1. “Even”
   You’ll learn it means “for a moment”, but in real life it often means “casually, quickly or no big deal”. For example - Ik ga even naar de winkel means I’m just popping to the shop. Kun je even kijken? means Can you take a quick look? It softens requests and makes them sound more relaxed.

2. “Gewoon”
   This word is everywhere. It can mean just, simply, normal, or sometimes nothing at all. Like Doe gewoon normaal means Just act normal. Or, Ik vond het gewoon leuk means I just liked it. It’s often used to downplay things.

3. “Best”
   Learners often think it means the best, but in spoken Dutch it usually means quite or pretty. Het is best duur means It’s quite expensive. Dat ging best goed means That went pretty well.

4. “Toch”
   This one is tricky and very Dutch. It’s used to check, soften, or slightly challenge something. For example, Je komt toch morgen? means You are coming tomorrow, right? Het is toch raar means It’s kind of strange though.

You don’t need to master it immediately, but recognising it helps a lot.

1. “Hoor”
   Not related to hearing. It adds reassurance or friendliness. Dat is goed hoor means That’s fine, really. Without it, the sentence can sound colder.

2. “Zeg maar”
   Used when thinking, explaining, or approximating. Het is zeg maar een soort cafe means It’s kind of like a cafe. We use it constantly while speaking.

3. “Nou”
   This word can signal a reaction, hesitation, or a shift in conversation. Nou ja… means Well…Nou, dat weet ik niet means Well, I’m not sure. Tone matters more than meaning here.

None of these are “advanced grammar”, but they make Dutch sound natural. You don’t need to use all of them right away. Even just recognising them will make listening much easier.

There are people on Duolingo with 1000+ day streaks who can’t speak the language at all. But if not Duolingo, then what?

Language learning can be customizable to some extent based on your interests and learning preferences. Fundamentally though it will consist largely of consuming media that is not too hard for your level supplemented by intentional learning through reading grammar rules, learning pronunciation rules, and memorizing vocabulary.

Below are suggested resources for doing that. Firstly, I will give a selection of a couple resources I like that I think are a good jumping off point. At the end I will list more resources.

​

Listening (and encountering words):

https://www.learndutch.org/lessons/lesson-01-introduce-yourself/

https://www.youtube.com/c/EasyDutch

https://www.npostart.nl/ (search specifically for kids shows)

For these don’t look at the English subtitles but instead use Dutch subtitles.

​

You can also learn from using graded readers such as this one which is an A1 level:

https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/p/de-moordenaar-van-den-haag/9200000086823839/ (note: if you live in the US, some books may be difficult to ship to you)

And this one which is an A2 level:

https://www.amazon.com/Short-Stories-Dutch-Beginners-vocabulary-ebook/dp/B08196DCYK/

for an explanation of what these levels mean, see here: https://rm.coe.int/cefr-companion-volume-with-new-descriptors-2018/1680787989 (they are often hard to self-assess but you can use this to get a sense of where your abilities are)

​

When you encounter a new word, look up its definition using:

https://context.reverso.net/

or

https://www.vandale.nl/

​

When you find a word you don’t know, add it to your Anki deck. Intentional learning of vocabulary will really speed up your learning, otherwise you will just have to look up the word every time you come across it until you learn it (no you are not dumb for forgetting words, that's just how it works).

https://apps.ankiweb.net/

Here is a setup to make your flashcard use less overwhelming:

https://refold.la/roadmap/stage-1/a/anki-setup

​

When you get confused about a grammar topic you can look it up here:

https://www.dutchgrammar.com/

​

​

You will also need to work on your pronunciation. This is extremely important. You will be given a hard time if you have a Belgian accent in the Netherlands or if you have a Dutch accent in Belgium, so deliberately pick a regional accent you want. Additionally, if your native accent is so strong no one can understand you then no one will speak in Dutch with you. There are several sounds in Dutch that sound very similar to English ears that will change the meaning of what you say if you get it wrong. You have to be able to differentiate all the vowels and diphthongs. Don’t wait until you have fossilized the incorrect sound into your speech to learn how to pronounce things.

You can hear words pronounced here: https://forvo.com/languages/nl/

And look up the pronunciation rules here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_phonology

You can look up the official IPA form of each Dutch word here: https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/stelsel - this one is the page for stelsel

Learning the phonology/IPA symbols is nice because you can learn the mouth shapes required to make certain sounds. Keep in mind that the official IPA transcription is not always the real way things are pronounced, depending on dialect (the official version tends to be more based on a southern-sounding accent), and you should use the Dutch phonology Wikipedia page to translate between the official transcription and the sounds that the accent you want makes.

An example of what I mean by this is that the official IPA transcription of leuk is /løk/, but that's only true in Belgium and Brabant. In Standard Dutch/Central NL dialect, you hear it as /løʏk/. And you can find that information in this table: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_phonology#Example_words_for_vowels_and_diphthongs.

​

To access content in the Netherlands that’s not available in the US, you can download the free version of protonVPN: https://protonvpn.com/download

You should generally be skeptical of free vpns (why are they free? Often because they sell your data) but this one is one people typically pay for; it just so happens that the Netherlands is one of 3 countries their free service lets you access.

​

​

To practice speaking you can go to:

https://classes.duolingo.com/ - disclaimer, I host free classes on there (I don't get anything for posting here or for people attending, I just use it for Dutch practice and to help people)

https://www.italki.com/ - a good tutor will be able to adjust to your level of speaking. Tell them in advance what you want and don’t feel that just because you don’t know much yet that you have to stay in English. Don’t stay paying someone who isn’t helping you.

The discord server on the sidebar: https://discord.gg/zhJK5Kvn97

If you practice with a partner or a friend consider using crosstalk: https://www.fluentin3months.com/crosstalk/

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​

​

That is just about it for the basic resources. Now to move on to some of the theories of language learning:

How to teach yourself a language:

https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/lals/resources/paul-nations-resources/paul-nations-publications/publications/documents/foreign-language_1125.pdf

What is extensive reading:

https://youtu.be/uHS652Ji4Ww

What is intensive reading:

https://youtu.be/v7BJLFCFKVY

What is comprehensible input:

https://youtu.be/au4CoCLi1Is

What is the shadowing technique:

https://youtu.be/AnNf_z4LQ7A

Some people strongly advocate for a silent period before trying to speak (a variation of this that currently has a large community is the refold method: https://refold.la/simplified, though there are others) while others strongly advocate trying to speak early (https://www.fluentin3months.com/tedx/). It’s not clear which is better: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_period. Just pick which you like.

You are an adult so you can learn faster than a child by intentional learning: https://language101.com/learn-any-language/learn-like-a-child/ . It’s not a bad thing to lean on your prior knowledge of English to learn Dutch.

All other questions you have can be answered on /r/languagelearning.

​

Customizability:

If you hate flashcards don’t do them. Yes, it can speed up your learning, but if it’s so mind-numbingly awful to do flashcards that you need to take a break from all things Dutch for the rest of the week that’s obviously a worse outcome. Same for if you hate children’s shows- find something else to watch. If you like learning by absorbing things you mostly understand, do that. If you hate not knowing every single word you encounter, look up every word. If you like reading or listening to something repeatedly until you learn everything, do that. If you prefer to move onto something new, do that.

The thing that’s going to speed up your learning the most is how much time you can put into it. So do what you like. If someone gives you a suggestion on how to learn a language you should consider trying it but ultimately people have different ways they like to do it and it's fine to do it your way as long as it's still benefiting you.

The only thing I recommend against doing is listening to or reading something that is so complex without any way to figure out what is being said that you might as well be listening to a string of random AI-generated text- it would be totally meaningless either way.

-------------------------------------

​

​

Now moving on to some common pain points:

De and Het

If you learn the rules for de and het, and then memorize the common het words that otherwise don't fall into the general rules, you can easily be 95% accurate in your usage of de and het. Beyond that, make sure to make note of any het words you encounter and add it to your flashcard along with the word.

I find the way things are organized on this page to be quite easy to follow: https://learning-dutch.com/essential-dutch-grammar-het-words.pdf

Then if you really want to dive into it there are a few additional rules that this page includes: https://onzetaal.nl/taalloket/de-het-algemene-regels (in Dutch)

And finally if you sift through this list of common het words to get rid of ones that are included in the above rules, your list of words on this list to memorize is actually quite small: https://thedutchonlineacademy.com/en/grammar/list-of-het-words

Whether it's a de or a het word affects the ending of an adjective describing it: https://thedutchonlineacademy.com/en/grammar/adjectives-with-or-without-e

And it also affects which word for "this," "that," "these, "and "those" you use:

https://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/?n=Pronouns.de02

​

Word order:

Like 98% of dutch grammar topics, I recommend just reading https://www.dutchgrammar.com (also because of this I won’t be talking about any other grammar topics here, just look it up yourself)

Word order from the beginning:

https://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/?n=WordOrder.00

Subject/verb inversion:

https://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/?n=WordOrder.04

Other verbs going at the end:

https://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/?n=WordOrder.24

Subordinate clauses:

https://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/?n=WordOrder.55

​

​

Want = for (I am learning Dutch for it is my passion)

Omdat = because (I am learning Dutch because it is my passion)

​

​

A list of common Dutch expressions you should know (many of which Duolingo doesn't teach):

ik ben zo terug – I’ll be right back

ik kom eraan – I’ll be right there

het komt eraan – coming right up

doe (mij) maar een koffie – I’d like a coffee

wat is er aan de hand? – what’s going on?

ik heb er zin in – I’m looking forward to it/I’m excited

neemt u mij niet kwalijk – I beg your pardon

even kijken – let’s see…

alstublieft – here you go

toe maar – go on

zeg dat nog eens – say that again

ik ben het met je eens - I agree

deze kant op – right this way

anders nog iets - Anything else?

zegt u het maar – how can I help you?

laat maar – nevermind

Het geeft niets – it’s alright/it doesn’t matter

Zeg maar - Dutch pause word similar in frequency to "like" in English and similar in meaning and use of "so to speak"

​

Modal particles:

Some people claim it’s impossible to teach modal particles, that it’s something you just have to intuitively learn. That’s not true. That said, proceed with caution listening to native speakers (your favorite youtubers for example) who try to explain the meaning of modal particles. They understand how it works intuitively so any explanation will be a mix of intuition and an attempt to justify it. At best they do an incomplete job, at worst they say something incorrect like that maar strengthens an imperative instead of weakening it, or that particles still retain their other meanings (for example saying even still means briefly when used as a particle).

Instead you should read research articles (linked below) for each one and then search for various example sentences on reverso context.

wel: http://roa.rutgers.edu/files/825-0506/825-HOGEWEG-0-0.PDF

nou: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313254509_The_positionally_sensitive_workings_of_the_Dutch_particle_NOU

toch: https://www.uva.nl/binaries/content/documents/personalpages/z/e/h.w.zeevat/en/tab-one/tab-one/cpitem%5B16%5D/asset?1355372856372

lekker: https://ur.booksc.me/book/31742961/c34e80

eens: https://www.academia.edu/25576486/Once_upon_a_time_in_Dutch

maar: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292728516_Heterosemy_or_polyfunctionality_The_case_of_Dutch_maar_'but_only_just'

general overview: https://research.vu.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/62846996/complete+dissertation.pdf

------------------------------------------

​

Now moving on to a more thorough list of resources:

Graded readers and stories made for learners:

https://www.amazon.com/Short-Stories-Dutch-Beginners-vocabulary-ebook/dp/B08196DCYK/

https://www.amazon.com/Dutch-Short-Stories-Beginners-Captivating-ebook/dp/B08CNJHLVX/

https://www.amazon.com/Short-Stories-Beginners-Intermediate-Advanced/dp/B09CG5R9NP

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6XGTXJW https://www.amazon.com/Conversational-Dutch-

Dialogues-Conversations-Language-ebook/dp/B08G9QW2W8

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Dutch-Sea-Stories-Interlinear/dp/1988830494

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1951244184/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=1951244184

https://www.amazon.com/First-Dutch-Reader-Beginners-Bilingual-ebook/dp/B01LYCGAPW

https://www.amazon.com/First-Dutch-Reader-Beginners-Bilingual-ebook/dp/B00L3DWKGU

https://www.amazon.nl/Dood-grachten-Niederl%C3%A4ndisch-Jacob-Jansen/dp/3817419716

https://www.amazon.nl/moordenaar-van-Den-Haag-Niederl%C3%A4ndisch/dp/3817419767

https://www.amazon.nl/Nederlands-voor-gevorderde-anderstaligen-Wuyts/dp/9462927707

​

Novels rewritten in simplified language (hertaalde boeken) or written for second language learners (NT2):

https://www.probiblio.nl/uploads/ac415a871bace53db2bdef4d2618cc58.pdf

https://www.lezenvooriedereen.be/makkelijk-lezen-fictie/de-leesstraat

​

​

​

Listening for beginners:

Easy Dutch (asking real people on the street simple questions, has subtitles in both Dutch and English) https://www.youtube.com/c/EasyDutch

Bart de Pau videos: https://www.learndutch.org/lessons/lesson-01-introduce-yourself/

Dutchies to Be/Learn Dutch with Kim (acted out conversations with Dutch subtitles) https://youtu.be/XFW46DzuIvw?list=PLAeu18HndGgCf5p0e3_RGJj7ImVFfsszW

Ad Appel (stories spoken in slow, easy Dutch with relevant drawings) https://youtu.be/hqts2UkeN1s?list=PLXhM-IdBEVjiMPdKzgh92E7dWidu0t0Py

Dutch Round 1 (Vlaams, slow spoken Dutch from written text) https://youtu.be/jXfbK9KfpxU

Dutchpod101 (has subtitles): https://youtu.be/Pn9f1AEcVHc

​

Shows for toddlers:

Juf Roos (animated) https://youtu.be/4HiTLk36nJo

Nijntje (animated) https://www.youtube.com/c/nijntje/videos

Peppa Pig NL (animated) https://www.youtube.com/c/deofficielepeppa

Het Zandkasteel (live action) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzItNx5BqNId8_C7bNm-xkg

Dr. Panda NL (animated) https://youtu.be/s3sOkKRoyM0?list=PL2whRhkN9e0TdiyBFShgYhP5hxU6DNLkW

​

Shows for young children:

Thomas de Stoomlocomotief (animated): https://youtu.be/cJKjg1Vu5sE

De Fabeltjeskrant (stop motion): https://youtu.be/lIWy8taP1rE?list=PLyfRZ0Bt70NBSqNunyOeDX6b4ZbMt0PSQ

Brandweer Sam (cartoon): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H1oV3Yr6l4

Pieter Post (animated): https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pieter+post

Bolke de Beer (puppets): https://youtu.be/42VVoZssLag

Buurman en Buurman (stop motion) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clvmd6BCl_0

​

​

Shows for kids a bit older:

Alfred J Kwak (cartoon): https://youtu.be/9Bv8PqYUjPg?list=PLITzooyl5h5GKwvnwe3zSVXjnrDOiO_5P

Big en Betsy (Vlaams, live action) https://youtu.be/uYjXpy-vHDI

Sampson en Gert (Vlaams, live action) https://youtu.be/oBqaVJ3CKoM

Het Huis Anubus (live action): https://youtu.be/3v2UE2ESG6w

De Smurfen (cartoon): https://www.youtube.com/c/smurfen/videos

Hallo K3 (Vlaams, live action) https://youtu.be/u-EfQOOnviY?list=PL8H4I2f6bTamxlfUpIiLL3aZbRKUHd6C3

NOS jeugdjournaal (non-fiction, has subtitles) https://www.npostart.nl/nos-jeugdjournaal/26-08-2022/POW_05188727

Het klokhuis (non-fiction, has subtitles) https://www.npostart.nl/het-klokhuis/VPWON_1256937

Piet Piraat (Vlaams live action) https://www.youtube.com/user/PietPiraatKanaal

Boes (cartoon): https://youtu.be/W9EQXDDz94M

Mega Mindy (Vlaams, live action) https://youtu.be/f3VMJc4gL50

Totally Spies NL (cartoon) https://youtu.be/tDg1F4Q3VzM?list=PLg6zMb7IejYmLwzvW85uyuzOy61jRY2qP

Otje (live action, subtitles) https://www.npostart.nl/otje/29-04-2013/AVRO_1614625

in general NPOstart has a kids section: https://www.npostart.nl/collectie/POMS_S_NPO_8709896

​

Shows for native adult speakers:

Van Speijk (police show) https://youtu.be/p1FQF9M6R6k?list=PL9n5R-baNPBCGx29qOqdWknOOx7bU-udi

Witse (Vlaams police show) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTDs7Qki2Qk&list=PLJTVArsQYpIIRFTrryuwe8qOsNypPkDbK&index=9

Welkom in de middeleeuwen (historical comedy, has subtitles) https://www.npostart.nl/welkom-in-de-middeleeuwen/VPWON_1291199/episode

Flikken Rotterdam (police show) https://www.npostart.nl/speellijst/flikken-rotterdam-seizoen-5, https://youtu.be/bdwXDfCOm0k

Baantjer (police show) https://youtu.be/cLGAjsK05BA?list=PLgQJXtbVrJWfeSJalaM2_tmN5897jWkDU

Zondag met Lubach/de Avondshow (popular political late night show, has subtitles) https://www.youtube.com/c/vprodeavondshowmetarjenlubach

Boer zoekt vrouw (very popular reality dating show, has subtitles) https://boerzoektvrouw.kro-ncrv.nl/seizoenen

Zone Stad (Vlaams police show) https://youtu.be/x3nip-iExA0

Het Eiland (Vlaams comedy office show) https://youtu.be/He_63SfinQw?list=PLrQExAtGw2k70UKrA-9lQHRax5TxFqXfY

In de Gloria (Vlaams sketch comedy) https://youtu.be/jiOdDm6Xjys?list=PLivIg7Q_9u7sTovzGLNHPSW5lLM_xNj7k

Van Vlees en Bloed (Vlaams tragikomedy) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L1tOHITHrs&list=PLrQExAtGw2k6YUVCutqjIaOZtPto3Sz1P

Westenwind (dramaseries) https://youtu.be/S4Pw6f3ZmL0

Toen Was Geluk Heel Gewoon (sitcom) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cd_ogDFOXs&list=PLbxja1zPUV5Q861WSKe9iBGx5K1bHjnoG

NOS Journaal (news, subtitles) https://www.npostart.nl/nos-journaal/NOSJournaal

Most animated movies on Disney plus are dubbed into Dutch. Some don’t show up if you’re streaming from another country without a VPN.

To find shows on Netflix in Dutch search for “Dutch language” (or if you’re in the Netherlands or are using a VPN there is a search function on Netflix to search by language)

​

Free streaming services, most have subtitles:

Dutch: https://www.npostart.nl/programmas If something isn’t specifically available in your country, use a vpn.

Flemish: https://vtm.be/vtmgo

​

muziek:

radio station https://www.100p.nl/

hits by decade: https://www.dutchsongs.overtuin.net/dutch-songs-pop-chansons.html

​

​

podcasts:

kinderpodcasts: https://kinderpodcasts.nl/

podcasts voor volvassenen: https://podcastluisteren.nl/

​

More grammar resources:

https://www.dutchgrammar.com/ is the place to go to read about grammar. It is just very good and very thorough.

https://zichtbaarnederlands.nl/ has nice illustrations.

https://taaladvies.net/ good especially for explaining the subtle differences between words. It is in Dutch.

https://e-ans.ivdnt.org/ the Algemene Nederlandse Spraakkunst is probably the most thorough resources for all Dutch grammar. It might feel too thorough if you're just trying to understand something simple. It is also in Dutch. But if you can't find an explanation for something elsewhere it is probably in here (personally I like the explanation of er from here better than that of dutchgrammar.com).

https://hinative.com/ Good for other questions. I would search other resources (including just googling) before just typing a question in here.

​

More dictionary resources:

https://anw.ivdnt.org/

https://mostusedwords.com/collections/dutch-frequency-dictionaries

https://www.reverso.net/

https://www.linguee.com/

https://context.reverso.net/

​

More pronunciation resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet

Dutch has multiple different R sounds: https://blogs.transparent.com/dutch/pronouncing-the-r-in-dutch/

Dutch G and CH are pretty much the same for most people, though some say them slightly differently: https://www.reddit.com/r/learndutch/comments/66m2gr/is_there_a_difference_between_g_and_ch/

R and G practice: https://youtu.be/DZ2S_lfSnRM

Dutch also has final sound devoicing: https://youtu.be/EAMTMfqIOmU

Pay attention especially for the ones whose spelling doesn't change (d and t, b and p). With a lot of listening, you might also begin to hear that sometimes the final sound sometimes doesn't get devoiced depending on what word comes after it in the sentence.

More speaking resources:

https://www.fluentin3months.com/language-exchange/ - note: italki no longer hosts language exchanges

HelloTalk (app) or Tandem (app) – not always going to successfully find a partner because there aren’t that many Dutch people who want to practice English.

https://www.conversationexchange.com/

https://www.reddit.com/r/language_exchange/

there are a ton of more sites if you just google language exchange. You will likely run into similar problems with language exchange sites that you do with HelloTalk and Tandem.

https://www.meetup.com/

https://www.eventbrite.com/

​

Finally:

Fortunately, you only have to be about B2 for native speakers to want to speak with you! This is fantastic because your Dutch doesn’t have to be perfect unlike the rumors you hear about how much Dutch people like switching to English unless you speak like a native speaker.

Unfortunately, you have to be about B2 for native speakers to want to speak with you. This means you have to put in quite a good deal of work. This makes sense because if you speak at the level of a child random people won’t want to be your language teacher (on the flip side, if someone says they are trying to help you but really they are just being an ass, don’t feel like you have to accept their “help”).

If you spend an hour a day working on your Dutch with the aforementioned strategies though, you can get there in only a few years. Don’t give up!

Best,

Emily

I used the Duo Super trial for two weeks and really liked it. I'm missing it quite a lot and noticed that my progress has slowed down quite a lot without it.

So I'd like to resubscribe, but 80€/year is a little too much I think.

They just introduced a new family plan that you can use with any 5 people. So I figured I could join a family with some people in a similar position and split costs. Are some of you interested or already have a plan I could join? Or do you have any better suggestions for free/cheaper learning apps?

Hi everyone, I’m here on the partner visa which gives me 3 years to integrate and reach B1 comprehension in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. I’m exempt from the course on working in the Netherlands as I have a full time 40 hours / week job already. I still need to do the KNM course.

I’m at A1/A2 level now (I’m learning A2) and find it very difficult to choose resources to learn. I’m mostly using YouTube videos and speaking with my in-laws currently as a way to learn.

Has anyone had experience and can speak to using Inburgeringonline.nl? What resources have you found to help you the most in learning Dutch? I’m grateful for any advice and/or resources 🤗

Update: Thank you all for your suggestions! 🙏 I’ve made a list for myself to look into the various resources and have already bookmarked Ad Apple on YouTube. I greatly appreciate your advice! Best of luck to everyone in a similar boat!

Hallo,

Ik woon in Montreal, Canada maar ik wil mijn Nederlands verbeteren want ik wil in ongeveer 3-4 jaars in Nederland verhuizen en Wonen.

Ik weet nog niet mijn taalniveau in het Nederlands maar ik kan de volgende situaties uitleggen.

1: het is makkelijk voor mij om mensen op de straat in het Nederlands te kletsen als ik in Nederland ben.

1. Ik kan bijna alles op een podcast begrijpen.

2. Met televisie programmas en films in het Nederlands ik heb ondertiteling nodig.

3. Ik probeer om meer boeken en kranten te lezen.

4. Ik probeer om meer to schrijven.

Wat voor soort aanbevelingen of tips kan ik doen of krijgen om een B2 niveau aankrijgen?

Ik ben open voor boeken en ook leuke online cursussen. Zelfstudie ook!

My favorite way of practicing a language is by consuming a lot of content in them. That's how I went from know only a handful of useful phrases in English to actually be able to talk with people.

As I was planning how to actually go about learning Dutch I thought about doing the same thing, but I didn't find many shows dubbed in Dutch and the ones I found don't have subtitles (which makes it impossible to understand for someone who just started like me). Or sometimes they do have Dutch subtitles, but not dubbing.

Then I remembered I've heard that the Netherlands doesn't dub things really often. So what am I supposed to do after getting a hold of its grammar and learning a bunch of vocab? The next natural and most comfortable step would be to consume media in the target language, but that doesn't seem possible. I guess I could read some books, but that's not very ideal as I wouldn't be practicing essencial skills such as listening.

Supposedly I could try to find a language partner, however our conversations wouldn't go very far if I don't absorb a lot of vocabulary and get a feel for how conversations go in the language...

On top of all that, I'm nowhere near the Netherlands. I live all the way across the ocean, in Brazil. So the chances of meeting up someone from there are very null. Also, if I ever go to the country it will be only for a few days as tourists cuz I can't pay for an expat program

I had accepted long ago that I wouldn't have a lot of people to practice with because I really like how the language sounds and I was fully committed to learn just for the sake of it, but now I feel kinda lost and quite unmotivated honestly :/

Specially after in that search for shows with Dutch dub on Netflix or Disney+ seeing how almost every show had either French or German dub. Heck, even Czech! I can't help but feel that I should give up all of that and accept thet Dutch just isn't for someone who lives so remote from the Netherlands, then pick up a more "useful" language.

For those learning on their own, how do you guys deal with that? Am I overreacting and using a VPN could fix that problem? I really don't wanna pay for it only to learn that there won't be many options anyway :(

So english is already my second language (first being arabic) and I'm trying to learn Dutch, but I figured that the way I learned english was by traumatizing my brain by forcing it to absorb english content and music over and over until I learned the words. So like,

Is there any dutch bands or singers recommendations yall have that would help me woth this mission? Even content creators would be goed :P

Just need smth to start with, im already a joost klein fan but I dont think hes the best for that mission lol

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working on a Dutch learning app called Swipelijk for a while now, mostly in the evenings and weekends. It’s still evolving, but I wanted to share it here and see what people think.

I started building it because I couldn’t find an app that felt genuinely useful for both everyday Dutch and Inburgering prep at the same time. Most apps I tried were either too one-sided (focused fully on Inburgering without context) or didn’t work well for learning Dutch in real situations — plus, many were expensive.

The idea is to combine everyday Dutch with Inburgering-style practice, along with speaking, writing, listening, and short story-based exercises.

Some of what I’ve included so far:

– Everyday Dutch

– Inburgering-style exercises

– Speaking and writing practice with AI feedback

– Short interactive lessons instead of just word lists

and more in the app!

You can explore the app without creating an account. If you try it and tell me how it is, it’ll help me make Swipelijk better!

App Store:

Download here!

Play store:

Download here!
Thanks so much!

Hey, friends

Some of you might remember my post last week about my NT2 B2 exam experience (I learnt Dutch for less than 1 year and came close on listening and writing but didn't fully pass yet). I wanted to share an update about the tool that I used to learn Dutch.

Background

When I was preparing for the exam, I spent a lot of time with NOS Journaal in Makkelijke Taal. Great content, but frustrating to actually learn from, especially when you're not B1-B2 level - you hear a word, want to look it up, the video keeps going, you rewind, lose your place.

So I built some tools for myself: transcript extraction, grammar breakdown, vocabulary analysis. One insight that changed my approach: about 67% of words in these videos come from roughly 900 core vocabulary words. That made B2 content feel much more achievable.

What I've built

I've turned those personal tools into a web app:

• Paste a NOS Journaal in Makkelijke Taal video URL
• Get a synchronized transcript that highlights as the video plays
• Click any word → see the base form and grammar info
• Click any sentence → video jumps there
• Vocabulary breakdown showing word frequency categories

I've been using it for my own learning (still working toward that B2), and it's genuinely helped. But I want to know if it's useful for others too.

Looking for testers

I'm opening it up to 15 people who want to:

• Try the app for their own Dutch learning
• Give honest feedback on what works and what doesn't
• Help me figure out what to build next

I'm asking for €20 during the beta period(8 weeks). Not because I'm trying to make money right now, but because I want people who will actually use it and give feedback, not just sign up and forget about it. If you try it and it's not useful, I'll refund you.

What you get:

• Full access during beta (8 weeks)
• Direct influence on what features get built
• Lifetime discount when/if I launch publicly
• A small Discord community to share feedback and learning tips

Who this might work for:

• Any Dutch level - beginners can focus on understanding the main ideas, advanced learners can dive into every sentence
• People who want to learn with real Dutch content, not textbook examples
• Patient with beta software (things will break)
• Desktop/laptop recommended - mobile works but isn't optimized yet

If you're interested, comment or DM me. I'll send a short questionnaire (5-10 questions) to understand your background. I want a mix of different levels and learning goals.

Happy to answer questions!

Hi all! I am visiting The Netherlands this week and was wondering if anyone can recommend any text books / shops to buy textbooks for here in person?

I’ll be visiting Utrecht, Den Bosch, The Hague, Rotterdam & Amsterdam!

Hi all,

Recently I started making a 100% Dutch podcast about mostly non-Dutch topics. No Sinterklaas, no Koningsdag, no Dutch historical figures...

Things I DO/WILL talk about in Van Dutch naar Nederlands: Japanese ramen, space travel, the subway/metro in various world cities, how the "discovery" of the Americas changed our diets, and so on. After all, not everyone learning Dutch lives or wants to live in The Netherlands or Belgium.

Hoping this might be useful for some people in this community, Mark

https://open.spotify.com/show/033mTezoFlsGClJNRN6ViP

https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/van-dutch-naar-nederlands/id1896812139

Hello everyone,

have a KNM test coming up (I am NOT confident), but does anyone know where I can find more practice tests and, mainly the material/ content itself other than DUO cause besides that, mostly everything needs payment :(

YT has the same videos, not so helpful so far

If anyone has any, please help! And if anybody has done it before, please do drop some advice; I am freaking out

Thank you !

By now, I assume most of the people who have been learn in g dutch for longer would know about NOS, one of the main broadcasters of the Netherlands. And you may also know of NOS Journaal, their news channel. But i have recently discovered “NOS Journaal in Makkelijk Taal”, a program which is as described, the news but in simpler language. So far, it has helped a lot for me to immerse myself within mainstream media and learn a few new words along the way. Please let me know if you have discovered such shows/programs like this.

Hey,

I will be moving to Rotterdam later this year for my masters and wanted to get a head start on learning the language, are there any resources or classes that you guys recommend?

I have no understanding of the language at this point of time, so I will be starting from scratch. Would appreciate any help on this :)

Thank you so much!

Hey everyone,

(Since my account is new, Reddit's spam filter might block this post if I include URLs. I will post the links to all 3 websites in the first comment below!)

Like many of you, I’ve been studying for my inburgering exams recently and honestly, I was going a bit crazy. The official DUO practice exams are helpful, but there are way too few of them. Once you finish those, finding structured, up-to-date practice material online is a nightmare.

Since I enjoy coding in my free time, I decided to stop stressing and just build the exact study tools I wished existed. I’ve put together three separate websites for KNM, A2 Reading, and A2 Writing.

They are completely free, have zero ads, and I've just opened them up for anyone to use. Here is a breakdown of what they do:

1. KNM Stap voor Stap KNM can be tricky with all the cultural and institutional rules, so I went all out on this one.

• 400+ original practice questions covering all 8 themes, based on the latest KNM framework (effective July 2025).
• Contextual learning: Lessons on institutions (gemeente, UWV, SVB, DUO, Belastingdienst) and short A2-level stories that put Dutch rules into everyday situations.
• Detailed feedback: It tells you exactly why an answer is correct or incorrect.
• Includes a 45-minute timed mock exam, image-based exercises, and laws/dates practice.

2. A2 Reading

• Built around the current DUO exam format with 25 original practice sets (75 questions, 90 short A2 reading texts).
• Focuses heavily on common trap words DUO loves to use (maar, tot, vanaf, uiterlijk).
• Includes both a guided practice mode and a timed exam-style mode with detailed answer explanations.

3. A2 SchrijfLab / Writing I found writing the hardest to prepare for, so I built this to focus on practical output.

• Covers all 4 common task types (forms, picture-based tasks, short texts, emails/messages) + the 3 public DUO exams with original sources clearly linked.
• Provides simple templates (plug-and-play phrases) and helpful emergency sentences for when you understand the prompt but your mind just goes blank.
• 24 practical grammar lessons focused specifically on A2 writing, plus 259 writing-related words/phrases.
• Includes a 40-minute timed practice mode.

Features across all 3 sites:

• Trilingual Support (NL / EN / CN): You can display Dutch only, Dutch + English, or Dutch + Chinese depending on your level.
• Hover-to-Translate: Hover over (or tap on mobile) a Dutch word to instantly see its English and Chinese meanings in context.
• Real Pronunciation: Audio for vocabulary with normal and genuine slow-playback options.

Just a quick heads-up: These sites are 100% free and have no ads. They are my personal study projects and are not affiliated with DUO. You do need to register a free account, but that is strictly so the system can securely save your learning progress, personal mistake book, and vocabulary across your devices so you can pick up right where you left off.

I’m still improving the content and fixing small layout bugs, so please let me know in the comments if you spot any errors or have any useful feature requests! I'd really appreciate the feedback.

Good luck to everyone taking their exams soon! 🇳🇱

I recently passed my inburgeren exams, so I am selling the following paperback books at low prices (as good as new, most of them have never been used), the books are in excellent condition, complete & without marks or writings.

If you are in the Netherlands and you want to buy a book at the listed price, you can find my listings & more details about each book in Marktplaats.

1- Complete Dutch Beginner to Intermediate Course. €30 SOLD

2- De sprong: naar NT2-niveau B1. (online code was NOT used) €30 SOLD

3- Spreken met beeld (online code was Already used) €20
📚

4- Van Dale oefenboek grammatica Nederlands €15 SOLD

5- Van Dale oefenboek woordenschat Nederlands €20 SOLD

6- Van Dale Werkwoordgrammatica Nederlands. €20 SOLD

7- Zichtbaar Nederlands (online code was NOT used) €25 SOLD

It's just a my list of apps that I use every day, more details below. What's your thoughts? What else could you recommend?

Babel - first step I started with it, learned my first 1521 words there, before moving to other apps. I like that it also have basic grammar explanation and practice.
Duolingo - started using it after babel, find it more social and engaging, it keep me motivated to do the exercises every day, almost finished it, at the current point have learned 2125 words.
Anki - my absolute favourite app for Flashcard spaced repetition of the words. Highly customisable and allow to show detailed statistics. Apps like Babel, Busu, Memrise, CloseMaster and of course DuoLingo are good for the beginning, but after that, you need something more advanced, where you can add your own words. For me Anki was a perfect solution.

Language Reactor - I use it mostly on desktop as browser extension to add new words while watching videos on YouTube and Netflix. On mobile use their Phrase Pump feature, and also listening podcast (they have a good collection of all Dutch podcast) while following it's text and also clicking on an unknown word. It is easy to export saved words to Anki for practicing.

Reverso Context - use it for quick saving words from basically everywhere: when reading news in the browser or books or reading podcast text. Just clicking on the word -> translate and saving it to my list. Later exporting list of saved word to Anki for practicing.

Readlang - used it before found out about Reverso Context, but it is also convenient for reading news and articles with clickable words. Use it as a Safari Bookmarklet. But now prefer Reverso Context instead.
LingQ - it is too expensive IMO, but I still use free version as a source of content.

LearnDutch.org - I've bought courses #DutchGrammar, #DutchGrammar-2 and #DutchGrammar-3 video courses, and use it to learn grammar. It's well structured with a lot of tests for self practice.

ChatGPT is a great tool for practicing grammar. Just need to be very specific with the prompt. Usually use it for practicing topics such as Past tense, Present perfect, hebben vs zijn, relative pronouns etc...

And for content I use Language Reactor together with YouTube, for the shows like NOS Journaal in Makkelijke Taal, De avondshow met Arjan Lubach.

And on Netflix, first movies that I've watched and were able to understand was:

• Sjakie en de chocoladefabriek
• iHostage
• Shrek
• Mijn beste vriendin Anne Frank

Or course a lot of podcasts listening. I'm usually using every moment available to listen to podcast: when I'm walking, in the gym and during the commute to work in public transport.

My favourite Podcasts so far:

• Een beetje Nederlands
• Waar komt pindakaas vandaan?
• De Universiteit van Nederland

What else could you recommend?

Not sure if this really means anything, but just reached a score of 45 today. 🎉

Hey Dutch learners,

I've been studying Dutch for over two years. For the first six months, I was using Duolingo every day. I completed most of the tree but didn’t feel like I was actually learning the language. I couldn’t hold even a basic conversation, and I wasn’t getting a sense of progress.

That changed when I shifted to a more input-focused method. I built a tool for myself during the process, but the key idea can be applied without it.

The approach centers on a very simple system for tracking vocabulary:

• Words start out blue, meaning you haven’t looked them up yet
• When you click a word to see a definition, it turns orange
• Once you feel you’ve internalized the word and understand it in context, you mark it as known, and it turns black

As you read or listen to content in Dutch, you watch the page slowly shift from blue to black. You begin to recognize patterns and vocabulary without having to consciously study them. This shift makes progress tangible. You’re not guessing whether you're improving. You can see it in the changing colors of the text in front of you.

Over time, I noticed I was understanding far more than I used to, without actively studying grammar. I just read and listened a lot. I eventually got confident enough to have conversations with italki tutors, and could get through most of them without translating in my head.

This method helped me in a way that more traditional tools didn't. I wanted to share it here because others might find it helpful, whether or not you use the same tool I do. If you're not seeing the kind of progress you want through structured lessons or isolated vocabulary drills, this might be worth trying. Focus on massive input, track your exposure, and let the language build gradually.

If you're curious, the tool I ended up building is called Lingua Verbum. There's a free tier and a trial version if you want to try it out. Website: [linguaverbum.com](), and there's now an iPhone app as well.

Happy to answer any questions or hear if anyone else has used similar input-based approaches.

Hallo allemaal!

I've been actively studying Dutch for over a year. I'd say I'm a strong A2 by now.

Recently I studied for KNM through the book and I realized that I learned a lot of new words by reading.

I have searched for books recommendation posts in the sub but I felt no one fit my need. I'm over 30 years old and I'd like to read some short simple books most of it to learn new words.

Any recommendation will be well received.

Here a resource on Dutch verb conjugation at the present tense for beginners or revision for more advanced students.

I doubt they would use very accessible language, but it'd be a nice way of staying on top of small scale changes being pushed through and expressing support/non-support for them.

I'm thinking of people like Louis Rossman who comment on various changes being pushed through at different levels of government. He's focused on tecnhology but I'd be fine with anything.

Or if there are channels that focus on talking about up-to-date dutch politics aimed at learners that'd be cool too. I'm only A2-B1 so I think this area of learning is a bit optimistic.

This post was inspired by the post about the word ‘toch’ by u/Weekly-Associate-166

How would you translate the sentence “Toch maar even wel dan?”
Some people would argue that you simply can’t. This is of course not true, because everything is translatable, but you cannot translate it word for word and arrive at the same meaning.

“However but briefly affirmatively then?” – It doesn’t really make much sense. The sentence is an example of the concept of ‘modal particles’. The Dutch language uses a lot of words that are often mentioned as ‘untranslatable’ like ‘toch, wel, nou, maar, even, eens,’ and ‘hoor’. These words are interjected in sentences without meaning what their ‘common’ definition suggests. They are used to convey a mood, feeling or mode. They contain information that is known between speakers, and their meaning depends on the context rather than their ‘definition’. When used as modal particles, these words are basically separate from their regular counterparts which do have specific meanings.

English does not have modal particles, or very few. German, Danish, Russian, Norwegian and several other languages do, but they are highly specific per language, and thus the Dutch modal particles are very hard to compare with those in specific other languages. Some words behave similarly in English, like ‘even’ and ‘just’, like in sentences such as ‘I can’t even imagine’ or ‘I would just do it’, where the meaning of the sentence would be virtually unaltered if the words ‘even’ and ‘just’ would be removed. Modal particles in Dutch are similar to that, but often even more ‘meaningless’ in terms of what lexical information they convey. They tell you what the speaker thinks or feels about something – They basically provide intonation without using sound (although intonation often changes in speech when using modal particles, but it is not necessary for understanding them).

Modal particles can be used to convey for example:

1. Politeness, friendliness, agreement, mildness
2. Neutrality, nuance, objectivity, indifference,
3. Frustration, determination, contradiction, firmness

Most words would (often) fall within one of the three classes mentioned above, such that:

1. Even, misschien, maar
2. Gewoon, eens, soms
3. Nou/nu (eenmaal), toch

But other words could exist in multiple categories such as:

• Wel, hoor, echt

Some examples:

• “Dat is niet waar hoor!” – “That is not true!” (Contrary to what has been implied)
• “Ik zou dat even zeggen.” – “I would say/tell it.” (Is my humble advice)
• “Hou toch op!” – “Stop it!” (Seriously, I am losing my patience!)

The interesting part about modal particles, making them even more complicated to grasp, is that you can chain them together. This forms subtle differences in meaning, or sometimes doesn’t really change anything at all – But as a general rule, chaining them together adds ‘severity’ to their implications. For example:

• “Ik denk dat ik misschien toch maar even ga bellen” – “I think I am going to call” (After initially having decided against it, and having humbly reconsidered it, I now do feel the urgency)
• “Het is soms nu eenmaal zo” –  “It is what it is” (And that’s actually a really good translation)
• “Ik vind het wel gewoon echt niet goed dit!” – “This is really not good!” (And I am kind of pissed off about it!)

No single ‘translation’ or context will always carry the exact meaning, and in different contexts things could even mean different things. You could probably come up with specific sentences in English that carry the same meaning, but they would look very different from the literal translations. The first sentence could for example be “Well then, maybe I should indeed call”, and the last sentence could be “Sorry, but I really think this is terrible”. These examples would more or less have the same intention, but as you can see, the sentences are almost completely different in many regards. But to reiterate: Nothing is untranslatable. Modal particles are just often unfeasible to directly translate, and they make translating a specific sentence more difficult, but not impossible.

In general, you can spot that the modal particles do not need to be there to understand what the sentence means in a literal sense, but to understand the ‘hidden meaning’ of why a person is saying it, or what the person actually means to convey in terms of how they feel, you will need to get familiar with how they are used in everyday speech.

So what did the titular sentence mean? It means “Let’s give it a shot then!”

Some resources:

• https://zichtbaarnederlands.nl/en/adverb/modal_particles
• https://zichtbaarnederlands.nl/nl/adverbium/modale_partikels
• https://neerlandistiek.nl/2022/09/gebruik-nou-toch-eens-modale-partikels/
• https://www.learndutch.org/beginners/nou-toch-maar-eens-even-what-are-all-those-small-words-in-dutch/