Dutch grammar, syntax & other useful downloads & resources to improve your Dutch

An extensive overview of what you're supposed  to master to be understandable at an A2 proficiency level and beyond. Helpful downloads to review your Dutch grammar and syntax. Helpful online media and a mail address if you need more help or an assessment of your actual Dutch proficiency.

Dutch grammar and word order overview and downloads

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Download Dutch grammar and syntax

These Dutch grammar essentials make learning more easy as they show you Dutch grammar and sentence structures by examples. That's the way you grasp and learn. That's the natural way you learned your mother tongue.
These downloads offer the essential. You don't need more to get fluent in Dutch. Once you master grammar and sentence structure (word order, syntax) at an A2 proficiency level and got the basic everyday vocabulary you need in your situations, you're able to progress further on your own.

Dutch Grammar and sentence structure (syntax) you need to master at proficiency level A1

1. Personal pronouns.
2. Most important Dutch verbs: 'hebben' (to have) and 'zijn' (to be). 
3. Present tense, including present tense of reflexive verbs and talking about the future.
4. Dutch articles, 'de' and 'het', knowing which words are 'het'.   
5. How to put words in plural. When to use '-en' or 's'. Special plurals.   
6. Asking using question words and inversion.   
7. Prepositions of time, place, verbs needing a preposition.   
8. Expressing possession in Dutch: possessive pronouns and using de preposition 'van' + personal pronoun.   
9. Replacing subject and object by the right personal pronoun.   
10. Indicating in Dutch: demonstrative pronouns 'deze', 'die', 'dat' and 'dit'.   
11. adjectives and adverbs.   
12. Negation when and how to use 'geen', when and how to use 'niet'.   
13. Use of modal verbs : gaan, kunnen, moeten, mogen, willen, zullen.   
14. Talking about the past using past perfect.   
15. Syntax: Dutch sentence structure word order in independent clause.

  Download essential Dutch Grammar A1 level here:

1. Essential Dutch grammar proficiency level A1. 

2. Dutch syntax proficiency level A1: independent clause.    

3. Which words are 'het' + a list of common het-words.

 

Dutch grammar and sentence structure (word order) you need to master at proficiency level A2 

1. Talking about the past using Dutch Simple Past. 
2. conjugation of separable (separable verbs) verbs.    
3. When does the infinitive needs 'te' before it?   
4. Using verbs indication an action and it's result.    
5. Using 'er', 'daar' and 'waar'.    
6. Replacing complements indicating place or time by 'daar', 'als' or 'toen'    
7. More about negation: the negative of 'al' (already, yet), and 'nog' (still, so far, more).    
8. Comparative, superlative and expressions to compare.    
9. More uses of 'het'.    
10. The passive mode in Dutch.    
11. The conditional modal verb 'zouden' and conditional sentences.    
12. Translating 'would', 'could' and 'should'    
13. Syntax: Dutch sentence structure in subordinate clause.

   Download these Dutch grammar and syntax A2 level here:

1. Essential Dutch grammar proficiency level A2

2. Dutch subordinate clause sentences word order, subordinate clause

3.100 important Dutch verbs by frequency.

You may test your actual proficiency level HERE

 

Dutch pronunciation

Although the only way to really master pronunciation is by sound aware contact with natives, here is a very useful website.

For a free assessment of how understandable your actual spoken Dutch is, mail Richard and ask for a phone appointment for an evaluation of how understandable your spoken Dutch is to native speakers.
contact Richard: richard@learning-dutch.com

 

News hour in Dutch

While learning Dutch prefer listening a well articulated Standard Dutch to absorb its sounds, melody and rhythm passively.
Best broadcasted faultlessly Standard Dutch is on
VRT Radio1 and the starting page for all news related programs of the VRT the Belgian public Radio & TV-station is deredactie.be
Dutch of the Belgian commercial TV-station is correct Standard Dutch as well
but simpler to understand as their newsroom addresses a less intellectual public nieuws.vtm.be
Netherlands' newsrooms curiously mind less about pronunciation and regional accents
and NOS the Dutch public station does not even control texts on grammar, syntax or writing errors!
Richard would advise you to listen to more mixed accents as on NOS or VRT and VTM soaps once you master Standard Dutch.
When your children go to a Dutch class the NOS children news hour is nice to share.
You could also watch Disney films in Dutch with them.
Switching your GPS to guide you in Dutch and change your smartphone's language are a challenging help to start thinking in Dutch.

An helpful weekly and a most useful dictionary

*** to improve your spoken Dutch discover Wablieft. It's the only weekly written in Standard Dutch as we speak it. 'Normal' newspapers (see below) use written language. It would be quite odd if you spoken Dutch as we write it (much longer sentences, more subordinate clauses etc.) Wablieft is especially written for adult foreigners who want to learn Dutch or improve their skill by reading about last week's news.

***A dictionary? Avoid using a translation dictionary: it doesn't help at all to learn to think in Dutch when speaking Dutch. Discovering links with other words, between nouns and verbs, adjectives and prepositions is much more fascinating and rewarding if you want to progress as fast as possible. It's a big support to thinking about Dutch in Dutch from the start.
Prefer : Van Dale pocketwoordenboek Nederlands als tweede taal (NT2) don't buy it, you get your copy from Richard.

 

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