A2Inburgering level
Short stories in Dutch for beginners: free stories with audio and glossary
Short stories in easy Dutch at A2: a visit to the doctor, a second-hand bike, the Saturday market, King's Day in Amsterdam, and the start of a classic about a boy and his buffalo on Java. Every story has a glossary you tap, questions with answers, a word list and audio read at learner speed.
What makes a story a beginner story
Not the topic. The sentences. A beginner story is written in the present tense, in sentences of four to twelve words, with one idea per sentence and the same words repeated instead of varied. At least 90 percent of the words are A1 or A2 on the NT2Lex scale, and every other word is underlined with its meaning. A story like that is still a story: something happens, someone wants something, and you want to know how it ends.
Four of the stories below are about daily life in the Netherlands, written so that a learner meets the words they need this week: at the doctor, on Marktplaats, at a market stall, on 27 April. The fifth is the first chapter of Saïdjah en Adinda, Multatuli's story from 1860, rewritten at A2. It is also the free sample of the first Dutch Readers book.
The stories
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.
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.
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.
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.
How to read a story at A2
Read it once for the story, without stopping. Then play the audio and read along. Then read it again and tap the underlined words. Finish with the questions. Each story is 300 to 950 words, so one story a day, twice, is about fifteen minutes. The "Wie is wie" list at the top tells you who is who before you start, so you never lose track of a name.
From stories to a book
When the stories feel easy, read a book at the same level. Saïdjah en Adinda is about 3,000 words in three chapters, with a glossary after every chapter, five questions per chapter with the answers, and free audio through a QR code. The first chapter is the story above; the book tells you how it ends.
The book at this level
- A2
Saïdjah en Adinda
Three chapters at A2, glossary after each, questions with answers, free audio. The first chapter is free on this site.
Out on 15 December 2026
Are these real Dutch stories or translations?
They are written in Dutch, for learners, not translated from English. The daily-life stories are new; the Saïdjah chapter is a Dutch classic rewritten at A2 from the 1860 original. Every story goes through an independent critique pass and the NT2Lex word list before it is published.
I am a complete beginner. Can I read these?
At A1, after a few months of lessons, yes, with the audio and the glossary. Read one story at a time and expect to tap many words. If the first 100 words have more than ten you do not know, it is too early: take the free level test and start with the shortest texts.
Can I print the stories or get them as a PDF?
Every story page prints as a handout with the meanings after the words and the word list on its own page. Use print or save as PDF in your browser. The six exam-format texts are also a ready-made PDF on the A2 exam practice page.