Nederland
('Holland')
I would say my website is the best place for learning Dutch. No book
or course on tape or audio CD will offer this ease of hearing
words pronounced at a click of the mouse, right when you want them.
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Please feel free to learn in any way you think best: set your
own goals, follow your own timetable, or just pick up a few words or
phrases as needed. You could just use my pages as a resource.
But if you'd like some guidance, there's a Suggested Method below on the
left, and a stricter Lessons Program below on the right:
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Then listen to a few longer Dutch texts, like a few
poems and songs, readings from
my Dutch short stories,
or
The Lord's Prayer
(no religious endorsement implied)
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just to hear the language.
Watching Dutch movies with English subtitles
is also a good way to get an idea of Dutch, and will also be helpful later on.
I think it's best to take the instruction in small doses, like ten
minutes once or twice a day. For most people that will be much more
effective than a few long sessions.
It's probably best to study the
pronunciation first.
How are the letters said in Dutch? Listen to the sound files.
Wouldn't pronouncing Dutch words be a nice way to spend some time with
a friend? Compare with how I say the words and rate each other's efforts.
Then I would recommend to familiarize yourself further with the spelling rules.
This is not as hard as
it may look, for Dutch spelling is much more straightforward than
English - but still, Dutch has
exceptions too
(save for later.)
After that, work on the
pronunciation exercise.
Try to say the words correctly, then listen to how I say them; invite a friend
and work on it together. Listening to
the sound files on this page is also good for getting a sense of the language.
You could also work on the
Listening
Exercise.
At this point it would be good to learn
some common Dutch phrases
like "Good morning," "Thank you," "Please" and "What's the price?"
From there, I would recommend you try to memorize ten to fifteen words
a day. The nice thing is, it's not like in school, that you have to
learn all the words in the book. Choose words from a field that has
your interest, or words that you think will come in useful, and feel
free to skip other words.
You could start with the 'Everyday Items' pages, like:
The mostly-text 'Everyday
Dutch' pages are based on the list of about 850 very carefully chosen
'Basic English' words that Ogden and Richardson came up with in
the 1920s. They thought that this basic vocabulary would be enough for
most everyday communication.
Another group of picture pages with words:
Take breaks from your daily words lists to:
From time to time, revisit old pages like spelling and pronunciation.
Dutch Vowel Sounds Compared
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Dutch Consonants Review
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exceptions.
Imaginary conversations are a good tool to learn a language, they'll
make you to think of the everyday words and structures you'll need.
Once you have a basic knowledge of Dutch you could start reading
something simple, maybe Annie MG Schmidt's children's stories, like
'Jip and Janneke,' or 'Pluk van de Petteflet.' Some of her books are also
available in audio versions.
You can find Dutch books at
abebooks
or at Amazon.com special orders (see below.)
When visiting Holland,
do step into a bookstore;
you could also
look in at the 'HEMA' supermarket chain for their 'Jip and Janneke'
series and other children's books and CDs (or
order online)
The children's Bibles 'Kijkbijbel' (graphics by Kees de Kort) or
'Bijbelse Verhalen voor Jonge Kinderen' (by D.A. Cramer-Schaap and
Annemarie van Haeringen) might also be useful. Unfortunately there's no
'Basic Dutch,' so you'll have to start with children's books.
Dutchblog Israel
2BDutch.nl
short Dutch videos with both Dutch and English subtitles
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A New Start:
A Strict Program of Lessons
I hope to publish a new lesson every week or so ...
Lesson 1
Listen to Dutch - Vowels (1) - Vocabulary - 'Holland' and 'Nederland'
Lesson 2
Listen to Dutch - Vowels (2) - Vocabulary (man, family) - Numbers 1-10 - 'Dutch'
Lesson3
Listen to Dutch - Spelling Short and Long Vowels - Vocabulary (Food, House) -
Numbers 10-20 - Broadcasting in Holland
Lesson 4
Listen to The Dutch Anthem - 'Voiceless E' - The Article -
Vocabulary (Clothing) - Numbers 20-100 (#1) - The Dutch Revolt
Lesson 5
Listen to a children's song - Colors - Adjectives - Numbers 20-100
(#2) -
The Catholic Minority in Holland
Lesson 6
Numbers 100-9999 - Time, Days, Months - This and That - Cognates
Lesson 7
From A Famous Book - Personal Pronouns - To Be (Present Tense) -
High and Low Numbers - Chatham
Lesson 8
The Finest Dutch Writing - To Have (Present Tense) -
Consonants - Polders: The Reclaimed Land - Weather -
Simple Arithmetic
Lesson 9
More of The Finest Dutch Writing - Verbs: The Simple Present -
Useful Phrases - Ordinal Numbers - The Large Water Projects
Lesson 10
Hear More Multatuli - Exceptions and Irregularities in Dutch Spelling and
Pronunciation -
Street Words - Fractions - Inches and Centimeters
More to Come ...
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