-hour and learn while my young son, Nikolai, is playing or sleeping.
Incidentally, Nicolai is learning French in preschool. In Brussels, French is spoken often and Dutch almost never. For that reason, shortly before my move, I also started using Babbel to refresh the French I learned in school . That helps me here a lot, because I speak French literally every day – it started with the apartment hunt, but I also speak French when grocery shopping, at public offices or at the doctor’s . But I also hear English, for example, when it has something to do with registration forms or when my son’s French-speaking teacher realizes that she’s speaking too fast for me.
My husband is just starting to learn French at work, although a lot of German is also spoken there. Little Nikolai might have more of a knack for it than his father! He already says “mama” to me in French and can already count to thirteen. He’s also already started to pick up a lot from the other children. He always says: “All the other kids speak such a funny language.”
If you would like to share your story with us, just leave a comment below!
Translated from the German by Frank Cifarelli.