Leer Echt Nederlands.
40 structured lessons from zero to fluent. Real vocabulary, proper grammar, pronunciation guides, speaking exercises, and an AI tutor.
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Lessons 1–10
Lessons 11–20
Lessons 21–30
Lessons 31–40
🎙 Speaking
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🔊 Dutch Sounds
G, UI, IJ, SCH, W, R — master these first
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📖 Grammar
Rules, tables, and explanations
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🔊 Dutch Sounds
Dutch has several sounds that don't exist in English. Master these first and everything else clicks faster. Click any word chip to hear it pronounced.
The Dutch G — guttural fricative [ɣ]
Made at the back of the throat, like gently clearing it. Nothing like English "g" in "go". Closest English equivalent: the Scottish "loch". In the south it's softer; in the north harder. Both are correct. This is the most iconic Dutch sound — get it right and you instantly sound more natural.
UI — diphthong [œy]
One of the hardest Dutch sounds. Start with rounded lips saying "uh" (like "fur"), then slide toward "ee" while keeping lips rounded. Some describe it as "ow" with rounded lips. It appears in extremely common words so you can't avoid it.
IJ and EI — both pronounced [ɛi]
Two spellings, one sound — somewhere between English "ay" (say) and "eye". IJ is a uniquely Dutch digraph, treated as a single letter. When capitalised it's always written together: IJsland, IJmuiden. EI sounds identical — just a different spelling convention.
SCH — [sx] at the start, silent CH at the end
At the start of a word: S + the Dutch G sound together. "School" = [sxoːl]. At the end of words in "-isch" suffixes (typisch, fantastisch), the "ch" is silent — pronounced just "-is". Don't overthink it — listen and mimic.
OE — always [uː] like "food"
Always pronounced like English "oo" in "food" — never like "oe" in "toe". This one is actually easy once you know it, but English speakers mispronounce it constantly until someone corrects them.
Dutch W — [ʋ], between English V and W
Not like English W where both lips round. Put your top teeth lightly on your lower lip (like starting a V sound) and say W. The result is halfway between V and W. This trips up English speakers who round both lips.
Dutch R — uvular [ʀ], vibrated at the back
In standard Dutch (Amsterdam, Rotterdam area) the R is uvular — vibrated at the back of the throat like a French R. In the east and south it can be a rolled R like Spanish. At the end of unstressed syllables it often disappears entirely. The uvular version is standard broadcast Dutch.
Single vowel = short, double vowel = long
Dutch spelling signals vowel length. A single vowel in a closed syllable (consonant after it) is short. A doubled vowel, or a vowel in an open syllable, is long. This affects meaning:
- man [mɑn] — short A (man) vs maan [maːn] — long A (moon)
- bok [bɔk] — short O (buck) vs boom [boːm] — long O (tree)
- bot [bɔt] — short O (bone/blunt) vs boot [boːt] — long O (boat)
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📖 Grammatica Overzicht
Complete grammar reference — articles, verbs, word order, and more.
The Hard Truth About De & Het
Dutch has two definite articles: de (common gender) and het (neuter). There are no perfect rules — you must learn articles with each word. However, these patterns cover ~80% of cases:
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| All plurals use "de" | de huizen, de mannen |
| All people & professions | de man, de vrouw, de dokter |
| Words ending in -ie, -tie, -sie | de politie, de functie |
| Words ending in -heid, -heid, -teit | de vrijheid, de universiteit |
| Words ending in -ing | de vergadering, de opleiding |
| Words ending in -ij, -nis, -st (nouns) | de bakkerij, de kennis |
| Rivers, mountains, most countries | de Rijn, de Alpen |
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| Diminutives (-je, -tje, -pje) | het huisje, het kopje |
| Verbs used as nouns (infinitives) | het lopen, het eten |
| Words ending in -ment, -sel, -isme | het moment, het kapsel |
| Metals and materials | het goud, het staal, het hout |
| Languages and sports | het Nederlands, het voetbal |
| Most 2-syllable words starting with be-, ge-, ver-, ont- | het geluk, het verhaal |
Find the stem: remove -en from infinitive. Add endings below.
| Pronoun | Ending | werken | leven | reizen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ik | stem only | werk | leef* | reis |
| jij/je | stem + t | werkt | leeft | reist |
| u | stem + t | werkt | leeft | reist |
| hij/zij/het | stem + t | werkt | leeft | reist |
| wij/we | infinitive | werken | leven | reizen |
| jullie | infinitive | werken | leven | reizen |
| zij/ze | infinitive | werken | leven | reizen |
⚠ jij/je AFTER verb drops the -t: "Werk jij?" not "Werkt jij?"
| Stem ends in… | Past singular | Past plural | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 't kofschip letters (t,k,f,s,ch,p) | stem + te | stem + ten | werkte / werkten |
| Other consonants / vowels | stem + de | stem + den | leefde / leefden |
| Auxiliary | When to use | Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| hebben | Most verbs | ge- + stem + d/t | Ik heb gewerkt |
| zijn | Motion/change: gaan, komen, rijden, worden, blijven… | ge- + stem + d/t | Ik ben gegaan |
| Pronoun | zijn (present) | zijn (past) | hebben (present) | hebben (past) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ik | ben | was | heb | had |
| jij | bent | was | hebt/heeft | had |
| hij/zij | is | was | heeft | had |
| wij | zijn | waren | hebben | hadden |
| jullie | zijn | waren | hebben | hadden |
| zij | zijn | waren | hebben | hadden |
The verb is ALWAYS second in a main clause
No matter what comes first (subject, time, place, adverb), the conjugated verb must be in position 2. If something other than the subject starts the sentence, subject and verb invert.
- Ik ga morgen naar Amsterdam. — Normal SVO
- Morgen ga ik naar Amsterdam. — Time first → verb 2nd, subject 3rd
- Naar Amsterdam ga ik morgen. — Place first
After: dat, of, omdat, als, toen, terwijl, hoewel…
- Ik weet dat hij morgen komt.
- Ze werkt niet omdat ze ziek is.
- Hij belt als hij tijd heeft.
- With modal: Ik denk dat hij kan komen. (modal before infinitive)
- Perfect in subclause: Ik weet dat ze heeft gewerkt.
| Infinitive | Main clause | Subordinate clause |
|---|---|---|
| opstaan | Ik sta om 7 uur op. | …dat ik om 7 uur opsta. |
| thuiskomen | Ze komt laat thuis. | …omdat ze laat thuiskomt. |
| aankomen | De trein komt aan. | …dat de trein aankomt. |
| Situation | Add -e? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| de-word + definite (de/deze/die) | YES | de grote hond |
| de-word + indefinite (een) | YES | een grote hond |
| het-word + definite (het/dit/dat) | YES | het grote huis |
| het-word + indefinite (een) | NO! | een groot huis ← no -e! |
| Predicate (after zijn/worden) | NO | Het huis is groot. |
| All plurals | YES | grote huizen |
Spelling changes when adding -e
- Double vowel shortens before -e: groot → grote, rood → rode
- Final consonant doubles to keep short vowel: dik → dikke, nat → natte
- -f → -v before -e: lief → lieve, doof → dove
- -s → -z before -e: grijs → grijze (rare)
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Comparative | adj + -er | groot → groter, mooi → mooier |
| Superlative | adj + -st(e) | groot → grootst(e), mooi → mooist(e) |
| Irregular | — | goed → beter → best; veel → meer → meest; weinig → minder → minst |
| Person | Subject | Object | Possessive | Reflexive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg | ik | mij/me | mijn | me/mezelf |
| 2nd sg informal | jij/je | jou/je | jouw/je | je/jezelf |
| 2nd sg formal | u | u | uw | u/uzelf |
| 3rd sg masc | hij/ie | hem | zijn | zich/zichzelf |
| 3rd sg fem | zij/ze | haar | haar | zich/zichzelf |
| 3rd sg neuter | het/'t | het | zijn | zich |
| 1st pl | wij/we | ons | ons/onze | ons/onszelf |
| 2nd pl | jullie | jullie | jullie | je/jezelf |
| 3rd pl | zij/ze | hen/hun/ze | hun | zich/zichzelf |
| Type | de-word | het-word | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| This (nearby) | deze | dit | deze |
| That (far) | die | dat | die |
| Relative "who/which" | die | dat | die |
| Infinitive | English | Past (sg) | Past (pl) | Participle | Aux |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| zijn | to be | was | waren | geweest | zijn |
| hebben | to have | had | hadden | gehad | hebben |
| worden | to become | werd | werden | geworden | zijn |
| gaan | to go | ging | gingen | gegaan | zijn |
| komen | to come | kwam | kwamen | gekomen | zijn |
| zien | to see | zag | zagen | gezien | hebben |
| doen | to do | deed | deden | gedaan | hebben |
| zeggen | to say | zei/zegde | zeiden | gezegd | hebben |
| staan | to stand | stond | stonden | gestaan | hebben |
| liggen | to lie (down) | lag | lagen | gelegen | hebben |
| zitten | to sit | zat | zaten | gezeten | hebben |
| lopen | to walk | liep | liepen | gelopen | hebben |
| rijden | to drive/ride | reed | reden | gereden | hebben |
| schrijven | to write | schreef | schreven | geschreven | hebben |
| lezen | to read | las | lazen | gelezen | hebben |
| spreken | to speak | sprak | spraken | gesproken | hebben |
| nemen | to take | nam | namen | genomen | hebben |
| geven | to give | gaf | gaven | gegeven | hebben |
| vinden | to find/think | vond | vonden | gevonden | hebben |
| denken | to think | dacht | dachten | gedacht | hebben |
| weten | to know (fact) | wist | wisten | geweten | hebben |
| kunnen | can | kon | konden | gekund | hebben |
| willen | to want | wou/wilde | wilden | gewild | hebben |
| moeten | must | moest | moesten | gemoeten | hebben |
| mogen | may | mocht | mochten | gemogen | hebben |
| zullen | shall/will | zou | zouden | — | — |
| houden | to hold/keep | hield | hielden | gehouden | hebben |
| kopen | to buy | kocht | kochten | gekocht | hebben |
| brengen | to bring | bracht | brachten | gebracht | hebben |
| beginnen | to begin | begon | begonnen | begonnen | zijn |
| Number | Dutch | Number | Dutch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | één | 11 | elf |
| 2 | twee | 12 | twaalf |
| 3 | drie | 13 | dertien |
| 4 | vier | 14 | veertien |
| 5 | vijf | 15 | vijftien |
| 6 | zes | 16 | zestien |
| 7 | zeven | 17 | zeventien |
| 8 | acht | 18 | achttien |
| 9 | negen | 19 | negentien |
| 10 | tien | 20 | twintig |
| Number | Dutch | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | eenentwintig | units BEFORE tens! (one-and-twenty) |
| 32 | tweeëndertig | ën connects vowel + vowel |
| 30 | dertig | |
| 40 | veertig | |
| 50 | vijftig | |
| 60 | zestig | |
| 70 | zeventig | |
| 80 | tachtig | ⚠ irregular! |
| 90 | negentig | |
| 100 | honderd | |
| 1,000 | duizend | |
| 1,000,000 | één miljoen |
| Time | Dutch |
|---|---|
| 3:00 | drie uur |
| 3:05 | vijf over drie |
| 3:15 | kwart over drie |
| 3:30 | half vier ← HALF BEFORE the next hour! |
| 3:45 | kwart voor vier |
| 3:55 | vijf voor vier |
| 3:20 | tien over drie |
| 3:40 | tien voor half vier (10 min before 3:30) |