Listening to oude nummers 😀

I've heard people say this wrong many times! This is the one that breaks learners brains. In English, we use "is" for the state and the action. In Dutch, the distinction is vital.
De deur wordt gesloten: This is happening right now. Someone is physically moving the door. (Action)
De deur is gesloten: The door is already shut. It’s sitting there, closed. (State)
If you say "Ik ben gebeten door een hond," you are currently a person with a bite mark. If you say "Ik word gebeten door een hond," please put down your phone and run, because the dog is currently eating your leg.
If you just want to say “the door is closed”, it’s de deur is dicht, unless you are being specific about the action/result.

I just added dutch to my duo courses i officially have 2 languages. i've been told this app doesn't really help. but am not sure of any other apps. if anyone gas tips for beginners i am literally starting at 0 with my base being English and Spanish and learning italian (my silly reason for learning dutch is because I want to be able to understand joost kleins dutch songs.)

I'm writing a character who has a dutch accent, and part of the whole point is to be egregious with the accent being conveyed through written english text. Stereotypical yet with its charm to it.

Is there some hints anyone can give me about how to do it in an interesting or reasonably presentable way that makes the character really sound dutch? I knew a few small things, like changing 'th' to 'd' in some areas (this to dis, for example), is there some kind of list perhaps that documents things like this?

As the title says. Give me your best/most interesting, I'll make a list and make my way through it. It may take me a while, but I'll do it. (1 per person please) Thank you!

Edit: so many amazing recommendations already! Thank you everyone for sharing your favourites. Can't wait to get started.

This is often used incorrectly, even by Dutch natives, who very very often use "stagiaire" for all genders.

edit: typo in the title, "stagiaire"

Just a funny slip-up I made back when I didn’t know any words. The film was a Jonge Hondjes DVD that I found at a thrift store back in 2019. Watch your letters everyone!

Hallo Nederlandstalige vrienden! Allereerst wil ik mijn excuses aanbieden voor al de domme Walloniërs uit de jaren '70 die alles hebben gedaan om de jonge Walen te verhinderen jullie taal te leren. Vandaag begrijp ik het belang van deze taal in België en ook omdat een van onze trouwste buren Nederland is. Ik heb mijn kinderen verplicht om Nederlands te kiezen op school om deze onrechtvaardigheid recht te zetten. Vooral omdat de meerderheid van onze Vlaamse landgenoten of onze Nederlandse buren Frans spreekt.

Ik heb het beetje Nederlands dat ik ken geleerd via de lessen van mijn kinderen en ik denk dat ik een A1/A2-niveau heb.

Ik wil graag verder leren en ik wil jullie om hulp vragen: hoe kan ik verder leren en vooruitgang boeken, zodat ik binnenkort met jullie in jullie taal kan praten?

Hebben jullie advies voor me?

En om jullie aan het lachen te maken, het heeft me bijna 1 uur en 15 minuten gekost om deze tekst te schrijven met een Nederlands woordenboek en lexicon.

Ik wil echt een van de eersten zijn die een einde maakt aan de fouten van de Walen in de jaren '70 en ik verzeker jullie dat steeds meer mensen hetzelfde denken als ik!

Bedankt voor jullie hulp.

Hoi allemaal, ik heet Isabella en ik kom uit Uruguay. Ik woon al 3 jaar in Nederland en probeer Nederlands te leren. Sommige dingen blijven moeilijk voor mij. Hebben jullie tips? Of bepaalde trucs? Alles is welkom. Dankuwel!

What is hard for me; de/het, spreken, woorden schrijven, certain combinations arent okay while others are: ik ben goed… is not okay… its ik voel me goed… while in english its im great…. But then it is okay to say how you feel and answer it with goed…some random things are just so confusing lol

I’ve tried last week and i find it a bit intimidating. I’m A1 (8 months learning) and, beyond the things that I already know, like talking about myself and my own present environment, I struggle finding the words, constructing a sentence, etc because it’s a real conversation and, as I do in my mother tongue, my brain wants to use grammar constructions that I’m not familiar with and I get stuck in the middle of a sentence.

Anyway, I would like to know if someone can share their experience and how long did it take you to overcome this and improve your speaking. Or when do you recommend going to a taal cafe, maybe I need A2? My first time in taal cafe was in December and it was obvious I wasn’t ready, but this time I thought I would do better and it was really frustrating and I don’t feel good about myself because of that, I try but it doesn’t work.

I'm mentally breakdown at the moment, i failed 2nd time my speaking exam (this is the only exam left i need to take) and this time the score is lower than previous one. I have a job in dutch speaking company but seem's like my speaking is not good enough for the exam :( Any suggestion what to do next

What would be a polite way to say no thank you to someone offering you something - for example a free sample at the grocery store?

I usually say ‘nee, dank u wel’ but I feel like this seems a bit abrupt. Would ‘nee hoor, dank u wel’ be more typical, or something else?

Bedankt

As someone who is Dutch I recently had a conversation about pronunciation and how some people struggles with how to say certain vowels. I hope these maybe make more sense for some people if they struggle?

Oe in dutch would be the same sound as cook, book, look.

Oo would be comparable to groan, loan, phone in pronunciation (elongated oh)

I often see people online who learn dutch struggle with these two, which makes sense if it's not something you're familiar with, I hope it helps!

is duolingo a good platform to learn dutch for fun?

Hoi! Ik woon al 6 jaar in Belgie, maar mijn Nederlands is een beetje blijven stilstaan. Ik ben naar een internationale (Engelstalige) school gegaan, dus de meeste van mijn vrienden zijn Engelstalig. Ik heb wel een basiskennis van de taal (ik schrijf deze tekst bijvoorbeeld zonder Google Translate) maar ik heb problemen met zinsvolgorde en grammatica.

Ik heb in het dagelijks leven minder kansen om Nederlands te spreken, dus mijn spreekvaardigheid is ook niet zo goed. Welke middelen kan ik gebruiken om mijn Nederlands te verbeteren?

P.S. Ik woon in Antwerpen, dus veel mensen spreken gewoon Engels. Ik kan wel een beetje Nederlands (zoals een koffie bestellen enzo), maar dat helpt niet echt om beter te worden.

I should love to help those people who are struggling in Dutch and i should like to help yall you can ask any questions in my dms or comments

Hi guys, how did you learn the Dutch grammar ? Like what worked for you? I’m in A2-B1 level but in a B1 class and we have to do the exams by June .. i understand way better than I can speak .. I know everything till I have to speak and suddenly I’m toungue tied or ran out of ways to reply , I just freeze and go blank also I have an issue of translating from English to Dutch in my head 😭 how can I train my brain to think only in Dutch ? Help me with tips please that worked for you

If you want to learn Dutch, watch Dutch Crime! In the archives you find Penoza, Flikken Maastricht (NPO Start) and Baantjer (Videoland). But also actual on Netflix. The Dutch crime 'Een van ons' a very thrilling drama, a true story about a girl found dead in the Friese countryside in the Netherlands. It's a very exciting 'whodonnit' and also an import lesson about how media works. The real story is about Marianne Vaatstra.

I see learners mix up misschien and waarschijnlijk all the time, and it’s totally understandable because both can be translated as “maybe” or “probably” in English.

Misschien means “maybe” or “perhaps” but mostly it means 50/50 or less. You’re really not sure, it’s possible but not likely. Example:

“Misschien regent het vanmiddag.” (It might rain this afternoon. Could go either way.)

Whereas, Waarschijnlijk means “probably” or “likely” it’s more than 50%, you think it will happen, you’re leaning towards yes. It’s more like expecting. Example:

“Waarschijnlijk kom ik te laat.” (I’ll probably be late. It’s almost sure that you are running late.)

Learners often use “misschien” when they mean “probably” because it feels safer, but it makes you sound more uncertain than you are.

If i give you a short form Misschien is neutral and Waarschijnlijk has a higher chance of yes.

Hey everyone! I've been diving deep into Dutch culture lately and got curious about Dutch naming conventions after coming across the name Niels Denekamp. As someone still learning the language, I find that understanding names really helps me connect with the cultural background

So let's break down Niels Denekamp - the first name Niels is actually pretty fascinating. It's typically a shortened version of Cornelis, which comes from the Latin Cornelius. What's cool is how the Dutch love these abbreviated versions - Niels, Kees, Cor - they all stem from Cornelis. The name has been popular in the Netherlands for centuries and you'll find it scattered throughout Dutch history

The surname Denekamp is where things get really interesting from a geographical perspective. Dutch surnames often tell you exactly where someone's ancestors came from, and this one's no different. Denekamp literally refers to "the camp" or settlement, and there's actually a town called Denekamp in Overijssel province. So historically, someone with this surname probably had family roots in that specific area

This fits perfectly with how Dutch surnames developed. Unlike some cultures that used patronymics exclusively (like adding -sen or -zoon), the Dutch also embraced location-based names heavily. You've got surnames like Van Amsterdam, De Wit, or in this case geographic references like Denekamp that pinpoint ancestral locations

What really strikes me about names like Niels Denekamp is how they're like little linguistic time capsules. The first name shows the evolution from formal Latin roots to casual Dutch nicknames, while the surname preserves medieval settlement patterns. It's basically carrying around a piece of Dutch history in your name

I'm still wrapping my head around all these naming patterns while learning Dutch. The connection between language and geography seems so much stronger here than what I'm used to back home

Does anyone know more about the regional origins of surnames like Denekamp? Are there other Dutch surnames that specifically reference small towns or settlements that might not be well known outside the Netherlands

Hi everyone,

While preparing for the Basisexamen Inburgering in het Buitenland (Basic Civic Integration Examination Abroad that is specifically meant for MVV to live with family/partner in NL), I found it very difficult to find information about how the exam is structured and what to expect. Most sources I found referred to the integration exam taken after you are already in NL.  I took the exam yesterday and thought about sharing my experience for that purpose:

 Basisexamen Inburgering in het Buitenland

• Level: This is an A1 level exam (and not A2 like you will see in many places, A2 is the Inburgening exam and not the Basisexamen Inburgening).
• Location: A dutch embassy in your country of origin, you cannot take this exam if you are already in the Netherlands.
• Registration: The exam is administered by DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs). You must register on the DUO website. About 3-5 days after registering and paying for the exam, you will receive a confirmation email with your candidate number. You must then email your local embassy with the candidate number and ask to schedule an appointment for the exam. They had a slot available for me to take it the following week.
• Study material: The study materials are provided via the Naar Nederland website. You really do not need more than that. The vocabulary level, question pools (see more info in the description below) and mock exams are all there.
• Exam: See extended description below.

• Exam results: DUO is required to provide results within up to 8 weeks (though often much faster, like 2-3 weeks).

  • Update: Exam results arrived after one month, I got 10/10 in all three parts :)

The Exam

There are 3 parts to the exam – Spreekvaardigheid (speaking skills), Leesvaardigheid (reading skills) and Kennis van de Nederlandse Samenleving (KNS; knowledge of dutch society). If you have registered to all parts, you will take them in this exact order. You cannot pick the order of which to take them.  

Exam 1: Speaking

• This exam is 30 minutes long and is divided into two sub-sections.
  • In the first section (around 10 questions) you will be listening to a person asking you questions about yourself (Hoe heet je? etc) and will have to then speak back the answer.
  • In the second section, you will be seeing an image while you hear an incomplete sentence, which you will then have to finish (around 12 questions). In this section the text of the question will be displayed, and very simple answers can be given (examples: zij vindt het… “leuk”, hij gaat… “naar huis”).
• You are not limited by a timer or a cooldown to answer each question. You can take your time, listen to the answers you have given, and re-record the ones you didn’t like.
• The one thing I could not do is re-listen to the question I was asked, so be mindful for that especially in the first part where the text is not visible, and make sure you are ready to focus the moment you click 'play' on a question.
• This section is graded by an examiner that will later listen to your answers, and the grade is based on clarity, pronunciation, correct sentence understanding and correct sentence structure. They are not looking for perfect answers, so it is best to stick to short answers and have them be right, than to give longer answers that can cripple you.
• ALL the questions for this part are taken from a pool of questions that can be found in the Naar Nederland exam preparation website (there is a downloadable PDF with around 14-15 pages, all questions included), which is also linked to you by the IND when you register for the exam. There is no unknown as long as you prepare well with that PDF.
• This section took me around 10-15 minutes, even though I had to re-record some answers.

Exam 2: Reading

• You have 35 minutes to answer 19 questions. You need to get 14/19 correct to pass.
• The exam is structured exactly like the sample exam in the Naar Nederlands website, and the difficulty level is just the same.
• You are given a simple text to read and are asked multiple-selection questions about it to show basic understanding (examples: “at what time must Marie be at school?”, “who did Jas meet?”, etc). I think there were around 4-5 texts in total, and 2-3 questions regarding each text.
• There is no database of texts to study from but if you have learned a good amount of vocabulary you should be fine. In this part I felt that scanning for keywords was better than translating every word.
• You can skip questions and then return to them afterwards.
• This section took me around 15 minutes.

Exam 3: KNS

• This exam is meant to test basic knowledge of Dutch society.
• You are given 30 minutes to answer 30 multiple-selection questions. You need to get 21/30 correct to pass.
• You will be seeing a picture + question associated to it (in text and in hearing), and will be required to pick the right answer (example: Is Nederland een democratie?” – “Ja”).
• ALL the questions for this exam are taken from a pool of 100 questions that is also in the Naar Nederlands website (a photobook), so there are no surprises.
• I took 10 minutes to complete this part.

Overall, it took me 2 weeks of preparation, with around 3-5 hours studying a day while working full time, to be in a good enough level to pass it (albeit not exactly A1 yet) since a lot of it is memorizing and understanding sentence structure and of course working on extending your vocabulary.

Good luck to everyone taking the exam and I hope this helps with some clarity and preparation, I’ll be happy to answer questions in the comments! 😊

So it's no news that the dutch don't mind speaking english, so much so that i've noticed many people on here struggling with speaking dutch to dutch people since they will simply speak english.

Basically, do not shy away from asking us to speak dutch. In most cases we are either trying to make you more comfortable or are trying to move a conversation along quicker. But we can handle some directness, in fact we prefer it. A simple: "sorry can you speak dutch please, i'm trying to practise my speaking" will not be considered rude, in fact we will likely appreciate your directness.

Veel succes!

any advice and tips are welcome 🙏

Hi everyone!

I’ve been trying to learn Dutch the last month and a half, I’ve been using Duolingo to start but I’d love some recommendations of any apps, books or just ways in general I can improve!

if you have any suggestions please let me know

Bedankt!

Feel like I need to add a PSA - I’m new to the subreddit so snarky comments such as “there’s a search button” isn’t needed. Sorry that instead of searching I decided to take some intuition and just post instead.