Guides
Guides to learning Dutch: reading, grammar, words and exams
Short answers to what Dutch learners ask: how to read at your level, the grammar, the words and the exams. Every guide ends with a free text that uses what it explains, so you can see it in a real story the same day.
Each guide answers one question and gets to the point in its first lines. Lists come as tables, the Dutch examples come from the free texts on this site, and every page links to a text at the right level and to the book for that level.
New in the guides
A2page in Dutch
KNM-oefenexamen
A KNM practice exam with a score and an explanation after each question.
Dutch verb conjugation
The present, the past and the perfect, with a table of the 20 most common verbs.
Dutch numbers from 1 to 100 and beyond
From nul to duizend, with prices, years and phone numbers.
Dutch pronouns
Ik, jij and je, u, hem and hun: the forms and when to use which.
Days of the week and months in Dutch
The days, the months and how the Dutch write a date.
Basic Dutch words and phrases for daily life
100 phrases for the shop, the doctor, the gemeente and small talk.
How to learn
How to learn Dutch
A reading-first method for five hours a week: listen, read, reread, speak.
A1
Dutch for beginners
The first 90 days: the first words, the first texts, the first book.
Is Dutch hard to learn? An honest answer for English speakers
What is easy about Dutch for English speakers, what is hard, and what reading fixes.
How long does it take to learn Dutch? Hours to A1, A2 and B1 with real numbers
Hours to A1, A2 and B1, and what five hours a week gets you.
Grammar
Dutch grammar for readers
The 12 rules you need to read at A2 and B1, with examples from the texts.
Dutch verb conjugation
The present, the past and the perfect, with a table of the 20 most common verbs.
Dutch pronouns
Ik, jij and je, u, hem and hun: the forms and when to use which.
Dutch word order explained
Main clause, sub-clause and inversion, with 30 examples.
Dutch compound sentences
En, maar, want, omdat and dat, and what each does to the word order.
Dutch question words (wie, wat, waar, wanneer, waarom, hoe) with examples
Wie, wat, waar, wanneer, waarom and hoe, with dialogues and an exercise.
De or het? Dutch articles
Rules of thumb for de and het, and 200 common het-words.
Words and pronunciation
The 1,000 most common Dutch words, with English meanings
The 1,000 most common words, with downloads for print and Anki.
Basic Dutch words and phrases for daily life
100 phrases for the shop, the doctor, the gemeente and small talk.
Dutch numbers from 1 to 100 and beyond
From nul to duizend, with prices, years and phone numbers.
Days of the week and months in Dutch
The days, the months and how the Dutch write a date.
B1
Dutch B1 vocabulary list
Words 1,001 to 2,500 by theme: the new words of the step to B1.
Exams
Dutch language exams explained
Inburgering, Staatsexamen NT2 and CNaVT: which exam you need.
The Dutch inburgering exam in English
The inburgering exam in English: the parts, the levels and KNM.
A2
Dutch A2 exam
What the A2 exam tests, with sample questions and a reading plan.
B1
Dutch B1 exam (Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I)
The Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I, with the focus on reading.
A2page in Dutch
KNM oefenen
The eight KNM themes in easy Dutch, with practice questions.
A2page in Dutch
KNM-oefenexamen
A KNM practice exam with a score and an explanation after each question.