Dutch Fluency Reading Method
Dutch Short Stories for Beginners
Pre-A1 Dutch stories
Your very first Dutch stories. Short words with short vowels, one sentence per line.
Book 1 · Pre-A1
De Korte Klanken
Focus: short vowels a, e, i, o, u. Three-letter words with the short vowels. One sentence per line and no capital letters yet, so every word can be sounded out.
Chapter 1: the sound "a"
Chapter 2: the sound "e"
Chapter 3: the sound "i"
Chapter 4: the sound "o"
Chapter 5: the sound "u"
A1 Dutch stories
Long vowels and diphthongs. Real little stories with capitals and paragraphs.
Book 2 · A1
De Lange Klanken
Focus: long vowels aa, ee, ie, oo, uu. The long vowels and the open syllable rule. Capital letters and short paragraphs start here.
Chapter 1: the sound "aa"
Chapter 2: the sound "ee"
Chapter 3: the sound "ie"
Chapter 4: the sound "oo"
Chapter 5: the sound "uu"
Book 3 · A1
De Tweeklanken
Focus: diphthongs oe, ui, eu, ei/ij, ou/au. The sounds that make Dutch sound Dutch, one per chapter, in short everyday scenes.
Chapter 1: the sound "oe"
Chapter 2: the sound "ui"
Chapter 3: the sound "eu"
Chapter 4: the sound "ei/ij"
Chapter 5: the sound "ou/au"
A2 and A2+ Dutch stories
Special sound combinations, then tongue-twister stories for confident readers.
Book 4 · A2
De Speciale Klanken
Focus: aai/ooi/oei, ng/nk, ch/sch, eeuw/ieuw/uw, v/z/sj. The special combinations that trip up most learners, in slightly longer stories.
Chapter 1: the sound "aai/ooi/oei"
Chapter 2: the sound "ng/nk"
Chapter 3: the sound "ch/sch"
Chapter 4: the sound "eeuw/ieuw/uw"
Chapter 5: the sound "v/z/sj"
Book 5 · A2+
De Medeklinkers
Focus: one consonant per chapter, B to Z. Tongue-twister stories where almost every word starts with the same letter. Rare and literary words: a reading workout for confident readers, not a first reader.
Chapter 1: the letter B
Chapter 2: the letter C
Chapter 3: the letter D
Chapter 4: the letter F
Chapter 5: the letter G
Chapter 6: the letter H
Chapter 7: the letter J
Chapter 8: the letter K
Chapter 9: the letter L
Chapter 10: the letter M
Chapter 11: the letter N
Chapter 12: the letter P
Chapter 13: the letter Q
Chapter 14: the letter R
Chapter 15: the letter S
Chapter 16: the letter T
Chapter 17: the letter V
Chapter 18: the letter W
Chapter 19: the letter X
Chapter 20: the letter Y
Chapter 21: the letter Z
Read it with sound and colour
In the Dutch Fluency reading app every chapter comes with real narration, a colour code for every sound, the word list first, questions after the stories and a short dictation. Chapter 1 is free without an account.
Frequently asked questions
Are these Dutch short stories free?
Yes. 43 stories are free to read on this site, one from every chapter of the Reading Method. The other stories are in the reading app, where chapter 1 is free without an account.
Which level are the stories?
Book 1 is Pre-A1, books 2 and 3 are A1, book 4 is A2 and book 5 is A2+. Every chapter trains one Dutch sound, so a beginner can sound out every word instead of guessing.
Why is Book 1 written without capital letters?
On purpose. Book 1 keeps every word as simple as possible: short vowels, three-letter words and no capitals. Capital letters and paragraphs start in Book 2.
Is there an English translation?
No. The stories are written so you can read them with the words you learn just before, without translating. Each story page lists the chapter's words; the reading app teaches them before the story.