Free Dutch reading practice by level: short texts with audio and glossary
Short Dutch texts written to a level, each with free audio, a glossary you open with one tap, three to five questions and a word list. Pick your level, read a text twice, and move up when a level feels easy.
How to use these texts
- Read the text once without stopping. Do not look anything up yet. Get the story.
- Play the audio and read along. The voice reads at learner speed, and you hear how the words sound together.
- Read a second time and tap every underlined word you are not sure of. The meaning appears in the text; the word list at the bottom has all of them.
- Answer the questions. The answers are one tap away, so check yourself honestly.
- Come back tomorrow and read the text once more. The second day is when the words move into long-term memory.
Ten minutes a day beats an hour on Sunday. One text a day, twice, is the whole method.
Pick your level
Every text carries a level, and the level is checked against NT2Lex, the word list for Dutch as a second language. A2 is the level of the inburgering reading exam under the 2013 law and of a simple story in the present tense. B1 is a longer story with past tense and sub-clauses, and the standard level for inburgering since 2022. If you are not sure where you stand, the free level test takes about ten minutes.
- A1Beginner~500 words
- A2Inburgering level~1,000 words
- B1Intermediate~2,000 words
- B2Upper intermediate~4,000 words
- OrigineelThe original text
The first set of texts is written at A2, because that is where most learners get stuck: the course book is finished and every real book is still too hard. A1 texts for the first months and B1 texts with past tense are next on the list. The newsletter below tells you when they are up.
All free texts at A2
De buurvrouw van boven
Ana woont net in Rotterdam. Elke ochtend om zes uur hoort ze de buurvrouw van boven. Een verhaal op A2 over buren, een rollator en koffie.
Het weer in Nederland
Regen, wind, soms 25 graden en elke dag praten over het weer. Fatma uit Ankara leert in Groningen hoe Nederlanders met het weer leven. Een tekst op A2.
De Afsluitdijk
De Afsluitdijk is 32 kilometer lang en klaar in 1932. Hij maakt van de Zuiderzee het IJsselmeer. Een tekst op A2 uit de Canon van Nederland.
Solliciteren: het eerste gesprek
Olena wil werken in een bakkerij in Haarlem. Ze schrijft een brief en heeft haar eerste sollicitatiegesprek in het Nederlands. Een verhaal op A2 over werk.
Bij de huisarts
Sami heeft pijn in zijn oor en koorts. Zijn vader Amir belt de huisarts en maakt een afspraak. Een verhaal op A2 over de huisarts in Nederland.
Een nieuwe fiets
Olena werkt in een hotel, vier kilometer van huis. Ze koopt een tweedehands fiets op Marktplaats. Een verhaal op A2 over fietsen in Nederland.
Koningsdag in Amsterdam
Yuki viert haar eerste Koningsdag in Amsterdam, met oranje kleren, de vrijmarkt in het Vondelpark en boten op de grachten. Een verhaal op A2.
Op de markt
Kasia gaat op zaterdag naar de markt in Rotterdam. Ze koopt groente, kaas, kibbeling en bloemen. Een verhaal op A2 met de zinnen die je op de markt hoort.
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.
Prefer a story to a letter? The short stories page lists the stories in reading order, from a visit to the doctor to the first chapter of a Dutch classic.
What a level means in a text
An A2 text has sentences of four to twelve words, present tense, and sub-clauses only with als, dat, omdat, want and maar. At least 90 percent of the words are A1 or A2 on the NT2Lex list, and every other word is underlined and explained. Culture words (Koningsdag, kibbeling, de huisarts) get one short sentence of explanation in the text itself. Read more about the levels on the levels page.
Practice for the reading exam
The Lezen A2 exam uses short everyday texts: a letter from school, an advert for a room, an email from a colleague, a notice at the pharmacy. The A2 exam practice page has six texts in exactly that format, with multiple-choice questions, the answers, and a PDF to print. The A2 exam guide explains the whole exam, part by part.
Print and PDF
Every text page prints as a handout: the header and the player disappear, the meaning appears after each underlined word, and the word list goes on its own page. Use your browser's print function, or save as PDF. Teachers may print the texts for a class; the only thing we ask is that the source line stays on the page.
When the texts feel easy
That is the signal to read a book at the same level. The Dutch Readers series rewrites Dutch classics at A2 and B1 in the same way as these texts: short sentences, a glossary after every chapter, questions with answers, and free audio. The free texts are the practice; the books are the reward.
Are the texts written by a native speaker?
They are written for this site, at the level, and then checked in two passes: an independent critique for grammar, naturalness and level, and a native read before publication. Every text also goes through NT2Lex to confirm the level. If you find a mistake, reply to any newsletter email and we fix it.
Which level should I start at?
Open an A2 text and count the words you do not know in the first 100 words. More than ten: start lower, or read with the audio and the glossary and accept that it is hard. Fewer than five: try B1 when it is up, or a book at A2. The level test gives you the same answer in ten minutes.
Can I use the texts in my NT2 class?
Yes. Read them on screen or print the handout. The questions have answers and the audio is free. Please link to the page or keep the source line on the printout.
Why is there no word-by-word translation?
Because it stops you from reading. A glossary for the hard words keeps your eyes on the Dutch sentence; a translation under every word keeps them on the English one. If you need more help, read with the audio and the word list first.