Dutch books for beginners (A1 and A2): what you can actually read
A beginner, in the European levels, is A1 or A2: up to about 1,000 words, present tense, short sentences. Most "Dutch books for beginners" are course books you work through, not books you read. Here are both kinds, and the few you can actually read at this level.
What "beginner" means
A1 is the first few hundred words and the present tense: you can read a sign, a short message, a menu. A2 is about 1,000 words, the present and perfect tense, and short sentences with als, dat, omdat and want: you can read a simple story, a letter from school, a short news item. A2 is also the level of the inburgering reading exam under the 2013 law. The levels page has the full picture; the free level test tells you where you are.
The difference matters when you buy a book. A book "for beginners" can mean a course from zero (A1) or a reader for someone who finished that course (A2). Both are below, with the level marked.
Course books for beginners
A course book is what you work through, chapter by chapter, with a class or alone. The Dutch ones are in Dutch from the first page and are meant for a classroom; the English ones explain in English and are meant for self-study.
| Book | Level | Explained in | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nederlands in gang (Coutinho) | 0 to A2 | Dutch | University language centres and many schools. 16 chapters, online exercises. About 50 euro. |
| De opmaat (Boom) | 0 to A2 | Dutch | Inburgering and NT2 schools. A lot of speaking. |
| Nederlands voor buitenlanders, Delftse methode (Boom) | 0 to A2 | Dutch, word lists in 20 languages | Learning from texts and audio, alone or in class. The method closest to reading. |
| Contact! 1 (Intertaal) | A1 to A2 | Dutch | Private language schools. |
| Complete Dutch (Teach Yourself) | 0 to B1 | English | Self-study without a class. Dialogues, grammar in English, audio. |
Children's books: cheap, short, and harder than they look
Every beginner is told to read children's books, and every beginner is surprised. Books for small children use words for small children (the names of animals, toys and feelings), a lot of diminutives (het huisje, het boompje), rhyme, and often the past tense. They are written for a Dutch five-year-old who knows 5,000 words, not for an adult who knows 500.
Children's books that do work
- A1
Nijntje (Dick Bruna)
Twelve pages, four lines a page, present tense, a rhyme you remember. The one children's series that is really A1. Cheap, and in every library.
- B1
Jip en Janneke (Annie M.G. Schmidt)
Short chapters about two neighbours, loved by every Dutch adult. Past tense and idiom make it a B1 book, whatever the shelf says. Keep it for later.
Picture books (prentenboeken) from the library are a good middle way at A1: one sentence a page, and the picture tells you the word. Read them aloud. Nobody is listening.
Graded readers: books written for your level
A graded reader is written inside a level: short sentences, controlled vocabulary, the hard words explained. It is the only kind of book a beginner can read from the first to the last page without a dictionary, and that is exactly what builds reading speed.
Readers at A1 and A2
- A2
Saïdjah en Adinda
A Dutch classic at A2: three chapters, about 3,000 words, a glossary after every chapter, questions with answers, free audio. Written to NT2Lex: 92 percent of the words are A1 or A2.
Out on 15 December 2026
- A2
Leeslicht series (Eenvoudig Communiceren)
Adult topics at A2 to B1 in short chapters and large print, about 8 to 10 euro each. Start with the A2 titles; the publisher marks the level.
- A2
Short Stories in Dutch for Beginners (Teach Yourself)
Eight stories at A2 to B1 with an English glossary and questions after each chapter. Easy to finish; the stories are not about the Netherlands.
Read a free chapter first
Saïdjah en de buffel
Saïdjah is zeven jaar en woont op Java. Zijn vader is boer. Dan pakt het hoofd van het district de buffel af. Hoofdstuk 1 van Saïdjah en Adinda.
What to read at A1, and what at A2
- A1: very short texts, read many times. Nijntje, picture books, the texts in your course book, signs and menus on the street. One A2 text from this site a week, with the audio, even if it is hard.
- A2: short stories and simple letters. The free A2 texts on this site, one a day; then a graded reader at A2, one chapter a day. Stop looking up every word: if you understand the story, you are reading.
- Not yet: newspapers, novels for adults, Jip en Janneke. They come at B1 and B2, and they come faster if you read at your level now.
Is Jip en Janneke good for learning Dutch?
At B1, yes: the chapters are short and the Dutch is real. At A1 or A2 it is frustrating: the stories are in the past tense, full of diminutives and idiom, and written for children who already speak Dutch. Start with a graded reader and come back to it.
What is the difference between an A1 and an A2 book?
Vocabulary and tense. An A1 text uses a few hundred words and the present tense; an A2 text uses about 1,000 words, the present and perfect tense, and short sub-clauses. The level is only trustworthy if the publisher says how it was checked; ours is checked with NT2Lex and the percentage is printed in the book.
Where can I read Dutch books for free?
The public library lends every book on this page, including the course books, for a membership of about 45 to 60 euro a year (free for children). On this site every reading text is free, with audio and a glossary, and so is the first chapter of every Dutch Readers volume.