{"id":4549,"date":"2026-04-21T18:01:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/?p=4549"},"modified":"2026-04-21T18:02:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:02:35","slug":"common-business-english-mistakes-dutch-professionals-make-and-how-to-fix-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/business\/common-business-english-mistakes-dutch-professionals-make-and-how-to-fix-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Veelgemaakte Business English\u2011fouten bij Nederlandse professionals (en hoe je ze oplost)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5; padding:16px; border-left:4px solid #2c7be5;\">\n  Dit artikel is geschreven in het Engels om je leerproces te ondersteunen\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1001\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/21_04_26-1-1001x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4552\" style=\"width:521px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/21_04_26-1-1001x1024.jpg 1001w, https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/21_04_26-1-293x300.jpg 293w, https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/21_04_26-1-768x786.jpg 768w, https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/21_04_26-1-1501x1536.jpg 1501w, https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/21_04_26-1-2001x2048.jpg 2001w, https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/21_04_26-1-12x12.jpg 12w, https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/21_04_26-1-800x819.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1001px) 100vw, 1001px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Dutch professionals generally speak <strong>very good English<\/strong>.<br>In fact, many speak English better than they think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet in real work situations, such as meetings, emails and presentations, communication in English can still feel uncomfortable, unclear, or less confident than it should. And the reason is rarely grammar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most Business English problems are caused by <strong>habits carried over from Dutch<\/strong>, not by a lack of vocabulary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are some of the most common Business English mistakes I hear in my work with Dutch professionals,  and simple ways to fix them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mistake 1: Being Too Direct in English<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Directness is a strength in Dutch business culture. In English, however, the same directness can sound abrupt or even rude,  especially in meetings or emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cThis is not correct.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI don\u2019t agree.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWe need this by tomorrow.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Grammatically, these sentences are fine. Culturally, they can feel uncomfortable to international colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 How to fix it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In Business English, <strong>framing matters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try softening your message without changing your point:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI\u2019m not sure this is correct.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI see it slightly differently.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWould it be possible to have this by tomorrow?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019re still clear,  just easier to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mistake 2: Translating from Dutch While Speaking<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many professionals mentally prepare a sentence in Dutch and then translate it into English. This often results in English that sounds correct, but unnatural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This can make you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>hesitate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>lose confidence<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>overthink every sentence<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 How to fix it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of translating full sentences, focus on <strong>meaning and intent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn and reuse short, natural English chunks such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cWhat I\u2019d like to add is\u2026\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cFrom my point of view\u2026\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cCan I come in here for a moment?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These phrases help you speak more fluently and reduce pressure in real\u2011time conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mistake 3: Using Very Formal or \u2018School English\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many Dutch professionals learned English in a school context. The result is often very correct, very formal English, especially in emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While this isn\u2019t wrong, it can sound distant or stiff in everyday business communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 How to fix it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In modern Business English, <strong>simple is professional<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compare:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI hereby inform you that\u2026\u201d<br>vs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI just wanted to let you know\u2026\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Clear, natural language builds better working relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mistake 4: Staying Silent in Meetings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is one of the most common confidence issues I see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professionals often:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>understand everything<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>have good ideas<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>but hesitate to speak up in English<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Not because they <em>can\u2019t<\/em> speak English,  but because they don\u2019t want to interrupt, make mistakes, or slow the meeting down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 How to fix it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Prepare a few <strong>safe entry phrases<\/strong> you can use automatically:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cCan I just add something here?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cOne quick thought from my side\u2026\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cJust to clarify\u2026\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Having these phrases ready removes a lot of mental stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mistake 5: Focusing Too Much on Grammar<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Trying to speak perfect English is one of the biggest confidence blockers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In business communication:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>clarity is more important than perfection<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>your message matters more than your verb tense<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 How to fix it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Aim for <strong>clear, understandable English<\/strong>, not flawless English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most international teams value:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>contribution<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>clarity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>collaboration<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014not perfect grammar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These Business English mistakes are <strong>very common<\/strong> \u2014 and completely normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news?<br>They are not about intelligence or language level. They are about <strong>habits, confidence, and awareness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With targeted practice and feedback based on real work situations, professionals often become more confident and effective in English much faster than they expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you recognise yourself in these situations, focused <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/service\/business-english-courses\/\" title=\"\">Business English coaching<\/a><\/strong> can make a real difference \u2014 especially when it\u2019s built around meetings, emails and presentations you deal with every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Thanks for reading.<\/strong><br>Good Business English isn\u2019t about saying everything perfectly; it\u2019s about saying the right thing at the right moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stuart, Naturally English<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In deze blog lees je welke Business English\u2011fouten Nederlandse professionals vaak maken in vergaderingen, e-mails en presentaties \u2013 en hoe je die met meer zelfvertrouwen kunt vermijden.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4552,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[19,22,20,24],"class_list":["post-4549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-business","tag-businessenglish","tag-englishlanguage","tag-internationalbusiness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4549"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4549"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4556,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4549\/revisions\/4556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturallyenglish.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}