How do you actually pronounce "het"? Is it closer to "heht" (like English "het") or does it sound more like "huht"? I keep seeing it written phonetically both ways and I'm confused. I'm studying for the Inburgering A2 exam and want to get the basics right.. Thank you!
Hi everyone! I've been looking for an answer about this topic for a while but I can't find anything, at least in English. I'm at a low intermediate level and I struggle to understand how I should link the N sound at the end of words with the next word when it starts with a vowel.
The N at the end of a verb in the infinitive or of a plural is normally silent, so people usually say "hebbe" not "hebbeN", but if something comes after it, do you pronounce the N and say "we hebbeN een" or do you say "we hebbe- een"? Do you say "MenseN in" or "Mense- in"? "StondeN er" or "stonde- er"?
Hey everyone,
I’ve been living in the Netherlands for 4 years now and need to start preparing seriously to clear my Inburgering exams.
Can anyone recommend good language Places , A1/A2 courses, or local tutors in the Maastricht or Heerlen area? I'm looking for something effective that handles the official integration levels. Thanks in advance!🙏
I really enjoy her YouTube content, it's always super clear, digestible, and constructive. She recently launched the Master Everyday Dutch Conversations course, which targets A2-B1 learners who need structured practice with daily speaking interactions and dialogues.
This is exactly where I’m at right now. If you’ve enrolled, what’s your honest evaluation of it? Also, if you know of any good alternative courses or methods focused specifically on conversational practice at this level, I’d love to hear them!
Mods: this is a genuine post asking about opinions/suggestions. If you think it violates the rules, feel free to delete it.
Hello! I’m a mozambican citizen, fluent in both Portuguese and English language, looking for someone to teach me how to speak, write and understand the Dutch language (my boyfriend is Dutch but we are doing LDR for now, hoping to change that i’d have to learn his language.
I am looking for someone who also speaks portuguese, but if not, english wouldn’t be a problem whatsoever. I’d also be happy to teach the portuguese language as well
Hit me up! ☺️
Als je over meer mensen praat en ze niet het onderwerp van de zin zijn.
My question is why is zijn at the end when ‘en’ is not a catapulting conjunction?
Hi everyone,
This will be my first exam. I have all my Inburgering exams coming up next week in Amsterdam and Zwolle, and I'm pretty nervous and confused about the exam format. If anyone has taken these exams before, I'd really appreciate you sharing your experience!
Speaking exam questions:
Listening exam questions:
Any general tips for the exam would also be hugely appreciated!
Thanks so much in advance for any help!! 🙏
Weet niet of dit de beste subreddit hiervoor is, maar weet niet waar anders ik zou moeten vragen.
Ik zit een boek te lezen en kwam deze zin tegen. Tot nu toe werd hij altijd aangesproken de titel "heer", niet het Engelse woord "lord", dus nu vraag ik mij eigenlijk af of dit een vertaalfout is of dat lord daadwerkelijk een woord is on het Nederlands, en als ja, betekent het gewoon hetzelfde als "heer", of zit er een betekenisverschil in? Nogmaals, ik vraag me dit vooral af omdat hij altijd met "heer" werd aangesproken, dus dit kwam nogal vreemd en inconsistent over bij mij.
Hello,
The guy I am flirting with texted me ”je bent leuk.” and put a kiss emoji in the end.
When I literally translate it, it is like “you are nice.” which is not a romantic thing at all. What does it really mean and how can I reply this?
Hi everyone!
I just passed my B2 Dutch exam all 4 parts on the first try, after 2.5 years of continous learning.
I don't want to come across as ignorant, but I was able to pass the exam without going to language schools and I want to share my experience of how I managed to do that, as I know a lot of people are deterred from learning Dutch because of the high cost associated with it.
Caveats: I already speak English at C1 level and my experience can be more applicable to people who live in Rotterdam, because of the help I was able to get.
To start with, I started seriously learning Dutch in January 2024, when I just finished my bachelor degree in Netherlands.
I didn't want to spend too much money in the beginning to learn Dutch, because from my experience with learning English, getting frequent exposure to the language is just as important as having good curriculum and good teachers. Besides, I didn't know much about the quality of language schools here and their style of teaching.
One day, I got a newsletter from my "huis van de wijk" that they offered free Dutch lessons, organized by volunteers. I went there and against my expectations that I would sit in a class with 5-10 students, they gave me the option to have lessons with just another student. This is also because the volunteers themselves preferred a small group, as it's easier for them to teach. The organization that matched Dutch volunteers with the students is actually SOL (sol samen ondernemend leren) solnetwerk.nl
At first, it was mainly learning grammar, but because the group was small, I got plenty of opportunity to speak the language. I also had to supplement the lessons with my volunteers through a lot of self-study, from watching Youtube videos to learning from textbooks.
With my volunteer's help and self-study, I was able to get to the A2-B1 level quite easily. Later on, I also get another volunteer's help from an organization called "Gilde Taal Rotterdam" (as far as I am aware, Gilde Taal is also present in Leiden). The experience is also fantastic. While with SOL volunteer, I studied vocabulary and reading, I studied with Gilde Taal volunteer the other aspects of learning Dutch, such as writing. And ofc, speaking is a big part of every lesson. The volunteers also helped me to prepare for NT2 exam by doing practice tests with me.
So through my experience, I just want to recommend you to reach out to organizations that offered free Dutch language help in your area. Oftentimes, there are more help available than you realized. Of course learning with volunteers have pros and cons.
Pros:
- you usually get lessons in a small group of max 2-3 students. thus more time to interact with the teacher than in a course from a language school.
- the volunteers are usually flexible and because it's small group, it's easier to find a time where you are all available.
- I might be biased, but the interaction with a volunteer can get more personal and warmer than in a course (especially an online course). You thus will also talk about a lot more topics and widen your speaking skills much faster. You also make friends with Dutch people and get to know the culture more.
- you can shape how you want to learn, choose your own material. Thus the cons are:
Cons:
- you have to shape how you want to learn. The volunteer do have some books or materials given by the organization, but as they are not trained teachers, they will understadably not have a well-shaped currriculum on how and what you should learn. Sometimes it can feel disorganized, but if you are someone who understands your needs, the flexibility of the volunteer is actually a great advantage compared to learning in a school.
I also want to share other help that I used or know of (excluding books)
- Taalcafe (the tip is to choose the teacher whose style suits you, it took a while for me to figure that out, but I stopped going because of time conflicts)
- https://oefenen.nl/ good for learning from A1-near B1, the exercises are a bit repetitive though
- https://www.hetbegintmettaal.nl/
- https://www.rotterdam.nl/beter-in-taal I have never tried it, but the Gementee of Rotterdam seems to offer free Dutch lessons too.
- If you wander in the leaflet displays in public libraries, sometimes you will see the leaflets for free courses from language schools. That was also how I found Gilde Taal.
- Easy Dutch Youtube, indispensible for listening skill!
And tips for preparing for the exam
- I would say the most important thing is to practice the exams directly through old exams and oefenexamensnt2.nl It helps you to get farmiliar with the format. After all, it's a exam so you need to come up with tricks to do it well, especially with the speaking exam.
Hope this post is helpful to you and wish you the best to pass NT2 exam!
Valt het anderen ook op dat fouten met die/dat steeds vaker voorkomen? Ik hoor en lees ze regelmatig: in gesprekken, podcasts, op Reddit en zelfs af en toe in boeken of kranten.
Ik werk als logopedist en bij taaltesten beoordelen we onder andere de zinsbouw. Als een kind bijvoorbeeld zegt: "De meisje die...", wordt dat volgens de handleiding als fout gerekend, ook als het kind verder een correcte en informatieve zin maakt.
Natuurlijk blijf ik de handleiding volgen, maar ik vraag me af of dat nog wel een redelijke maatstaf is, zeker bij meertalige kinderen of kinderen die een taalstoornis hebben. Als zulke vormen steeds vaker voorkomen in het dagelijks Nederlands, zijn het dan nog echt "fouten"? Of meet je dan vooral de afstand tot de standaardtaal? In hoeverre belemmert dit een kind in het dagelijks leven?
Ik ben benieuwd of anderen dit ook opvalt en hoe jullie hiernaar kijken.
I know this topic gets beaten to death in this sub, for obvious reasons. However, I find myself really attracted to Dutch culture, especially when it comes to sport. It's not my dream to live in the Netherlands, but I wouldn't rule it out and would love to visit within the next year, though I have visited Germany/Austria more than The Netherlands/Belgium. Obviously I've heard that most Dutch people have adequate English, but it couldn't hurt to learn Dutch, especially if I have the urge to learn a language, right? German is the only other one I really have any draw to other than Dutch.
Thank you
hat are some good youtube channels that teach you dutch like youre a kid learning their first language?
When I started learning Dutch, I realised that the major piece is vocabulary (in addition to Dutch people switching to English). My tutor told me to buy a paper notebook and write down words to remember. I did, and then had no idea how to revise them. I thought there should probably be a better way. I tried paid apps but none of them were ok: forced paths and yearly subscriptions. Anki is great, but I had to create cards manually and soon couldn't keep up.
What's in my app:
How was it made?
It's been working for me and my friends for a while now, so I’m happy to share it with you. The app is made using free resources and this learning flow will continue to be free for the common good. That’s why it’s called OpenWords.
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.slovy.slovymovyapp
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/openwords/id6754798978
Feedback is welkom! You can reach me here or through the app.
P.S. Is OpenWords the only tool I use to retain vocabulary? No. I read, watch, and listen daily. The app keeps my personal wordbook and handles repetition in different formats.
I like to immerse myself in a language as much as possible, and that includes the content I consume. While I was in the Netherlands, I tried watching shows on HBO, but everything I usually watch was only available in English.
Recently, I found a website where I can watch SpongeBob SquarePants in Dutch, but unfortunately it doesn't have subtitles. Does anyone know where I can find shows like SpongeBob or The Simpsons dubbed in Dutch with English, Spanish, or French subtitles? Or maybe other cartoons or TV shows from the '90s and 2000s?
Hoi iedereen 👋
I recently launched inburgeringprep.com, a platform to help people prepare for the dutch inburgering exams.
I made it because when i was studying, i couldnt find many tools that were specifically focused on the exams, especially for writing and speaking practice.
It currently includes:
I’d genuinely love some honest feedback from people who are studying for inburgering exams or have already taken the exams.
as a thank you, i’ll give a free month of pro to the first 20 people who want to try it.
if you’re interested, leave a comment or send me a dm and i’ll send you a promo code 🙂
Website: https://inburgeringprep.com
i’m open to any feedback 🙏
I saw both used in the same book.