What's New on My Site?

October 2024
Liggen - zitten - staan - lopen - de duurvorm:  a Dutch Continuous/Progressive
Short Version - Full Page
Vowels and Diphthongs - Spelling and Pronunciation Rules: Short Overview - Examples
Reflexive Verbs - Wederkerende werkwoorden
Short Version - Full Page
De toekomende tijd - the Future Tense in Dutch
Short Version - Full Page
De lijdende vorm - The Passive Voice in Dutch
Short Version - Full Page

September 2024
Compound Verbs, sometimes Splitting up, and 'Inseparable Prefixes'
The Perfect Tenses
The Simple Past Tense
50 Common Dutch Verbs that are Strong:
Alphabetic List - Patterns of Change
There are many unusual verbs in the lists of 200 strong verbs that I already have - the short lists will be easier to start with.
The Simple Present Tense
- applying the verb stem rules
(short became long)

August 2024
Short Introduction to Verbs
A new introduction to Dutch verbs, with links to the many verbs pages on my website for more explanation and more examples (page in progress)

July 2024
Beautiful and Fun Pages
Alphabetic Lists of Common Dutch Verbs

June 2024
Minor Exceptions to the Phonetic Spelling of Dutch ‑>>

May 2024
Unexpectedly 'Short' A - Dutch spelling/pronunciation rules say that a single vowel is 'long' when followed by one consonant and one or more vowels, but going through my recordings I hear many words with unexpectedly 'short' A's in the first syllable.
'Consonant i' and Connecting Sounds - The letter 'i' can be a 'short' or a 'long' i - but it can also sound as a 'consonant Y' (Dutch J) or as a 'long' i + 'consonant Y' - and I explain some other connecting sounds between vowels and diphthongs

April 2024
I revised the 'Vocabulary Overview' page:
Vocabulary - Learn Dutch Words and Speech

March 2024
Learn Dutch Pronunciation - Introduction to Dutch Spelling and Pronunciation

February 2024
Adjectives and Adverbs Flashcards
Vocabulary: What's the Dutch Word?
New Version

January 2024
Learning Verbs — a program using the many pages about verbs on the website, a guide to learning verbs
Verbs Flashcards Listening Exercise
Revised and Upgraded the 'Basic Dutch 2' page: Adjectives, Adverbs and Verbs - added the -E-ending 'inflected' form of adjectives, and most words now link to examples of usage
Smartphone Version (one-column, narrow Screen)
Everyday Dutch-English False Friends - a short version

December 2023
Flashcards Vocabulary Exercise:
750 'Basic' Dutch Words (mostly nouns)
Flashcards Dutch Words for Animals:
- Picture - What's the Word? - Hear it
   Listening Test Words for Animals:
- Hear Word - Spelling? - Picture
- Hear Word - Spelling? - English
Dog/Hond  Words and Phrases

October2023
Beginning Dutch Verbs 1
Beginning Dutch Verbs 2
Full and Empty — Vol en Leeg
Choice and to Choose

September 2023
In 'The Small Change of Conversation' series:
Expectations and What Happens
Introducing the Verbs of the Senses

August 2023
How Long? - Long, Short etc.
How Often? - from'always' to 'never'

July 2023
I expanded and revised the 'Disambiguation Home' page - and gave it a fresh, new look: Disambiguation: Prepositions and other Common Little Words of Many Meanings. Introducing ...
Wanneer? - Dutch 'When?'

June 2023
28 Verbs Teaching the Rules See and hear examples of verbs that explain the rules, the spelling and the verb stem
Smartphone Dutch Basic Verbs page

May 20223
50 Bijvoeglijke Naamwoorden en Bijwoorden - an Introduction to common Dutch Adjectives and Adverbs
Location, Direction - a new combination of existing material focusing on Location and Direction
Meten, Grootte, Afmetingen to Measure, take measurements - size - dimensions, measurements

April 2023
Ship amd Ship-related Words
Not much English - Learn some Dutch without much English

January 2023
Emoties Emotions Dutch words in diagrams
Emotions Page Smartphone - just alphabetic lists
Dutch and English - differences and similarities

December 2022
Three Dutch E's: hear Hundreds of Dutch words with E
too many pages! - a short overview of my website's sitemap
I revised my Vocabulary Overview page

November 2022
Compare the sound of Dutch F, V and W in similar words
A short version of 'infinitives in the perfect tense'

October 2022
Hear the Dutch V in hundreds of Words
Strong Verbs - I made an alphabetic list of the strong verbs in Dutch, with links to full conjugation and sample sentences of the more common verbs, and 'lesser' links for the less common verbs
Hear the Dutch F in hundreds of Words

September 2022
SCH: Hear the Dutch SCH in hundreds of Words
CH: Hear the Dutch CH in hundreds of Words
Added a 'Don't Care/Never Mind' chapter to the Commenting page
Added a 'The Past/the Present/the Future' chapter to the Talking about Time page

August 2022
Spelling and Pronunciaton of Vowels
Learn the rules by studying and listening to many examples
EI and IJ in Dutch
- hear hundreds of words

July 2022
OE in Dutch
L in Dutch
- hear hundreds of words
in The Small Change of Conversation™ series:
Chance, Luck, Outcomes and Risk

May 2022
H in Dutch
W in Dutch
EU in Dutch

April 2022
Hear for Yourself, in hundreds of words:
The X in Dutch
The Dutch AU and OU
The Dutch G - The Dutch U

March 2022
Plaatjes- en luisterwoordenboek voor kleine kinderen
- Pictures and Audio Dictionary for Small Children page 1 - page 2
Pronunciation: Hear for Yourself
200 Dutch Words with UI
Major Exceptions to Phonetic Spelling 2
Y in Dutch

February 2022
Pronunciation: Hear for Yourself
Major Exceptions to Phonetic Spelling 1
revised, upgraded and expanded:
Partitives - deelaanduidende woorden
and other common word combinations
- and 'stuk' = piece // broken, defective

December 2021
Hear all the Dutch Vowels and Diphthongs next to each other in two-syllable words or phrases of two one-syllable words - now also in tables on a regular page (about one thousand words)
Differences between Dutch and English Word Order

November 2021
Hoor alle klinkers en tweeklanken naast elkaar
Hear the Dutch Vowels and Diphthongs next to each other in two-syllable words or phrases of two one-syllable words (two introductions, four flashcards listening tests, about 750 examples) Hear the Vowels and Diphthongs

October 2021
on- and -loos
Breken - to Crack, Break
Snijden/Knippen/Zagen - to Cut
Duwen en trekken - to Push and to Pull

September 2021
Tegenovergestelden - Dutch Opposites Flash Cards

August 2021
in The Small Change of Conversation series:
Why? - Because - The Reason - Cause & Effect

June 2021
'The Small Change of Conversation' - introducing a new series
Commenting on Statements and Opinions

May 2021
Meet and Greet - first things to say
Ziek - Talking about Not Feeling Well

April 2021
Revised and upgraded the
Kitchen Pictures Dictionary
Sometimes I can't think of a logical place on my existing pages to fit in new words: Losse Woorden: Doubt - High - Low - Deep and others

March 2021
Program 3 precise, very detailed directions for learning Dutch on my website
Rijden - to drive and  to ride
Hopen - to hope
Get to Know the Common Dutch Verbs
upgraded the verbs flashcards exercise
Numbers Listening Test - 2
Days, Months, Seasons:
Vocabulary Test - Listening Test

February 2021
Plurals Flashcards Exercise - first study the rules and read and listen to the examples: Dutch Plurals (revised and expanded)
Eten - 'to eat' and 'food'
Drinken - 'to drink'
Kopen - 'to Buy' and related Words and Verbs: Verkopen 'to Sell' - Huren 'to Rent, Hire, Lease' - Betalen 'to Pay' - Lenen 'to Borrow' // 'to Lend'

January 2021
Adjectives and Adverbs Listening Test, and does the E-ending further change spelling? ‑>>

December 2020
Leren - to Learn // to Teach - complete conjugation, examples of usage and related words
Fiets/Fietsen - Dutch bicycle and bicyling words and phrases - upgrade and major revision and expansion

November 2020
Zetten - to put, set, place, position - complete conjugation, examples of usage and related words
Verkleinwoorden Verkleinwoordjes - the Dutch Diminutives: When and How to Use, and How are They Formed?
- Listen to Examples of Usage to get a sense of the Dutch diminutives
- List of 450 Diminutives
Splitting Verbs: Which verbs split and when, and where does the split-off go? Plus two special cases

October 2020
Flash Cards Listening Tests:
Drinks (with pictures) (12 items)
180 Food Words (with pictures)
770 Basic Words Listening Test
Everyday Words Listening Test
- 250 items, with pictures
Pictures Vocabulary Tests:
Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks
- Meals - Drinks

September2020
Talking about Time
- suggestions for conversation
Colors Flash Cards
Everyday Words Flashcards Exercise (3 pages)

August 2020
In Dutch, you can add an S to names for the possessive - but only with people's names. Use 'van'  (of) or 'zijn'  (his, its) or 'haar'  (her, its) in other cases ‑>>
There is no Dutch equivalent for English 'major.' So I wrote a chapter about 'voornaamste'/'belangrijkste'  'most important' and 'belangrijk''  'important' - and 'serieus'  and 'ernstig'  'serious, grave' ‑>>

July 2020
Irregular Verbs Recap - Refresh your understanding of Dutch irregular verbs, exceptions to the general verb rules

June 2020
Verbs and Their Prepositions
'verliezen' to lose, and 'winnen' to win ‑>>
mooi - 'beautiful, pretty' - but also: generally pleasing, 'good'

May 2020
Verbs Flash Cards Excercise
'Der,'  'des'  and 'den' are old-fashioned forms of the article 'de'  ('the') but still found in standard phrases. 'Ter' and 'ten' are old-fashioned words meaning something like 'at the, on' or 'to' - also still found in standard phrases ‑>>

April 2020
I upgraded and lightly revised the Lessons. White background, larger font and speaker icons, pages not too wide and the meaning of the pronunciation examples is now given in the text (it used to be as mouse-overs, hovering the cursor over the words) Lesson 3
Translating 'To' - 'To' in Dutch

March 2020
I revised and added examples to the 'Verbs Combined and Te'  page. It deals with the sometime use of infinitives instead of past participles in the perfect tenses, and the rare use of 'te'  with Dutch infinitives
I updated the 'Master Lists' of common Dutch words. The lists give pronunciation and Engish translation, and often link to explanation, sample sentences and/or related words. Triple arrows link to full pages dedicated to a word
- Dutch to English Listing
- English to Dutch Listing
blijven = 'to remain, stay, keep'
Dutch 'vast' = firmly attached // solid, permanent // 'surely'
and 'alvast' = already, meanwhile - in advance
with other related words
'los' = 'loose,' not attached
'(de) oplossing' = solution
'langs' = along
'langs komen' = 1. to pass by 2. to come visit

February 2020
Hear the names of
168 Dutch and Flemish Painters

January 2020
Groot (Large, Tall, Big, Great) and Klein (Small, Little) ‑>>
Hoe (How) - Wie (Who) - Welk/Welke (Which) - Wanneer (When) ‑>>

December 2019
Smartphone page of Common Dutch Phrases ‑>>
A convenient smartphone page of special days and holidays, good wishes and greetings ‑>>
rond = 'round, circular' and 'around' ‑>>

November 2019
Achter = 'Behind, Back, Rear' ‑>>
Na = 'After' ‑>>
Af = 'Off, Away From,' 'Finished' - and others ‑>>

October 2019
Naar = To (destination, direction) - and others ‑>>
Houden 'to Hold, to Keep' - and Houden van 'to Like, to Love' ‑>>
Uit = Out, Out of, From - but also: Off ‑>>

September 2019
Onder (Under, Below) - Beneden (Down, Downstairs) / Boven (Above, Up, Upstairs, Over) ‑>>
Binnen en Buiten Inside and Outside
English and Dutch 'In' are fairly equivalent

August 2019
The Meaning of Dutch 'Op' - translated as On, On Top Of, Up, At, To, For, Of, In and Others

July 2019
I revised the 'Disambiguation: Er' page, especially the placeholder chapter and added more explanation of the use of 'nergens' as 'nothing' and 'ergens' as 'something' ‑>>

June 2019
Added and revised many Dutch and other recipes ‑>>

May 2019
The Meaning of Dutch 'Aan' - translated as On, At, To, Of, For, In, From, By, About and Others

April 2019
Master List of Dutch Words (English to Dutch) - with pronunciation, English translation and links to explanation, sample sentences and/or related words
Revised the 'Personal Pronouns Sample Lines' page ‑>>

Februari 2019
vallen 'to fall'

December 2018
Met - 'with' and 'zonder - 'without' ‑>>

November 2018
Pas - 'only, just' / 'step, passport, mountain pass' ‑>>

August 2018
Master List of Dutch Words (Dutch to English) - with pronunciation, English translation and links to explanation, sample sentences and/or related words

The pages are now 'secure' (https)
Over the last months I've been adding paragraphs explaining words with many examples of usage, like:
weg - 'way' and 'away' - and terug - back
gebeuren - to happen, to take place
proberen - to try
risico and veiligheid - risk and safety
ergens and nergens - somewhere and nowhere/nothing
laten schrikken and schrikken - to startle and to be shocked, to be frightened
zwijgen - to be silent, not speak
gebeuren - to happen, take place
zorg and zorgen - care and worries
dichtbij/nabij and ver, ver weg - near, close by and far, far away
'open' and 'dicht' - open and closed
eigen - 'own, personal' sometimes 'private'
thuis - 'home, at home'
zacht - 'soft'
zelf - '~yourself'
New Page 'Disambiguation Remainders'
- enig - 'single, unique' // 'any'
- enkel - 'only, single' // 'ankle'
- eenvoudig - 'simple, uncomplicated'
- tot - 'till, until'
tegen, met and mee - 'against' and 'with'
On the Change page:
- behalve - 'except, but for'
- namens, in naam van - 'on behalf of'
- midden, middel - 'mid, middle'
Elsewhere on the Change page:
- (de) kans - 'chance, opportunity'
- (het) toeval - 'chance, coincidence, random event'
On the 'What I Want' page:
- (de) last - 'burden' // 'trouble, bother'
- lastig - 'difficult, troublesome'
- moeilijk/(ge)makkelijk - 'difficult/easy'
- wennen aan - 'getting used to'
misschien - maybe, perhaps
licht, donker and zwaar - 'light,' 'dark' and 'heavy'

June 2018
The Verb Vragen - 'to Ask'

May 2018
The Verb Mogen - 'May, to be allowed to'
The Verbs Lijden 'to Suffer' and Leiden 'to Lead' ‑>>

April 2018
New verb pages (Conjugation and Samples of Usage)
krijgen ('to get, to be given')
geven ('to give')
nemen ('to take')
zoeken ('to search, loook for')
vinden ('to find')
halen ('to get, collect')
brengen ('to bring')

January 2018
Dutch Verb Denken
Dutch Verbs Combined and 'Te'

November 2017
Dutch Verb Laten 'to let, allow' (etc.)
Dutch Verb Maken 'to Make'

October 2017
[With] In Other Words - Square Brackets - Square brackets explained and words in Dutch that may look meaningless and unnecessary to foreign students

August 2017
Good and Bad, Right and Wrong
'Goed' = good, well and right
'Slecht, erg' = bad
'Verkeerd, fout, mis' = wrong

May 2017
Verb moeten ('must, should, have to' etc.)

April 2017
'What I Want' - Loves, Likes and Preferences in Dutch

January 2017
Dutch Words in (Some) Depth: Dutch Index - English Index - links to examples of usage and usually some explanation
More and Less etc. - 'veel' (much/many) and 'weinig' (little/few) - 'meer' (more) and 'minder' (less/fewer) - 'meest' (most) and 'minst' (least)

December2016
I revisited the Word Order to revise and pull the material together for a smartphone page

November 2016
I've been upgrading the Disambiguation pages: a new look, new material and technical issues dealt with

October 2016
Added two chapters to the The Senses page
and one chapter to the Using Words page

September 2016
Revised the layout and added much material to the The Senses page
Using Words to say, to speak, to talk, to tell and to write
Komen - 'to Come'
'To Know' is Kennen or Weten >>

August 2016
New Disambiguation Pages: 'Eens' - 'Erg' - 'Nog'

July 2016
New Smartphone Pages
The 'Smartphone Pages' often use material from other pages, but most are re-written and re-arranged and there are many pages not found in 'regular' versions.
For desktop/laptop viewing I recommend narrowing the window of these pages, and on tablets I'd recommend the 'portrait' position.

Thesaurus: Change

June 2016
Disambiguation: 'Maar'

May 2016
Revisited spelling and pronunciation for smartphone pages 1 - 2

March 2016
Expanding the 'Verbs Library' - new pages with the complete conjugation of verbs and sample phrases and sentences >>

October 2015
Revisiting the Dutch verbs for Smartphone Pages - revising and rewriting the material, so the new pages are also good for students using desktops, laptops and tablets: start - List of Pages (so Far)

September 2015:
First words:
Smartphone Pictures Dictionary of Common Dutch Words - 2 - 3
Smartphone Numbers - Time
Smartphone version of the pronunciation exercise of words that are identical in Dutch and English ->>
Mobile Pictures Dictionary: Vegetables - Fruits - Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Treats and Snacks
I added a paragraph about 'consonant I' to the Pronunciation page >> - before, this was only mentioned under AAI, OEI etc.

August 2015: A Few Words of Life
For Mobile: Basic Dutch words on a series of smartphone-friendly pages: >>

July 2015: Disambiguation: 'Over' - 'Vroeg' - 'Laat' - 'Haast'
Added a chapter about the verb for the future tense to the 'Easy Dutch Verbs' page ->>

June 2015: Disambiguation: 'Voor' - 'Even' - 'Om' - 'Net' - 'Door' - 'Van' - 'Of'

May 2015: All 'Basic Dutch' nouns are now on flash cards 10 new pages

March 2015: Adjectives and Adverbs Exercise (4 pages)

January 2015: Dutch Vocabulary Flash Cards (~40 pages)
Started change to a new sound processing system

December 2014: Disambiguation: 'Al' - 'Als' - 'Daar' - 'Dan' - 'Dat' - 'Er' - 'Het' - 'Toen' - 'Waar' - 'Wat' - 'Zo'

September 2014: Words and Lines of Time
- a Dutch thesaurus page with many examples of usage

April 2014: The Senses - Words and Lines

February 2014: Jobs and Lines of Work - words and phrases

January 2014: Common Problems in Dutch
- 'Units' and Other Common Word Combinations
- Hear the names of the Dutch team members at the Sochi Winter Olympics >>

December 2013: Dutch Summary
The Most Important Pronunciation, Spelling and Grammar - on One Page

October 2013: 3 Dutch Santa Claus Songs
- The Dutch Lines in the Movie 'Miracle of 34th Street'

September 2013: Talking about Travel

July 2013: Sleep - words and phrases

June 2013
The Most Basic Phrases Useful words and phrases for when you're visiting Holland. Many people in Holland speak some English, but it's a nice courtesy to say a few Dutch words.
Speaking Dutch, Speaking about Dutch - many people in Holland are surprised or incredulous when a foreigner is speaking Dutch. So what do you say?

May 2013
A new page in the 'Conversation Templates' series:
Eating and Drinking, Food Phrases - about 175 lines
Easy Dutch 3: Recognizable verbs and activities, with many simple sentences as examples. When you know English, the 'Easy Dutch' pages make learning Dutch easier, may give you a head start.

April 2013
Easy Dutch 2 - added 50 recognizable words for animals - recognizable: somewhat similar to English words.
A major revision of the page where you can hear all Dutch Vowels and Diphthongs side-by-side in Dutch words. More than 300 new sound files of individual words, mouse-overs showing translations, and a new introduction.

March 2014
I revised the introduction to my 'Learning Dutch' page and added a chapter with suggestions for if you only want to read Dutch - or if you want to start with reading.

Januari 2013
To many pages a few words or pictures were added, like to the Outdoors page
- and a major expansion was made to the Dutch Lunch and Snacks page.

December 2012
250 Dutch Sayings - probably not for immediate use,
but fun to read through and listen to, and maybe someday
you'll impress your Dutch friends with an appropriate quote ...

November 2012:
Weather talk: about 120 weather phrases and 20 weather sayings

August 2012: Easy Dutch - a new series
Recognizable words to quickly build vocabulary and learn pronunciation
Easy Dutch 2 Recognizable words by subject

April 2012:
Dutch names and words from Fairy Tales - Bread Words
Some browsers scroll my pages to the top when you click a speaker
icon to hear Dutch. Not convenient! I want you to be able to read
the words you're hearing. So I put the speaker window in a fixed
position at the top of the browser window, and the pages should
stay in place.

March 2012
3 New words lists pages:
Mail - The Middle Ages - The Military

Februari 2012
A new page: shopping - and additions to many of my pages,
like for instance milk and cheese - drinks - meals - clothes
house builders - emergency preparedness - make-up etc.
- and I keep discovering new False Friends

December 2011
The new 'Welcome' index page, and new 'overview' pages
(grammar) - (words and phrases) - (names) will make it easier
to find what you need on my pages.
Special Days and a poem with a beautiful rhythm: Koppelstok

November 2011
The Dutch Plurals Explained. Hear more than 300 examples >>
Linked most of my little essays and made an essays menu page >>
My website is now also available on a USB memory stick ($30) >>

October 2011
Dutch Lesson 15: A Dutch Continuous, Word Order (4),
Beauty and Cleanliness, Fahrenheit to Celsius,
'Thoughts on Things Dutch:' The Dutch Mind! >>

September 2011
A New Pronunciation Exercise >>
Not easy, but it will quickly teach you the
differences between English and Dutch pronunciation
Small additions, like: drinks - nutritional values

August 2011
Small additions to many pages, like for instance: 1 - 2
Personal Pronouns: 150 Sample Sentences >>

June 2011
Dutch Lesson 14: The Future Tense, Word Order (3):
Secondary Verbs, Questions, Commands and Suggestions >>

June 2011
Added 65 Names of 17th Century Tulips, with comments >>

June 2011
Prepositions, Conjuctions etc. list English to Dutch: >>

April-May 2011
Upgraded 'Everyday Dutch' Pages >> ff

April 2011
Four more basic food picture pages: >> ff

March 2011
Everyday (Basic) Dutch - long pages >> ff

Februari 2011
Dutch Lesson 13: The Passive Voice, Word Order (2);
Government, Elections and Parties in Holland >>

Januari 2011
Hans Brinker, A Dutchman's Comments on the book >>

December 2010
Early Flemish and Dutch Painters >>

November 2010
The Beauty of Holland, the Beauty of Dutch (Alliterations) >>

November 2010
Hebrew Words in Dutch (completely revised) >>

September 2010
False Friends:
De brave baker at brood met worst op de brink 2 >>
The obedient nanny ate bread with sausage on the village square

July 2010
Dutch Lesson 12: The Past Tense; Strong Verbs; My Home Town >>

June 2010
Dutch Lesson 11: Adjectives and Adverbs; Education in Holland >>

May 2010
Pronunciation Reference Page - completely revised >>
with a list of all the pronunciation examples translated >>

April 2010
Conversations Template: Examples of Phrases >>

March 2010
Place Names in Holland and Belgium, Dutch Names Abroad >>

October 2009
Malay Words in Dutch >>

October 2009
Dutch Names of Foreign Lands >>

October 2009
Dutch Music Vocabulary >>

August 2009
Slow Dutch >>

July 2009
Dutch Lesson 10: Exceptions and Irregularities >>

June 2009
Dutch Lesson 9: The Present Tense >>

May 2009
600 Dutch First and Last Names >>

March 2009
Started Dutch lessons: Lesson 1 >> ff

weiland 2 gras 2 mijn Nederland 2 (Oude Ade 2 near Leiden ) Picture © Margo Griffin 2011 all rights reserved

My Favorite Pages
Lesson 6 (Time) >>
Lesson 12 (Strong Verbs) >>
False Friends >>

Beautiful Pages You May Have Missed
The Beauty of Holland, the Beauty of Dutch (Alliterations) >>
The Outdoors >>
Prepositions Pictorial >>
The Family Tree >>

Master Lists of Dutch Words
The 'Master Lists' of common Dutch words: pronunciation and Engish translation, and often links to explanation, sample sentences and/or related words.
- Dutch to English Listing
- English to Dutch Listing
blijven = 'to remain, stay, keep'

Hear Longer Texts, with Translation
From Famous Dutch Books >>
From my own writing >>
Prayers and Fragments from the Bible >>

A Dual-language short story >>

water 2 riet 2 (De Kaag 2 near Leiden ) Picture © Margo Griffin 2011 all rights reserved

Other Dutch Sites

Copyright