Learn Dutch on My Website

My website can be just a resource: choose subjects you need to know about or that look interesting - Site Map - but I also have some programs for learning Dutch using the material on my website.

My Other Programs:

• Little English: Not Much English - Learn some Dutch with little English
• Variety: The Lessons - Each lesson starts with a Dutch text to read and listen to, then some grammar, usually some vocabulary, a short side subject like numbers or units of measure, and a little essay about Dutch or Holland ('The Netherlands')
• Suggestions: A Set of Suggestions
• Smartphone: Smartphone Pages Learning-Dutch Program
• short overview of my website
• Detailed, precise directions: Program 3

Program 3 for Learning Dutch

Introducing Dutch:

1. Listen to and read a little Dutch: Colors - to get an idea what Dutch looks like and how it sounds
2. Listen to (and read) a little easy Slow Dutch
3. Read and listen to a poem about Holland

4. Read about how the letters are pronounced in Dutch: Vowels (a e i o u) and Diphthongs (au ou ei ij eu oe ui)
   The Dutch consonants (b c d f g h j k l m n p q r s t v w x z) are generally not very different from the consonants in English.
5. If you want to: more Reading and Listening

ik spreek 2
ik glimlach	ik lach

Beginner: Learn Words

1. Learn a few standard phrases like Goedemorgen ('Good Morning') and Dank U wel ('Thank you') - Useful Phrases / Common Phrases - smartphone - learn just a few, you can return for more later
2. Before you start learning words, read about the Dutch definite articles ('the') - de 2 and het 2 3 (often shortened to: 't ) The Article - about 2/3 of Dutch nouns are de-words, so when learning nouns, memorize which take het
3. Start Learning 'Basic' Dutch words, about a thousand total: Nouns first - in small doses, say 20 or 30 words a day.
4. After a few days of learning words, you're probably a bit puzzled by the spelling of long and short vowels and the 'third E'
   Learning words will be easier when you understand how long and short vowels are written (it's fairly logical.) Read, and listen to the examples: The Spelling of Long and Short Vowels - more
   Or find the spelling/pronunciation rules by yourself by studying and listening to many examples
   The 'voiceless, unstressed E' also called 'the schwa' can also be a problem. Read, and listen to the examples: Voiceless, Unstressed E (schwa)
5. If you're puzzled by the pronunciation of a word, it may be an exception - Read
6. Learning the words from the 'Basic Dutch' pages may be a little boring. You could alternate with the more attractive Pictures Dictionary or look for material that interests you in Words by Subject Mobile 'Words' Pages, Learning on the Go:
   • Smartphone Basic Dutch Words Lists
   • Smartphone Pictures Dictionary
7. If you're a native speaker of English or otherwise know English well, the Easy Dutch 'recognizable' words will be easy to memorize, and they will also help you quickly understand the differences between Dutch and English spelling and pronunciation
8. Next to the formal learning, read some (hopefully) interesting and/or entertaining pages about Dutch and The Netherlands. You'll pick up some words along the way. For instance the Short Essays or pages like Alliterations, False Friends or Sayings - and more of that 'Sideways Learning'
9. And/or you could next to learning the basic words jump ahead and already start with Verbs and Word Order or Words and Phrases of subjects interesting to you

10. When you've learned a good collection of words, Test and Review with Flashcards Pages: Vocabulary and Listening - organized by subject like the words lists - and: from pictures
11. 770 Basic Words Listening Test - Pictures Vocabulary Tests
12. If you're looking for a specific word, it could be in my 'Master Lists:'  Dutch to English - English to Dutch that have pronunciation and often link to some explanation, examples of usage and/or related words

13. Learn the Dutch numbers: Desktop - Smartphone
14. Test your understanding of the numbers with Listening Tests: 1 - 2
15. Learn Dutch words and phrases for Time: telling time on the clock, the parts of the day, the days of the week, the months of the year and the seasons: Desktop - Smartphone
16. Days, Months, Seasons: Vocabulary Test - Listening Test

17. Study the 50 Common Adjectives and Adverbs page
18. Learn the Basic Adjectives and Adverbs
    Adjectives almost always get -E endings, which may cause spelling changes - study the spelling rules: Introduction - More - Much More - you'll find the same spelling changes in verbs and plurals, so it's important to understand this well
19. Adjectives and Adverbs Flashcards: Vocabulary Test - Listening Test
20. Read about the Dutch Plurals - it's also good vocabulary
21. Test your understanding of the Plurals: Plurals Flashcards Exercise
22. Learn the common Dutch prepositions and study the schematic drawings for their physical meaning: Desktop - Smartphone (We'll return to the prepositions in great depth later)
23. Word Opposites - test yourself or study it as a lesson

24. Review spelling and pronunciation: 1-page summary
25. Compare the sounds of the vowels and diphthongs, hear them all next to each other
26. Learn more Basic Phrases and 'Hello' and 'Goodbye'

27. Return to Basics: Recognizing Sounds and Words, and Spelling them correctly:
    Hear all vowels and diphthongs next to each other:
    Vowels and Diphthongs Compared Vowels and Diphthongs Compared
    Vowels and Diphthongs Listening Tests

Intermediate: Verbs and Word Order
To speak in sentences, you need some grammar:
(but keep alternating with lighter stuff like 'Sideways Learning')

1. Look at the Personal Pronouns Table and read the notes below it. Then learn the nominatives (first case: I, you etc.)
2. Read the Introduction to Verbs
3. Read and listen to the Personal Pronouns Examples
4. Study the basic verbs Zijn 'to be' and Hebben 'to have' - and read and listen to the simple sample sentences on the pages
5. Read about the verb 'Stem' and the changes of verbs, and read about the Simple Present Tense

6. Start studying the build, structure of sentences: Basic Word Order and continue to the next chapters: 2 - 3 - Smartphone Version - Much of it is not very different from English - Compared
7. Next to the 'Easy Dutch' vocabulary and pronunciation, the Dutch and English page has some other shortcuts, for native speakers of English and people who know English well

8. Read about the Simple Past Tense
9. Study the past tense of Zijn 'to be' and Hebben 'to have' and read and listen to the examples of usage on those pages
10. Read about the 't kofschip Rule - 2 for 'weak' verbs and study as examples of the two types of conjugation: Maken 'to make' and Leren 2 'to learn / to teach' and read and listen to the examples

11. Study a few more common verbs and read and listen to the sample sentences. Note that the most common verbs are a bit irregular.
    Kunnen 'can,' to be able to, to be possible, to be allowed to
    Doen 2 3 to do
    Moeten 2 'must,' have to, 'be obliged to,' 'ought to,' 'should,'
    Weten to know (things) - to have knowledge of
    Houden van to like, to love
    Willen 2 to want, wish, desire, would like to
    Lezen 2 3 to read
12. Get to Know the Other Common Verbs
13. Most verbs take hebben as the auxiliary verb for the perfect tenses ('to have,' like in English) but some verbs take zijn (otherwise translated as 'to be') - and some can take both. Learn Which Verbs Take Zijn

14. Test your understanding of the verbs with the Verbs Flashcards Exercise
15. Read about the Future Tense
16. Read about the Dutch 'Continuous/Progressive'
17. Read about Splitting Verbs
18. Review Verbs - 2
19. Review Word Order

Intermediate 2: Possibly Problematic Vocabulary

1. Learn the other cases of the Personal Pronouns and read and listen again to the examples
2. 'This,' 'these,' 'that,' and 'those' do not have straight equivalents in Dutch: see and read
3. Veel 2 is 'much/many,' while heel 2 3 and erg mean 'very.' These words are confusing to many students.
   Read more: Introduction - Veel - Erg
4. Students often confuse 'Niet,' 'Geen' and 'Wel' - Read
5. Read about the passive voice (worden 2 ) - especially for native speakers of English the Dutch passive voice (and some of the perfect tenses) can be very confusing
6. 'It' can usually be translated as het 2 3 or 't - 'that' as dat and 'what' as wat but when there's a preposition involved, 'it' is almost always translated as 'er,' - 'that' will be 'daar' and 'what' will be 'waar' Introduction - 'Er' - 'Daar' - 'Waar'
7. Large, Tall, Big, Great and Small, Little
8. Good and Bad, Right and Wrong
9. More and Less etc.
10. Dutch people often use diminutives: examples of usage - list
11. 'Partitive Phrases' and other common combinations

Intermediate 3: Pronunciation Review

I've started a series of pages about the pronunciation of the letters in Dutch. Many of the letters, but not finished yet.
Repeat the words after me, try saying them like I do, and record yourself or ask a friend to compare how you say them with how I say them. Try to bring your pronunciation of the words closer and closer to how I say them. Use as few or as many examples as you like.
 AU/OU  CH  E  EI/IJ  EU  G  H  L  OE  SCH  U  UI  V  W  X  Y
Review Pronunciation

Mistakes to Avoid

• Wrong De  and Het  ‑>>
• Adjectives often, but not always have an -E ending ‑>>
• 'Placeholders' 'er,' 'daar'  en 'waar'  ‑>>
• Review Common Problems

Advanced

1. More words and phrases, with sample sentences:
   Study subjects that are interesting or look useful to you
   Weather - Travel - Sleep
   Food, Eating, Drinking
   Speaking Dutch - Bicycling
   Talking about Time
   Ziek - Talking about Not Feeling Well
   Jobs and Lines of Work
   The Senses - Using Words
   'What I Want' - Loves andLikes
   I think of these pages as 'Conversation Templates'
2. Remaining Words by Subject and Pictures Dictionary
3. Study the verbs that look useful or interesting to you: Verbs List
4. For me learning English, prepositions are still somewhat a problem, and I assume there's a similar difficulty for people learning Dutch. I recommend reading my 'Disambiguation' pages and Verbs and Their Prepositions
5. A few common verbs don't take the past participle but the infinitive in the perfect tenses when combined with other verbs, and the related occasional use of 'te'  with Dutch verbs - Read
6. Dutch people often add words that look unnecessay or meaningless - Read
7. Revisit the Sayings and Aliterations pages, read and listen again to the examples
8. Study the 'Thesaurus' pages for a good understanding of how to talk about these subjects: Life - Change - Time

Reference and Overview Pages

• Pronunciation Reference - 2
• Grammar Overview
• Vocabulary Overview
• Reading and Listening Pages Overview
• Exercises
• Words lists with pronunciation and links to some explanation, examples of usage and/or related words:
  - Dutch to English
  - English to Dutch

email - Copyright © Marco Schuffelen 2021. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed, or hotlinked to.
Gij zult niet stelen 'Thou shalt not steal'