Tips and tricks to learn Dutch faster
- Borrow Dutch-language children’s books from the library. The stories are not only relatively easy to read, but often also very fun. Well-known Dutch children’s authors are Annie M.G. Schmidt, Guus Kuijer and Thea Beckman.
- Ask Dutch people to not speak English with you, but always to communicate in Dutch. They will enjoy helping you, and they will appreciate you trying to learn their language.
- Speak Dutch as much as possible, even if you cannot yet do it well. Do not be afraid to make mistakes: that is the best way to learn something.
- Ask people around you to correct your mistakes. It is not always fun to hear that you did not say or write something correctly, but you will probably do it right the next time.
- Watch Dutch TV series, like ‘Boer zoekt Vrouw’, ‘Penoza’ or ‘Flikken Maastricht’. Many programmes from the public broadcast stations are available to review for free on NPO.nl. It can also be good to watch foreign programs on Dutch television: you will learn new words through the subtitles. On the website NetinNederland.nl you can watch television shows with Dutch, English and Arabic subtitles.
- Listen to Dutch music, such as Bløf, De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig and Van Dik Hout. Find the lyrics and read along while listening.
- Go to (free) lectures or meetings on subjects that interest you. Even if you do not understand everything, you will probably learn a few new words each time.
- Write down new and useful words in a notebook and review each day what you wrote down the day before. That way, you will remember the words you want to learn.
- Learn the Dutch words that are frequently used, with the help of a frequency dictionary.
- Dutch people use many expressions, sayings and proverbs. These are sometimes difficult to understand. On the website Woorden.org you can look the meanings of these and learn new proverbs and sayings.
And finally: good luck! It will not always be easy, but, step-by-step, you will get there. Every time you have a conversation in Dutch, you can be very proud of yourself.