I just saw a video, about the man who laughs at virtually everything (except your national anthem; then he cries) -- apparently an unusual side effect following his hip surgery two years ago. He talked some, but his beleaguered wife did most of the talking, and the interviewer did some.
This was the first time I have heard an extended conversation in Dutch, and do you know, I did understand some of it? (A word or two here and there, somewhat by context, but.) And for the rest, my head was tilted in that "if I listen and concentrate really hard I can almost get this" position.
Reading Dutch doesn't do much for me, but I got the feeling that were I ever to visit your country it might not take me too long to understand what was being said around me. Oh--unless, of course, you-all have some "out-there" dialects like we do: there's a TV show featuring people in Louisiana, that has subtitles--a fact that tickles my hubby.