My husband's native language is rarely spoken outside his country. I learned it to connect with his family and culture.

The author met a Belgian man on a dating app. Eventually, she learned how to speak Dutch so she could connect with his family and culture.

Courtesy of Renate Flanagen.

When I first matched with my now-husband on a dating app, his profile said he was from Belgium. At the time, I assumed he spoke French.I had been studying Spanish for a few years, and in the language-learning community, there is a joke that the best way to learn a language is to date someone who speaks it. I had fleeting thoughts that I would finally be able to pronounce the names of high-end French fashion brands. Before our first date, I realized he was actually from the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, and I remember thinking, "Who would want to learn Dutch?"As our relationship progressed and things became more serious, I asked my future husband if he thought I should learn Dutch. His answer was honest, "It's not very useful."Dutch is primarily spoken in the Netherlands and the Flanders region of Belgium, where my husband is from. Most Dutch speakers also speak English, so as an English speaker, learning Dutch isn't all that necessary. We eventually started talking about moving in together, getting married, and having a family one day. I asked my husband if it was important to him that his child speak his native language. Without hesitation, he answered that it was. It was then that I knew that if our yet-to-be-conceived child was going to speak Dutch, their American mother would be the weak link if I didn't learn the language, too.