Blog

Learning Dutch, explained

Everything we wish someone had told us in our first year in the Netherlands.

• Getting started10 August 20268 min read

  Your First 90 Days of Dutch: A Realistic Plan for Expats

  A week-by-week plan to go from zero Dutch to holding simple conversations at the bakery, the gym and the gemeente.

• Courses28 July 20267 min read

  Group Class, Private Tutor or App? Dutch Course Types Compared

  What each type of Dutch course actually costs in the Netherlands, who it suits, and where the money is usually wasted.

• Integration12 July 20269 min read

  The Inburgering Exam, Explained Without the Jargon

  Which parts of the civic integration exam exist, what level you need, and how long people realistically take to prepare.

• Pronunciation30 June 20266 min read

  The Five Dutch Sounds That Trip Up English Speakers

  G, ui, ij, eu and the sneaky schwa: how to actually produce the sounds that make Dutch hard to hear and harder to say.

• At work14 June 20265 min read

  Speaking Dutch at Work When Your Office Runs in English

  Practical tactics for expats in international companies who never get the chance to practise.

• Practice29 May 20266 min read

  Nine Free Ways to Practise Dutch in the Netherlands

  Language cafés, libraries, volunteering and other no-cost ways to get real speaking hours outside a classroom.