Start learning a language with Alain
Do you need to start speaking Dutch at work? Good news: with my course, you’ll learn over 250 phrases you can use now as soon as you go back to work.
Using dialogues and many practical examples, you’ll learn what to say during presentations, meetings and other situations at work.
The level of the course is around B1, so make sure you already know 1000 words before starting. The course is completely in Dutch.
Want to learn over 1000 words and expressions with a book? You’re in luck, I’ve just published this new book for students at A2-B1 level. The stories are about foreigners getting to know Dutch and Belgian culture. So you’ll not only learn Dutch, but also learn about the Netherlands and Belgium.
All difficult words are translated into English, the literal translation of the expressions are also given as well as the articles and plurals of nouns. Verbs’ past tenses are also given.
The book is available as an ebook as well as paperback. Enjoy!
Pleased to announce my latest book: Dutch grammar for beginners. Most English speaking beginners have the same questions about Dutch. That’s why I wrote this brand new book, which serves both as an exercise book as well as a reference book.
Included are all the different pronouns, the tenses beginners need to learn, many prepositions, and more. A link to the appropriate videos on my YouTube channel is added.
Enjoy!
Surely, learning Dutch definitely helps to get a job in Belgium, and here’s your place to start your journey. But where do my students who haven’t reached fluency yet work? Who are the people actually recruiting English speakers?
A first group of students works at multinational companies. Due to the international nature of the companies, English is often used as the working language. So check out if they have job openings at industrial companies like Volvo, Volvo Trucks or Bekaert. Chemical company Dow is just over the border in Terneuzen. Tech company Google has offices in both Brussels and the French-speaking region in the south. Other companies include Eastpack, Unilever, Petronas and travel company Booking.com. There are many more companies around the port areas of Ghent and Antwerp.
The second group works in Brussels for international governmental institutions. For example, for the European Union, which almost exclusively recruits EU citizens, or NATO. However, there are many ngo’s and lobbying companies collaborating with these institutions. A list of these jobs can be found on EuroBrussels. Also check if your embassy or consulate isn’t recruiting.
The third – and biggest – group of students have their own company. Even though having your own business can be quite a big responsibility, it’s relatively easy to start one in Belgium. First step would be to go to a social secretariat like Acerta to register your business. My students are active in various sectors, from baking to consulting.
Many students are doing their PhD and sometimes continue working at a university. They do their research in many fields, and as the academic environment has become increasingly international, Dutch isn’t mandatory for many positions. Technically, doing a PhD isn’t work, but it’s considered normal to get a decent wage when doing one. For example with scholarships.
Other students are working at mid-level companies, mostly as specialists. I’ve had medical experts and engineers, some people working in industrial environments like in Brose or in IT companies like DataRoots.
The last categorie would be foreign language teachers, either in a secondary school or in a language school.
Which websites should you bookmark while learning Dutch? Obviously no websites for absolute beginners, as you’ll quickly improve. The websites below are almost all in Dutch and from Belgium.
Most students know the obvious suspects: Duolingo, Dutchgrammar.org, all the YouTube channels and other popular apps or websites. But which ones haven’t you heard of?
Nedbox: even though it’s completely in Dutch, this little gem offers articles and videos to practice your comprehension skills. Choose a topic, choose a level (the little stars on top), choose to learn Dutch.
NederlandsOefenen: again completely in Dutch, the main point of this website is to put Dutch learners together. Groups a lot of activities like reading classes, language exchanges, group classes per region. Plus some inspiration and other tips.
Wablieft is a lovely initiative to make reading easy. Has a newspaper with easy articles and links to many books for foreigners while indicating the level of the book.
Even though the visual aspect and the navigation are… well, ready for improvement, Dutch with Ambition offers intermediate students many high-quality exercises. Click on the tabs on top, you’ll see options.
ZichtbaarNederlands makes grammar visual and I do refer many times to their explanations. Only one on this list with English version and from the Netherlands.
For experts, Taaladvies answers most of their questions. Only for advanced learners, mostly at C-level.
Since I’ve already published several Dutch courses for beginners, it was time for the next one. If you’ve followed the previous three ones, you’ll know exactly what you need to know to start this one… for intermediate students.
What do you get? With my total immersion approach, only Dutch is spoken, from the very first lesson on. I explain words using Dutch, facial expressions, dialogues, synonyms, a story to follow and so on. This will help you to directly thing in Dutch, an essential feature when learning new languages.
After each video, there’s a list of words as well as a test and MP3s to listen to, so you can practice wherever you like. And what’s different about this course? It’s for intermediate students and follows directly the previous ones.
How did I choose the content? Mostly based on questions of intermediate students, as well as tricky grammar points on that level, like ‘waarvoor’ and ‘daarvan’. Being a fan of ‘most common words’ lists, I put as many words I could from the 2000 most common words in the course. Here’s the promo video:
I’m looking forward to your feedback on this brand new course.
After a few months of writing, I’m happy to publish my latest book. It’s for advanced beginners who want to learn new words while reading stories in Dutch. You’ll also learn about Belgian (and Dutch) culture.
Almost no past tenses are used, so it’s for people who haven’t reached the intermediate level yet.
The book can be bought via Amazon or Bol.com (affiliate links).
Why is it ‘een goed antwoord’ and ‘de goede auto’? And why do we say in Dutch: ‘Dat is goed?’ Let’s learn when to add an e at the ending of Dutch adjectives.
Dutch grammar rules can be… complicating. But luckily, this rule is rather easy. So, when do you say goed and when do you add -e at the end of goed?
First, we only add an -e when the adjective is in front of a noun. For example: ‘interessante dingen.’ If you put the adjective at the end with a verb, it doesn’t take the -e: ‘Die dingen zijn interessant.’ So as in the first example ‘dat is goed.’
And what about two adjectives? They’ll both take an -e: ‘Dat zijn goede, interessante dingen.’
If the adjective is in front of the noun, there will be some specific cases where you won’t use the -e. And they are: if the noun has ‘het’ as an article and if the article before the adjective is undetermined.
Examples:
– Een goed boek. (het boek, een is undertermined)
– Een goede auto. (de auto)
– Het goede boek (het boek, het is not undetermined)
And that’s it. Not sure whether to put an -e? Know that most nouns have de as an article, so your best bet would be to put an e. Also don’t forget the het changes into de in the plural, so your adjective will adapt accordingly:
– De goede boeken. (het boek)
Another case where an -e is added, is ‘mine’, ‘yours’, etc… :
– Dit is jouw boek, en dat is het mijne.
If you’re learning Dutch, try out my courses via the webshop!
Dutch grammar is… well, Dutch grammar. Always a good idea to know the rules, even though there are many exceptions. Some handbooks also include grammar as well as books to teach yourself. But in this post, we’ll cover books focusing primarily on the Dutch grammar.
Disclaimer: I might get a small commission if you buy the book through the links. Stars (*) are based on my opinion.
1. Klare Taal! and Klare Taal plus (4,5*) by Jenneke van der Toorn-Schutte
+ Nice presentation, clear, many good exercises
– Not practical, price
Audio: no
Level: absolute and advanced beginners
Language: Dutch only
Paperback price: high-highest
Format: only paperback
Buy via Bol.com here or here. The plus version is for advanced beginners, also available on Amazon.
2. Dutch Grammar for Beginners (4,5*) by Alain de Raymond
+ Easy, practical, exercises, price
– Layout
Audio: no
Level: beginners
Language: English
Paperback price: low
Format: ebook and paperback
Buy via Amazon.com.
3. Eenvoudige basisgrammatica NT2 (4,5*) by Jenneke van der Toorn-Schutte
+ Simple, many exercises, lists of words
– Price, Dutch only
Audio: no
Level: beginners
Language: Only Dutch
Paperback price: high-highest
Format: paperback
Buy via Amazon.com or Bol.com.
4. Beter Nederlands: een inleiding (4*) by Dina Bouman-Noordermeer
+ Content, clear, exercises, price
– Not popular, presentation
Audio: no
Level: advanced beginners, second book for intermediate
Language: Dutch only
Paperback price: low
Format: only paperback
Buy via Bol.com or Amazon. The book for intermediate students is also on Bol.com and Amazon.
5. Dutch Grammar Support (4*) by Marijke Huizinga and Yvonne Zevenbergen
+ Content, structure, price
– Presentation, no translations for examples
Audio: no
Level: beginners and intermediate
Language: English
Paperback price: average
Format: ebook and paperback
Buy via Bol.com (here’s the ebook) or Amazon.
6. Dutch grammar you really need to know (3.5*) by Gerdi Quist and Dennis Strik
+ Right level, perfect reference book
– Structure and presentation
Audio: no
Level: (absolute) beginners
Language: English
Paperback price: low
Format: ebook and paperback
Buy via Bol.com or Amazon.
Well-reviewed grammar books written by Jenneke Oosterhoff are Basic Dutch: A Grammar and Workbook (available on Amazon and Bol.com) and Intermediate Dutch: A Grammar and Workbook (available on Amazon and Bol.com). However, I can’t (yet) recommend them because I haven’t seen them yet.
Let’s review books teaching you Dutch without a teacher. Obviously, you can also learn a lot from classroom handbooks as well as from grammar books, especially if you’re at a higher level. But here, we’ll cover books primarily designed for people willing to learn the Dutch language on their own.
Disclaimer: I might get a small commission if you buy the book through the links. Stars (*) are based on my opinion.
Teach Yourself: Complete Dutch (5*) by Gerdi Quist and Dennis Strik
+ Popular and useful, well-structured and practical
– Outdated, no series
Audio in Dutch from the Netherlands
Level: (absolute) beginners
Language: mostly English
Paperback price: high
Formats: ebook and paperback
Buy via Amazon or via Bol.com
Dutch in three months (5*) by Jane Fenoulhet
+ Structure, dialogues, quality, price
– Condensed, outdated, no series, price with CDs (Tip: get the audio for free via an app in the newer version)
Audio in Dutch form the Netherlands
Level: (absolute) beginners
Language: mostly English
Paperback price: lowest
Formats: paperback
Buy via Amazon (here’s with CDs) or via Bol.com (old version)
Learn Dutch: Speak, write and understand (4,5*) by Alain de Raymond
+ Easy, structure, price, exercises
– Layout, only for absolute beginners
Audio in Dutch from Belgium
Level: absolute beginners
Language: mostly English
Price: lowest-low
Format: ebook and paperback
Buy via Amazon.com
Dutch for Dummies (4,5*) by Margreet Kwakernaak
+ Popular, fun and easy, cultural insights, pronunciation guide
– Lack of structure, no exercises
Audio in the Dutch from the Netherlands.
Level: (absolute) beginners
Language: mostly English
Price: average
Format: paperback
Buy via Bol.com (2nd edition here) and via Amazon (alternative here)
300+ common Dutch language errors made by English speakers (4.5*) by Alain de Raymond
+ Useful, exercises, price
– Presentation, structure
Audio with Belgian accent
Level: advanced beginners, intermediate
Language: mostly English
Price: lowest
Format: ebook and paperback
Buy via Bol.com or Amazon
Beyond the dictionary: A Guide to Correct Word Usage for the English-Speaking Student (4*) by Bruce Donaldson
+ Useful, clear examples, relevant
– Presentation, old
No audio
Level: intermediate, expert
Language: mostly English
Price: average
Format: paperback
Buy via Bol.com or Amazon
Dutch with ease (4*) by Assimil
+ Fun, lots of content, phonetics
– Presentation, price
Audio with Dutch accent
Level: (advanced) beginners
Language: mostly English
Price: average (without CDs), high-highest (with CDs)
Format: paperback
Buy with CDs via Bol.com or Amazon, or without CDs via Bol.com or Amazon.
77 puntjes op de I (4*) by Emily Palmer
+ Useful, exercises, good complement to handbooks
– Not popular, no solutions to exercises, difficult Dutch
Audio with accent from the Netherlands
Level: intermediate
Language: Dutch only
Price: average
Format: paperback
Buy via Bol.com or Amazon
Dutch for Self-study (4*) by Hinke Van Kampen & Ruud Stumpel
+ Quality, exercises, explanations, comprehensive
– Presentation
Audio in Dutch from the Netherlands
Level: (absolute) beginners
Language: instructions in English
Price: average
Format: paperback
Buy via Bol.com or via Amazon.
Colloquial Dutch (4*) by Bruce Donaldson
+ Relevant, many wordlists, cultural references
– Presentation, price
Audio in Dutch from the Netherlands
Level: (absolute) beginners
Language: English
Price: high
Format: paperback
Buy via Bol.com or via Amazon.