Dutch Readers

Dutch levels explained (A1 to C2): what you can read, say and pass at each level

A2 is the level of the inburgering reading exam and of a simple story. B1 is a longer story with past tense and the level most newcomers need since 2022. Here is every level in plain words, with the words you need and what to read.

Published 13 October 2026Updated 14 October 2026

The six levels in plain words

Dutch courses and exams use the European scale (CEFR): A1 and A2 for beginners, B1 and B2 for independent users, C1 and C2 for people who use Dutch like a native. The labels sound abstract. In practice they describe what you can do with a text, a conversation and an exam.

The CEFR levels for Dutch, with the exams that test each level.
LevelWhat you can readWhat you can sayExams at this level
A1A sign, a short note, a simple message.Your name, where you live, what you want to buy.Basisexamen inburgering buitenland (the exam you take abroad).
A2A simple story, a letter from school, a short news item.A short conversation about daily life: work, shopping, the doctor.Inburgeringsexamen A2 (the older law, and the A2 option in the B1 route).
B1A longer story with past tense and sub-clauses, a newspaper article about something you know.Your opinion, a plan, a problem at work, in whole sentences.Inburgeringsexamen B1 (the standard since 2022), Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I.
B2Most books for adults, most newspapers.A discussion, a presentation, an argument with details.Staatsexamen NT2 Programma II (university and higher jobs).
C1Long and difficult texts, including the meaning behind them.Fluently, with precise words, in any situation.CNaVT Educatief Professioneel (no NT2 state exam at this level).
C2Everything a native reader reads.Like an educated native speaker.No standard Dutch exam.

How many words you need at each level

The honest measure of a level is vocabulary. NT2Lex, the word list for Dutch as a second language, sorts words by the level at which learners meet them. The numbers below are word families (lopen, loopt, gelopen count as one), and they are approximate: nobody counts the words in your head.

  1. A1Beginner~500 words
  2. A2Inburgering level~1,000 words
  3. B1Intermediate~2,000 words
  4. B2Upper intermediate~4,000 words
  5. OrigineelThe original text

The jump from A2 to B1 is the big one: you roughly double your vocabulary, and the sentences start to carry sub-clauses (omdat, als, dat) and the past tense. That is why the A2 reading exam uses short, practical texts and the B1 exam uses articles and letters with an argument in them.

What to read at each level

At A1, read a lot of very short texts: signs, menus, messages, the texts in your course book. Read them twice. At this level a 300-word story with audio is a real book.

At A2, read short stories and simple letters. Our A2 texts are written to this level: short sentences, present tense, every hard word underlined with its meaning. When the free texts feel easy, read a book at A2: the first Dutch Readers volume is Saïdjah en Adinda, a classic rewritten at A2 with a glossary after every chapter.

At B1, read longer stories with past tense, and start reading about things you care about: work, health, the news. At B2, read the originals of the classics and the newspaper. From C1 on, read what you like: the level takes care of itself.

A quick self-check

Before you book an exam or buy a book, check where you are with three questions.

  • Open a text at the level you think you have. Count the words you do not know in the first 100 words. More than ten: go one level down.
  • Can you read the text without stopping to translate every sentence in your head? If not, it is above your level.
  • Can you answer three simple questions about it (who, what, why)? If yes, this is your reading level, and the next level is where you learn.

The free level test does the same with three short texts and gives you a result in about ten minutes.

Inburgering: which level you need

Under the Wet inburgering 2021 (for everyone who became inburgeringsplichtig from 1 January 2022), the standard language level is B1. If B1 turns out to be out of reach after at least 600 hours of lessons at a school with the Blik op Werk quality mark, your municipality can let you take the exams at A2. Under the older law of 2013, the exam level is A2. Check your personal plan (PIP) or your letter from DUO to see which law applies to you.

Is A2 enough to live in the Netherlands?

For daily life, mostly yes: shopping, the doctor, a simple conversation with a neighbour. For work in Dutch and for following the news you need B1, and most employers in healthcare and education ask for B1 or B2.

How long does it take to get from A2 to B1?

With about five hours a week, most learners need six to twelve months. The deciding factor is how much Dutch you read and hear outside the lessons, not the number of lessons.

Which level is the Staatsexamen NT2?

Programma I tests B1 and is meant for vocational jobs and MBO; Programma II tests B2 and is meant for HBO, university and professional jobs. Both have four parts: reading, listening, writing and speaking.

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