You know the feeling: you can order a koffie without thinking, but when someone asks what you did last weekend, your brain freezes on the past tense of gaan.
That gap between knowing words and using them in real time is exactly what the new verb conjugation game at Dutch Fluency is built to close. It is not a flashcard deck with a progress bar. It is a drill that keeps throwing the same verbs at you in different forms until your mouth and your memory stop negotiating. You can find it through the apps hub, alongside the photo description tool and the speaking practice, so it slots into whatever else you are already doing.
The game lives inside the same dashboard as your lessons and your personal plan. When you log in, you might see a Google sign-in button first. If your browser blocks it (some do, especially with strict privacy settings), just open the email form instead and use the address you signed up with. That is the whole workaround. No support ticket needed. Once you are in, the game is one click away, and your progress is saved so you can pick up where you left off, even if that was three weeks ago on a train between Utrecht and Nijmegen.
Why verbs stick when you drill them, not when you read about them
Most people learn Dutch verb tables the way they learned multiplication tables: as a list to memorise. It works for a test. It does not work at a borrel when someone asks if you have ever been to a carnaval and you need the perfect tense of zijn before the conversation moves on.
The game uses short, repeated exposure. You see a verb, you pick or type the right form, you get immediate feedback. Wrong answers come back sooner. Right answers come back later, but they still come back. This is deliberate. The goal is not to get a high score once. The goal is to make the correct form boring, so that when you are under pressure, your default is right.
It also mixes regular and irregular verbs from the start. That sounds harsh, but it mirrors real Dutch. You cannot avoid zijn, hebben, gaan, komen, doen, zien, eten, geven, nemen, vinden, blijven, lopen, zeggen, denken, weten, willen, moeten, kunnen, mogen, zullen. They show up in every conversation, so they show up in the drill.
How the game fits with speaking practice and inburgering
If you are working toward the inburgering A2 exam, verb conjugation is not a side quest. It is the difference between a sentence that lands and a sentence that makes the listener guess. The speaking section, in particular, rewards fluency and correct basic forms more than fancy vocabulary. You can read more about the spreken exam and what it actually asks you to do.
The game is not a replacement for speaking out loud. It is a warm-up. Ten minutes of drilling before a speaking session means you arrive with the forms already loaded, so you can focus on pronunciation, word order, and actually responding to the other person. That is why the speaking practice at Dutch Fluency starts with a dialogue at your level, not a grammar lecture. You talk first. The feedback comes after.
For KNM, the knowledge of Dutch society component, verbs matter less directly, but the same principle applies: you need to understand questions quickly and answer without translating in your head. Drilling verbs builds that speed. It also helps with the reading and listening parts, because you stop getting stuck on every second word.
If you want to see what the exam format looks like before you commit, the mock exam is there for that. Check DUO or Mijn Inburgering for official details on dates, costs, and scoring. We do not invent those numbers, and neither should anyone else.
What happens after you log in
The dashboard is where everything connects. When you sign in, you land on a page that shows your current plan, your next lesson, and the tools you have access to. The verb game is one of them. The photo description tool is another. Both have a header link back to the apps hub, so you can jump between them without hunting through menus.
If you are new, you might get a short assessment first. That is how the system knows where to start you. The assessment audio is stored securely, archived, and erased according to the retention policy. You can ask for details if you care about that sort of thing, and you should. It is your data.
Once the assessment is done, you get a personal plan card and a result page at /assessment/result. That plan replaces the generic tiles you see as a new user. Instead of a list of everything, you get a short list of what to do next. The results also get their own address, so you can bookmark it or share it with a teacher if you have one.
Onboarding emails land in the study slot you chose when you signed up. If you picked evenings, you get evening emails. If you picked weekends, you get weekend emails. This sounds small, but it matters. A reminder that arrives when you are already in study mode is useful. A reminder that arrives during a work meeting is noise.
How to use the game without burning out
Short sessions beat long ones. Ten to fifteen minutes a day is enough to see progress, especially if you are consistent. The game is designed to be replayable, not to be finished. You can do a quick round while waiting for the tram, or a longer round when you have coffee and a quiet table.
Do not chase a perfect score. Chase the verbs you keep getting wrong. The game will bring them back anyway, but you can also make a note of them and use them in your next speaking session. That is the real test: can you use ik ben geweest in a sentence about your weekend without pausing?
Pair the game with the photo description tool. Describing a photo forces you to produce full sentences, which is where verb forms either hold or fall apart. If you can describe what is happening in a picture of a markt or a trein without freezing, you are ready for more complex conversations.
"I used to think I was bad at Dutch verbs. Turns out I just never practised them out loud enough. The game made me say them, not just recognise them. After two weeks, I stopped translating ik ging in my head. It just came out."
That is the goal. Not perfection. Automaticity.
What the game does not do
It does not teach you grammar from scratch. If you do not know what the perfect tense is, or when to use om te plus an infinitive, the game will feel like guesswork. That is fine. Use it alongside a course, a tutor, or the speaking practice. The game is a drill, not a textbook.
It also does not replace real conversation. You can drill zou kunnen a hundred times and still freeze when a colleague asks you a question at lunch. The difference is that after drilling, you freeze for half a second instead of five. That half a second is the gap between sounding like a learner and sounding like someone who speaks Dutch.
And it does not cover every verb in the language. It covers the ones that matter most for everyday conversation and for the A2 level. If you are aiming higher, you will need more. But you have to start somewhere, and starting with the verbs you will actually use is not a bad strategy.
Practical checklist for your first week
- Log in. If Google sign-in is blocked, use the email form with the address you signed up with.
- Check your study slot. Onboarding emails should arrive when you actually study. If they do not, adjust your preferences.
- Do one round of the verb game. Notice which forms feel slow. Those are your targets.
- Do one speaking session at your level. Start with the dialogue. Do not prepare a script.
- Use the photo description tool once. Describe what you see in full sentences, out loud.
- Bookmark your result page at
/assessment/result if you have taken the assessment. That is your personal plan.
- Repeat the verbs you got wrong in your next speaking session. If you can use them in conversation, you own them.
If you are preparing for inburgering, add one mock exam section per week. Check DUO or Mijn Inburgering for the official details on what is required. Do not rely on blog posts for exam facts, including this one. We point you to the source for a reason.
FAQ
Do I need to install anything?
No. The game runs in your browser. If you are on a phone, it works there too, though a tablet or laptop is easier for typing answers.
What if I forget my password?
Use the email form on the login page. If you signed up with Google and the sign-in is blocked, switch to the email form and use the same address. You may need to reset your password the first time.
How often should I play?
Daily is ideal, but three or four times a week is enough to see progress if you are consistent. Ten minutes is better than an hour once a month.
Does the game replace the speaking practice?
No. It supports it. The game builds speed and accuracy with forms. The speaking practice builds fluency and confidence in real conversation. You need both.
Is this enough for the inburgering exam?
It is one part of your preparation. You also need speaking, listening, reading, writing, and KNM. Check DUO or Mijn Inburgering for the official requirements. Use the mock exam to see where you stand.
Can I use the game if I am not doing inburgering?
Yes. It is for anyone who wants to speak Dutch more comfortably. The verbs are the same whether you are taking an exam or just trying to survive a borrel with your partner's family.
Where do I find the other tools?
From the apps hub. The verb game and the photo description tool both have a header link back to it. The speaking practice is there too. If you are not sure where to start, take the assessment and follow your personal plan.
Ready to try it? Head to Dutch Fluency and log in. If you are new, start with the assessment. If you are returning, your plan is waiting. The verbs will not drill themselves.
