🇳🇱 Dutch (Nederlands) is a West Germanic , Low German language close to old English that spoken by around 25 million people , mostly in the Netherlands , Belgium & Suriname . The varieties of Dutch spoken in Belgium are also informally called Flemish (Vlaams) . The language is sometimes colloquially called Hollands by native speakers although this is becoming less common today . Usually the language is called Nederlands by the native speakers . Dutch is sometimes called Netherlandic in English , as well .