📚 Free Dutch Lesson
Practice your first Dutch conversation: greetings, name, origin, and small talk. Full bilingual dialogue table, key vocabulary, grammar notes, and a 5-question quiz.
12 exchangesfull conversation
Key vocab8 essential phrases
Grammar notesreal explanations
5-Q Quiztest yourself
How to use this dialogue: Read it through once for meaning, then cover the English column and try to recall the Dutch, and finally try to say it out loud. Repetition out loud is the fastest way to internalise it.
The Dialogue — Meeting Someone New
| Speaker | Dutch | English |
|---|---|---|
| Anna | Hoi! Ik ben Anna. Hoe heet jij? | Hi! I'm Anna. What's your name? |
| Tom | Hoi Anna! Ik heet Tom. Aangenaam. | Hi Anna! My name is Tom. Nice to meet you. |
| Anna | Aangenaam, Tom. Waar kom jij vandaan? | Nice to meet you, Tom. Where are you from? |
| Tom | Ik kom uit Engeland. En jij? | I come from England. And you? |
| Anna | Ik ben uit Nederland. Woon je hier al lang? | I'm from the Netherlands. Have you lived here long? |
| Tom | Nee, nog maar drie maanden. Ik leer Nederlands. | No, only three months yet. I am learning Dutch. |
| Anna | Wauw, je spreekt het al goed! | Wow, you already speak it well! |
| Tom | Dank je wel! Het is een mooie taal. | Thank you! It is a beautiful language. |
| Anna | Hoe gaat het met je? | How are you? |
| Tom | Goed, dank je. En met jou? | Fine, thanks. And you? |
| Anna | Heel goed! Tot ziens, Tom! | Very well! Goodbye, Tom! |
| Tom | Tot ziens, Anna! Doei! | Goodbye, Anna! Bye! |
Key Vocabulary from the Dialogue
| Dutch | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hoe heet jij? | What is your name? | Lit: "How are you called?" |
| Ik heet… | My name is… | Use this to introduce yourself |
| Aangenaam | Nice to meet you | Formal but common |
| Waar kom jij vandaan? | Where are you from? | Very common question |
| Ik kom uit… | I come from… | + country name |
| Hoe gaat het? | How are you? | Informal, daily use |
| Goed, dank je. | Fine, thank you. | Standard response |
| Tot ziens / Doei | Goodbye / Bye | Tot ziens = formal, Doei = casual |
Grammar Highlights
Hoe heet jij? vs Hoe heet je? — Both mean "What is your name?" Jij is the stressed form of je. Use jij when you want to emphasise "you" specifically.
Ik leer Nederlands. — Notice there is no article before Nederlands (the language). Languages used as objects do not take an article in Dutch.
Practise these patterns:
Ik kom uit ___.
Fill in your country: Engeland, Duitsland, Amerika, België, Nederland…
Ik woon al ___ jaar/maanden in ___.
I have lived for ___ years/months in ___.
Quick quiz — Dialogue 1
Q1: 'Hoe gaat het?' means…
Q2: How do you reply 'Fine, thanks' in Dutch?
Q3: 'Tot ziens' means…
Q4: How do you say 'My name is Tom'?
Q5: 'Waar kom jij vandaan?' asks about your…
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