8 Tips What NOT to do in The Netherlands - DON'T do this if you want Dutch Friends - Jovie's Home 

Hey guys!! Thanks for coming over! Make sure you stay tuned til the very end for a sneak peek at Thursday’s video! 😘

I love how foreigners always say that the Dutch are so direct and rude while Dutchies usually think that Americans are fake and disingenuine.

Walking on the cycling lane is a good way to learn new Dutch swearwords :)

A little tip: if you ask for a coke and you get 'something else' you're not in a restaurant...

What Dutch people hate even more than people walking on cycle paths is people cycling on sidewalks.

What we realy dont like: When people hear your from The Netherlands oooh Amsterdam..... sorry what The Nederlands is bigger then just Amsterdam. Dont always think everybody is from Amsterdam, if you realy wanne know and are interested, just ask where the person comes from in The Netherlands. USA is also not only New York.

Jovie, here's for your American friends some advanced Dutch lessons to teach: He he = finally Ja ja = I don't believe you Ho Ho = wait a minute Zo zo = well well well Phoe Phoe = WOW medium impressed Nou Nou = slightly less than medium impressed

Oh .. and an other unwritten rule... unless you know someone very well, you don't ask him or her about what they earn, or 'brag' about what you make...

I am 100% Dutch and I hear this "don't call the Netherlands 'Holland'" in many videos, but I honestly don't know ANYBODY in my little circle of friends, family and co-workers who would even have the slightest problem with that. Yes, there are two provinces along the coastline called "North-Holland" and "South-Holland", but nobody cares if you call the entire country "Holland". There's even songs and slogans where we refer to our own country as "Holland", so don't worry about it.

If you order a coke at a restaurant you Will get a 'cola' not coke to sniff :').

Important one: In the US, traffic uses the 'Keep your lane' system, so if you're in the left-hand lane, you'll usually continue to drive there until you exit the freeway. In The Netherlands however, you're supposed to use the right-hand lanes as much as possible. Driving on the left side of the road unnecessarily can not only get you fined, but there have been incidences where people were pulled over by other cars and the drivers/passengers were beaten up over it. It's considered to be traffic annoyance number 1. It's all got to do with the fact that overtaking on the right side is illegal as well, so when you're driving on the left side, especially if you're driving slowly, you're essentially blocking traffic. Don't do it.

Point nine: never ever visit somebody without giving them a call first or being invited. Just showing up unexpectedly is not a good thing and you most probably are declined. Even as "best friend". Point ten: Never ask somebody about his/hers health unless you are brought up to date in advance of the situation, up front that is. So, the phrase "how are you doing" is actually asking about somebody's health. That's why you don't ask that question. What you can say, what has the meaning you're actually after, is " hoe maakt U het?" "How are you doing" can also refer to somebody's financial situation. You don't want to do that either! Money wise the Dutch are very preserved about their income or fortune. I'm Dutch, born and raised and I don't even know the financial situation of my own (little) sister. You just don't talk about it. Point eleven: Never judge somebody by his/her looks. There are very wealthy people in The Netherlands (Thank you for pointing out it's not called Holland) who dress and drive cars everbody can afford. The true rich people like to maintain a low profile driving a Honda or even worse, a run down Hyundai. New money - people like to show off. Stay away from that kind. If they drive a fancy car, like a top of the line model, they probably worked very hard for it and saved up to buy a car like that. Those are your average mid class people. They probably don't even own their house but renting it. House owners drive middle-class cars, almost never the top of the line models. Of course there are exceptions to every "rule of thumb" but those are the things to look out for. One more thing, a car that's considered a luxury sedan or SUV in the US of A or Canada is just an average car throughout Western Europe. Just to get your mindset right. Even coke (cocaine) is legal to possess in The Netherlands, as long as it is under 5 grams it'll be considered for personal use and you won't go to jail for that. Not even get a fine. Prostitution is legal, they (what the Dutch call "sex workers"") pay taxes on their income and are checked every few weeks for sexual deceases free of charge. If you go ta a party in like a discotheque drugs will be sold, you normally can have the purity tested for free at the so called GGD-post which is set up in the establishment itself. Just to prevent you're taking something that's real poison. No police involved, just cool and relaxed. No raids unless something really bad is going on, even then they will be in the background just targeting the offender without breaking up the party. Mind you, DON'T DO DRUGS! Last thing, my compliments! You did a very good job pointing out what to do and what not. Keep up the good work. Excuse me, never give any money to beggars in the street. They are getting money from the government to provide for clothing, food, healthcare and shelter. Just so you know. In the Netherlands there is no such thing as poor beggars, they probably have more money than you ever dream of.

If you see someone fall and you think you need help just call 112. They will tell you if you need an ambulance or not. Realize you're not a doctor and someone could be bleeding internally.

You can order a Coke in the Netherlands as an English speaking foreigner, and (practically) nobody would assume you mean the white powder, that's just silly. The only place where that may be confused with that stuff is in shady allayways. Even in a "Cofee shop" that will get you a Pepsi or Cola drink. Other than that, I would agree with what has been said here for most circumstances :)

I am very dutch but I never got this culture not inviting people to have a bite to eat when it is dinner time. in my family we just shared the food

Hollanders always keep telling people that we're all okay with the Netherlands being called Holland. As someone who lives in one of the other 10 provinces, I'd beg to differ.

If there's no walkpath, always walk on the opposite direction side. (meaning left of the street i.s.o. right. This is because you can see traffic comming towards you. If you walked on the right side, you can't see any traffic coming and can cause an accident by diverting while traffic is comming from behind you which you couldn't see.

Calling The Netherlands 'holland' is like calling the entirety of the US 'Dakota'

In America: somebody call an ambulance!!! The one American seemingly injured: nooo i can’t afford it In the Netherlands: u okay? Ye sure At least we have insurance though

As a dutchman, i think you did an excellent job analyzing our culture.

Spot on about the food. As a kid playing at a friends house i was told: you've got to go now, we're going to have dinner. It was a normal thing, maybe the younger generation isn't so strickt about this anymore. Which would be a good thing.

This was so spot on and I loved it. I teach Dutch to foreigners and often find myself having to explain the culture. One thing I never fail to tell them: Dutch people are always, ALWAYS on time. In fact, they are usually about 5 minutes early. If we agreed to meet at three, and you actually show up at three, I'll be a little annoyed already. So whenever you think you're 'a little late', you're actually twice as late as you think you are!

One time. Someone said our language sounded like German. I continued out conversation in German until they said. Please. I can't understand you!

We only call an ambulance when bones sticks out

Lmao: whispers Weed!! And if you say coke, nobody will bring you actual cocaine 😂

This is so fun to watch, I recognize a lot of things. Especially the fact that everything is so organized, for me it's a normal thing because I was born here. But ever since I have a partner from Peru and visited her family there many times, I have become way more aware of our quirky little things. And the warmth they give anyone over there, is very much appreciated by me! So I can also understand how that threw you off in the beginning (I heard it in your other video). Also the comment about that our language sounds like German, hahah. That is so true, I'm guilty of that too, as I also don't really like to hear it. Even though I love our German neighbours. I guess it's because we are so small we would like to be recognized, who knows. Thanks for making this video, it's good to hear these things from another perspective, definitely broadens your mind.

Another one: don't think Amsterdam with the canals and coffeeshops is The Netherlands! There are different and more things to see in other cities and in small towns, nature.

Another one would be, don't bring up Black Pete discussions.

Calling the Netherlands Holland isn't that big of a deal. Yes, technically it's incorrect, but we do it ourselfs to. I was born and raised in a province called Gelderland, moved to Drenthe and currently live in Utrecht, but once in a while when I was young I said Holland when I ment the Netherlands. The 'on time' thing is very true though. If you say you'll be there at 14:00 for example, it's best to be there exactly at 13:55. Just to make sure you're on time and to non verbally tell the other person that you respect him/her and his/her time. Love your video. It's actually fun to hear what foreign people find strange and what not.

“Asking for a coke in a restaurant will get you something different”? What? Are you implying they will bring you cocaine? You can ask for a coke in a restaurant and they will bring you cola, no worries. 😂

You can always call 112. They Will decide if the ambulance is coming

This was highly informative. Comically, a few of the things you mentioned, I had already done with a friend from the Netherlands. Luckily, he was very kind and didn’t get upset.

We have the same issue, we hate it when they call The Emirates “Dubai” , its not a country! Its not even the capital it’s just a city

Dinner is concidered family time. Most families eat together at the table and really see it as quality time. Parents ask how the kids' day was at school, etc. So yeah, we need to know if you join for dinner, because it is already planned. Jup, Dutchies and their schedule.

As a Dutch person I actually really can't relate to many of these things. Wonder with what people you hang around with? lol. Sound like horrible people 😄🤣 People are always welcome here.

Congrats on the growth of your channel! It's really exciting! It's always fun to watch your videos and learn about things. You really are so well spoken.

What a wonderful personality and calming friendly voice you have Jovi. The information is enlightening and uplifting. Keep up the good work.

For the record. if you see an elderly lady fall and you suspect she has broken something like her hip (not necessarily lifethreatening) you do call an ambulance. Just a bruise or a scrape or minor cut ofcourse not.

Hey Jovi, fun video as always! To react to your points: 1 Holland or The Netherlands... You're right on this point geographically, however I feel like most people don't really mind. It's just a language barrier thing. For example in Spanish, 'The Netherlands' translates to 'the lower countries', so in Spanish they call it Holanda. Not that big a deal in my opinion; 2 Punctuality is a big thing for job interviews or doctors appointments etc. (we usually try to be there 5 to 10 minutes early, just to make sure we're on time) but among friends it's not that big of a deal. There are actually a lot of local proverbs like 'een Brabants kwartiertje' that imply it's not a big deal if you're 15 minutes late among friends; 3 Yup! 4 Yup! It's not a hospitality thing tho. A lot of Dutch families eat meat with veggies and potatoes for dinner regularly. To prevent food waste (and because we like to be economical with our money) this means that a family of 4 would buy 4 pork chops for example for dinner. So it's not that you wouldn't be welcome to join, just that they didn't get enough for everyone if we get unexpected guests. 5 Definitely DO NOT compare us to Germans. In any way. Not just our language ;) At this point it's more like a running gag that 'we don't like Germans', but it's rooted in the 2nd World War. Even in sporting events like soccer, it's always an especially loaded game when we play against Germany; 6 Yup! 7 Yup! 8 Yup on the coffeeshop part ;) However asking for a Coke in a bar/restaurant is not that big of a deal. They just might not understand you. It's just another language barrier thing. The same goes for Spain. I've tried to order a Coke before on holiday there, but they just stare at you because they don't understand. However coke is short for cocaïne in English as well, not just in Dutch, so it's basically the same thing...

At my house, guests are always welcome to stay for diner

How are you is usually a question you only ask persons you know well and are interested to hear about.

*Thank you for these service announcements* :) ... especially #3 is appreciated by me, as i had this issue with an exchange student ... greet people in the Netherlands with Hi, Hello, Hiya, Good 'part of the day', Hallo ... but don't do the 'what up' or 'how are you', UNLESS you actually want to know how they are, asking that is actually very appreciated, and if you want to get to know a person better or make conversation, it's probably the easiest way to get a Dutch person to talk to you. It will be about what they ran into today or lately, and it may take some time, they might not always ask how you have been, maybe because they don't want to know, or don't want to spend more time. And nobody will think it's weird if after they tell you how they have been, you tell them how you have been. "Wow, that is ...insert emotional indicator that relates to w/e you just listen too..., well I have done or been... etc." ... if you do ask people 'how they are' and then just move on, it feels to Dutch people like this: 'you know one of their parents was terminally ill and died a couple of days ago', you proceed to ask them 'how is your mon/dad' and just walk on as if you don't care one bit...

Wow, an American who speaks instead of shouting, what a refreshing & pleasant change.

Thank you for this Jovie. Very helpful tips for those of us coming from very different culture . And your lively presentation style ❤

YES THAT 'HEY HOW ARE YA' THING IS SO ANNOYING I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO REACT TO THAT AND IT GIVES ME ANXIETY LIKE WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY JEEZ.

Honestly most of what you are describing just counts for Amsterdam.. Its like describing daily life in NYC and calling it the American way of life

Since I was about 10 years old, so for 56 years now, it's driven me nuts that people here say "how are you?" but do not want an answer! I'm a 5th generation Texan.

Agree with you.. Living now here for 14 yrs! But honestly I just love the simplicity of the people here, and very organise.

Hurray you know the difference between Holland and The Netherlands! Somehow some Dutch people don't even know that which is sad. And at our home everyone can stay for dinner if they want most of the time but we prefer to know in advance so we can run to the supermarkt before the guests arrive as indeed we usually don't make a lot more then we actually eat. When I have friends over around dinner time I just ask if they want to stay for dinner if it's gezellig. If they don't it's a sign it's time for them to leave, if you like to have dinner we need to go to the supermarket if I don't have enough at home to make a proper meal for at least 2 people.

Cycle where you should cycle, walk where you should walk, drive where you should drive. That sounds exactly like it should be.

The one about staying for dinner actually goes two ways. Because for many people it's uncommon to have spontaneous dinner guests, we may also feel uncomfortable when people ask us if we want to stay. It may feel like we're a burden and some people may decline at first as they don't want to bother the other. While I come from a family where everybody was always welcome for dinner, my parents have some international friends who may ask them spontaneously to stay for dinner and my parents will still feel like it's more polite to decline (but may end up staying if the other insists or says it's really not a burden but they like it). While for other cultures it may actually be rude to decline. We are also taught that it may be rude to visit someone between 4pm and 5pm, as they're about to start cooking and it's almost dinner time and they may feel like you're forcing yourself on them (either by taking their time while they want to start cooking or by making them feel like they should invite you for dinner).

Hi Jovy, I really like watching your videos and wait for a new one every Tue and Thur. I'm new to the Netherlands myself and your videos helped my husband and I understand a lot of info about the Netherlands and it's people. 😊

COFFEESHOPS SELL WEED (nothing awkward about it 😂)

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for pointing out that Holland is only a part of The Netherlands.

I like your videos! I am Dutch and it is nice to hear all your stories, viewed as a foreigner. Keep up the nice videos, you have a very relaxing voice and a good view of The Netherlands.

being late is impolite, it shows you don't care.

Also, asking for "soda" in a supermarket will get you something else... :)

Not invited to stay for dinner is really something from the previous generation. The generation that also have dinner at exactly 6 o’clock. This generation is totally different.

Hahaha, girl... you learnd your lessons well. Nice job !

I used to work as a cabin attendant and asking Americans for a drink had its moments too.... when you say in the Netherlands "soda" you actually mean that bubbly water. Not a softdrink. And what Americans don't know is that it is not common to have icecubes in your softdrink unless you ask for it. At least it is not the amounts you get in the states. You should not ask for a lot of ice, because your "coke" will not taste good. In the states it is made to taste with lots of ice. If you do that in the Netherlands (Germany too) you will get a watered down coke with hardly any taste. And what I found funny.... many americans are on a diet and ask for a diet water! How can a water be a diet water, there are no calories in water....

Great video! Pretty accurate as well I’d say. You seem like a very kind and happy person. A couple of things based on my own experience as someone who lives in Overijssel We are indeed pretty straightforward here, but there’s big difference between west NL (mainly but not limited to South and North Holland) and the other provinces. My friend’s parents are divorced and her father lives in North Holland. I’ve been stayed at her father’s place before and even the people themselves say they’re way more straightforward and often come across as rude. Same thing with big cities, which makes sense considering Holland has lots of big cities The bike lock thing is also mainly west NL and the big cities. I live in a city that’s fairly well none but not very important anymore, and I’ve definitely forgotten to lock my bike before. I also only have one lock, just like all of my friends except one. I didn’t know about the bicycle boat but that’s hilarious! The German thing is incredibly accurate. German is actually a very hard language for many people in this country and we really don’t see a lot of similarities. A lot of people in this country say German has very different grammar, generally sounds a bit angry and has some very different words. The dinner thing also depends on where in NL you live. Here we often ask people if they’d like to stay for dinner. Bringing a friend home for lunch is something that happens quite often as well. In elementary school I had lunch at a friend’s house at least once a week. I do think it is once again different in west NL / big cities and it also depends on the people in general. I’m honestly glad I live in this part of the Netherlands, because it feels much smaller. There’s lots of kind humans in all parts of NL, but I guess you could say there’s some culture differences. Overall I think this is a very accepting country with lots of diversity and that’s great. This got incredibly long, if anyone managed to get this far, good job!

Number 4 is might be true in Holland, but in Limburg, when you visit friends and they get ready for diner, you probebly will get invited to stay fot diner.

Very good advice indeed @ 7:33: don't walk into psychopaths! Difficult, because they are ubiquitous.

So true :D I'm Dutch and I hate it when people are late or early. We do take pride in being punctual. Funny thing, there's an expression in Dutch, called "Het Brabantse kwartiertje", suggesting that people from the province of Brabant (south part of the Netherlands) generally are a little lax in their timing, usually showing up 15 minutes late.

BRILLIANT !!! when younger we used to pick friends up to go out together and the same girl was most of the time 10 minutes late and kept the 3 of us waiting so i left after getting the waiting game for the 3rd time guess who was ready to go the next time we showed up ? i do that ''how are you doing'' thing with a 10 minute explanation on purpose to expats etc just for the fun of it hahahhaha !!!!

Beter te vroeg dan te laat I was thought by my mom. I hate it when somebody is late when meeting me. But when my sister is consurned I expect her to be late. And you get me angy when you say Frisian is an dialect instead of a langauge. For all the people who don't know this. The Netherlands has 2 official langauge. Dutch and Frisian.

I hate it when people say that Dutch sounds like German. Open your ears.

Thank you so much I'm gonna moving to Netherlands next year so this tips are like gold for me😍

Just say everything like it is, say weed or hash, say cocaine, there's nothing wrong with that. All that american hush up way of saying things, so silly and unrealistic.

most of the time you just take a painkiller, go to your huisarts, and most of the time they'll just say "oh yeah no worries just sit it out for a bit" broken leg, ambulance. if she can stand without pain, likely no ambulance

Jovie - you are amazing :) you are so warm and kind!

There’s a reason ‘cycle path’ sounds a lot like ‘psychopath’. Just saying.

I love how the comments are going off about cocaine. Can we talk about cheese now?

Most people know 'a' coke means cola... and if you ask for 'coke' nobody is gonna get you anything. We do not have it laying around under the kitchen sink or something...

I'm from the Netherlands and this vid really made me laugh out loud 'cuz you're so spot on!!! XD

love this Jovie! Every American that goes to the Netherlands should see this

I am Dutch, born and raised, but believe me I know A LOT of people who are always late😑 I hate it though, I am always 10 minutes early 🙈😁

Asking for a coke in a café will get you NOTHING. 😂😂😂 Definitively no coke or coke! All the rest I can relate to as a Dutch person. Only where I live you don't have to be that carefull with extra locks on your bike, just normally carefull, and there are no canals to throw your bike in. 🚴‍♀️ Love the short video but love the langer ones as well.

I like how respectful you are.

Once there was a lady with a babystroller on the cyclepath... and after 3 times ringing my bell there was still no reaction. so i asked if her behind was to wide to walk on the pavement.... that got a reaction.She went out of the way and started cursing, could still hear her 100 meters further on. Just a tip for your next visit and start exploring Nederland on a bike.

about parking your bike, thats Amsterdam, most parts of the Netherland 1 lock is good en your bike is stil there wen you come back.

Hey this is a great video, you are really on point with your examples. I laughed because I recognized myself. I guess I can myself a typical Dutch person. I do want to point out one thing though that you are absolutely wrong about. I watched the ending of your video three times just to be sure you actually said what I was hearing. If you ask for a coke in a cafe, every normal person will assume that you mean cola, especially when they know you speak English or any other foreign language. It never EVER happens anywhere that a Dutch person asks for "a coke" in a cafe or even coffee shop because cocaine is actually illegal here too. (Yes, it is a little more complicated) There are no public places where they serve this obviously. You don't risk getting "something else". This creates an entirely wrong image of what our drug laws/policies are and personally I find it a little offensive. Maybe you should look into that more carefully and make a video about it, I'll gladly help you with the details if you decide that's a good idea. To the majority of the culture, using coke is frowned upon. If you sell it, you go to jail. I meant what I said that your video is great as much as I am serious about this. I liked the part about the bicycles too, one thing I've learned from international students and tourists is that they really don't know what is going on the first time when somebody offers to sell them a (stolen) bike on a Saturday night or any night of the week. Often they think the person is asking for some kind of help and approach him/her friendly rather than politely declining the offer which is how you are expected to respond.

There aren't canals filled with bikes all over the Netherlands.. mostly just in Amsterdam. The dinner thing really depends on which household you are visiting. Yes my mom buys the exact amount of meat she needs for the amount of people that she knows will be there for dinner. Inviting yourself to dinner is also not ok. But some families might ask if you would like to join when it's getting late. It might depend on the planned meal. Soup is easily shareable for example.

Hi Jovie, I really enjoy your videos. This is a great channel! Thanks!

Holland is North-Holland and South-Holland; the country is actually The Netherlands. "Holland" is just the nickname. But shouldn't the same logic apply to America? North-America and South-America together would form the real America, while the United States of America is the official name of the country, which is just a smaller part of the two continents. "America" is just a nickname. The funny thing is that Trump didn't say: "The USA first", but instead "America first". According to my two continent theory, he accidentally included Mexico... :-)

Not everyone is that harsh in the Netherlands😂 i will always ask someone to stay over

Thank you for your video’s. They are very funny to know how other people are noticing things that I find quite normal. 😉

I don't mind the length, but in this video you're more concise, which I like. - Actually most coffeeshops do a good job making you a cup of coffee or thea, especially since they are not allowed to serve alcohol anymore, which you can enjoy in their mandatory smoke free area. - Those dinner habits are mostly a family thing. Parents like to eat with their children as a family moment before they all go their seperate ways in the evening, it's early and it's short which leaves little room for improvisation. With people without kids it's usually much more relaxed but cooking to throw away just in case there might be a guest remains an issue.

Good video. As a Dutch person who lives in the "other part" of the Netherlands that's not called Holland, its really annoying when people say you from Holland.

and dont make jokes about money. Money is a serious thing in the Netherlands, dont joke about it!

Love your videos. We are planning the move in 2021 with my husband's job and all your videos re: expat tips help so much! Thanks for posting.

About the not walking in the cycling lane : Agreed , dont do it , BUT sometimes you have to ( due to roadworks for example ) walk on the left side , we drive/cycle in the right lane , but if youre walking on the cycling lane , walk on the left , against traffic . Altough this might seem counter intuative . At least you will see whats coming at you ,so does the cyclist. If you keep to the right , people will come from behind which might startle you and cause you to make an unexpected move , thereby increasing your chances of causing an accident .

About being respectful of the time keeping... don’t get me started! I find it out front rude when you are in a shop and they mop right under your feet because they close in 15 minutes. Mop when the shop is closed!!!!! 😅

Dutch people dont care what you say we can take it 😂

I come from Macedonia, i znash, Balkanski mentalitet- Is getting on my nerves ( too many people involved in things they shouldn't be) so when I hear how the Dutch are it's actually a breath of fresh air ahahahah! I love it! And I love your videos!

Jovie, I love your show! Like hearing you say 'welcome, kick off your shoes'! Thumbs up.

It's the same in Sweden if you ask people how they are lol. We only do it if you really wanna know about their well being and if you've met the person before. It's a personal question.

Walking on bike paths, that really grinds my gears. But I can understand if there's no sidewalk.

my gf is born and raised Dutch and i'm moving there near Groningen in a couple months and even her and her family call their country Holland when speaking English. she said although its incorrect, its just easier and quicker to just say Holland, especially since most people are aware thats what many foreigners know it as

I come from Spain and i've been living in The Netherlands for 10 months and the social differences hitted me so hard, in Spain we can make a phone call and say "See you in 30 minutes" and its completely fine or when you invite a guest to your house to take a coffe but it ends to be dinner time we are more than happy to just put one more plate on the table. Also, unless you do speak Dutch, as an expat is almost imposible to make dutch friends (yes, they speak so so good english, but they will only use it when its really needed, not for socialize) so at the end you just end hanging with another expats from your country