NLDutch · Nederlands

Learn Dutch free in your browser

Learn Dutch free in your browser — 80 lessons from A1 to B2, with flashcards and pronunciation practice. No subscription, no download.

Start learning Dutch free →26 languages · A1–B2 · no sign-up
Lesson 1
hallo
HAL-lo
hello

Why learn Dutch with Langula?

Easiest European language for English speakers

Dutch is FSI Category I — roughly 600 class hours to professional proficiency — and you already recognise thousands of Dutch cognates without realising it. The vocabulary head-start is real and immediate.

Drill de vs. het with spaced repetition

Dutch article gender has almost no reliable rules, so Langula's Leitner flashcards store the article with every noun and surface it exactly when you're about to forget it — the most efficient way to lock in de and het.

Score your guttural g in-browser

Langula's pronunciation practice scores the guttural g, ch, and diphthongs like ui and ij instantly in your browser — no app download, no audio storage, just direct feedback on the Dutch sounds English speakers struggle with most.

80 lessons built around Dutch grammar

Every lesson sequences Dutch-specific milestones — V2 word order, separable verbs, verb-final subordinate clauses, er constructions — introduced in the order learners can actually absorb them, from A1 through B2.

One language, two thriving countries

Dutch unlocks daily life across both the Netherlands and Flanders: Amsterdam's job market, Ghent's universities, and the civic-integration (inburgering) process all require real Dutch, well beyond what English alone can open.

Free, no sign-up, works anywhere

Open a browser on your phone in Rotterdam or on your laptop at home and start practising Dutch right now — no account required, nothing to install, genuinely free with optional progress sync if you later create an account.

How it works

1

Pick your language

Dutch is preselected — add your source language and go.

2

Short daily lessons

5–20 minutes a day: new words plus due reviews.

3

Pronunciation & progress

Repeat aloud, watch your streak and unlock badges.

Your first Dutch words

After the very first lesson you can greet people and say thank you.

hallo
HAL-lo
hello
goedemorgen
CHOE-de-MOR-gen
goodbye
goedemiddag
CHOE-de-MID-dach
good morning
goedenavond
CHOE-den-AH-font
good evening

From A1 to B2 — your structured learning path

Here is how your journey is built: four CEFR levels, 80 lessons. Each lesson teaches 20 new words and 6 example sentences — flashcards and pronunciation practice lock them in before the next level unlocks.

4CEFR levels · A1–B2
80lessons · 20 per level
26words & sentences per lesson
A1
Survival Dutch · Beginner
Lessons 1–20
Master Dutch spelling-to-sound rules — long vs. short vowels, the guttural g and ch, and core diphthongs ui, ij, and au. Learn greetings, numbers, de/het/een, basic present-tense verbs (zijn, hebben, gaan), and V2 word order for simple statements and questions. Build a ~500-word survival vocabulary.
After this you can
greet people and introduce yourself
ask about numbers, time and prices
order something in a café
ask and answer simple questions
A2
Everyday Conversations · Elementary
Lessons 21–40
Handle shopping, directions, and appointments. Use the perfect tense with hebben and zijn, modal verbs (kunnen, moeten, willen), separable verbs (opstaan, meegaan), and diminutives. Start linking clauses with omdat and dat, placing the verb correctly at the end.
After this you can
talk about family, work and hobbies
go shopping and ask for directions
tell stories in the past
make appointments and arrange to meet
B1
Independent Communication · Intermediate
Lessons 41–60
Discuss work, travel, and opinions with confidence. Control subordinate-clause word order, relative clauses (die/dat), the conditional (zou), comparatives and superlatives, and the notoriously tricky er constructions. Build toward a 2,500-word vocabulary and follow standard Dutch speech at near-natural speed.
After this you can
express and justify your opinion
travel alone and solve problems
report on experiences and plans
roughly follow films and podcasts
B2
Fluent and Spontaneous · Advanced
Lessons 61–80
Follow news, read articles and fiction, and debate in Dutch. Master the passive (worden/zijn), reported speech, fixed prepositional verbs, idioms, and the formal/informal register difference (u vs. je/jij). Reach the proficiency expected for civic-integration (inburgering) exams and many Dutch university programmes.
After this you can
follow long discussions effortlessly
express yourself spontaneously and fluently
use Dutch at work
understand complex texts and news
Your goal: fluent in everyday life
Level B2 complete — including a PDF certificate for every level you reach.
Start at A1 →

Learn more languages

Learn Dutch — free and at your own pace

Dutch is spoken by around 25 million people as a native language — the official tongue of the Netherlands, the northern half of Belgium (Flanders), and additionally Suriname, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten. It is also the direct parent of Afrikaans, spoken by millions in southern Africa. That reach makes Dutch a surprisingly practical choice: whether you're pursuing work in Amsterdam, studying at a Flemish university, or working through an inburgering civic-integration requirement, Dutch has genuine daily-life value across multiple continents.

Dutch has a distinct personality worth knowing before you start. Every noun is either a de word (common gender) or a het word (neuter), with almost no reliable rules to tell them apart — making article gender the single biggest memorisation hurdle. Main clauses follow strict verb-second (V2) word order, but subordinating conjunctions like omdat and dat push the finite verb all the way to the end of the sentence. Separable verbs split apart in speech (ik bel je op), diminutives in -je are used constantly in everyday Dutch, and the guttural g and ch are unlike any English consonant.

For English speakers, Dutch is one of the most approachable languages on the planet. The U.S. Foreign Service Institute places it in Category I — around 600 class hours to professional working proficiency — because Dutch and English share deep vocabulary roots and considerable structural overlap. German speakers have it even easier. The genuine sticking points are the guttural g and ch, diphthongs like ui (huis) and ij (mijn) that English simply does not have, and deciding whether each noun takes de or het. Pronunciation and vocabulary memorisation, not intricate grammar, are where most study time goes.

Langula's structure matches the way Dutch actually needs to be learned. Eighty A1-to-B2 lessons introduce Dutch-specific grammar in the right order — de versus het and V2 word order first, separable verbs and verb-final subordinate clauses next, then er constructions, the passive, and nuanced register at the upper levels. Leitner 5-box spaced repetition is ideal for drilling article gender, which must be memorised noun by noun. The in-browser pronunciation tool targets the sounds that matter most — the guttural g, ch, and diphthongs like ui and ij — scoring you instantly without storing any audio.

Frequently asked questions

Is Dutch hard to learn for English speakers?
No — it is one of the easiest. Dutch is a West Germanic language closely related to English, so you already recognise much of the vocabulary before you begin. The U.S. FSI rates it Category I, about 600 class hours to professional proficiency. The main challenges are the guttural g and ch, the ui and ij diphthongs, and memorising whether each noun takes de or het.
Does Dutch use tones or a special script?
No. Dutch has no lexical tones and is written in the standard 26-letter Latin alphabet, left to right. The main quirks are the digraph ij (treated and often capitalised as a single unit) and occasional diacritics like the trema in coördinatie. Langula's pronunciation tool therefore focuses on consonants and vowels — specifically the guttural g and the diphthongs — rather than tone.
How long does it take to reach B1 or B2 in Dutch?
For a motivated English speaker, roughly 350–450 hours of study to a solid B1 and around 600 hours to B2. German speakers tend to be fastest. Consistent daily spaced-repetition review combined with structured lessons can bring many learners to B1 in well under a year.
What is the hardest sound in Dutch?
The g and ch — a voiceless fricative made at the back of the throat, as in goedemorgen or lachen. It is a hard, rasping sound in the north and a softer one in the south and Flanders. The diphthong ui (as in huis) is a close second. Langula's pronunciation scoring lets you practise these sounds repeatedly and see exactly how you score.
What is the difference between 'de' and 'het', and why does it matter?
Dutch nouns have two genders: common-gender words take de and neuter words take het. There are almost no reliable rules, so the article for each noun must largely be memorised. It matters because the article affects adjective endings and which relative pronoun (die or dat) you use. Spaced-repetition flashcards that store the article with each word are the most effective way to learn this.
Is Flemish a different language from Dutch, and will Dutch help with Afrikaans?
Flemish is Dutch as spoken in northern Belgium — the same standard written language with regional accent and vocabulary differences, most notably a softer g, not a separate language. Learning Dutch also gives you a strong head start on Afrikaans, a daughter language with simplified grammar that is partly intelligible to Dutch speakers, extending your reach into southern Africa.

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