Dutch FluencyLesson 14 of 50 · A0 to A1 · Free
Position, direction and asking the time
Being five minutes late in Dutch starts with understanding half four.
A clock and a moving person demonstrate position and time. Dutch half four means 3:30, not 4:30.
13 minutes. No account needed for lesson 1. No rush.
14Today you will
- 1Ask the time and survive the answer
- 2Break the half vier trap once and for all
- 3Learn ten tiny words that steer every Dutch day
- 4Say where you are: inside, outside, near, between
The 12 words you actually use
Dutch first, said out loud. Say each word before you flip the card, then check yourself. Every card speaks.
op
op
op
on, on top of
De koffie staat op de tafel. The coffee is on the table.
tussen
TUS-sun
tussen
between
Tussen twee en drie. Between two and three.
bij
bay
bij
at, near
Ik ben bij de halte. I am at the stop.
binnen
BIN-nun
binnen
inside
Binnen is het warm. Inside it is warm.
buiten
BOW-tun
buiten
outside
Buiten is het koud. Outside it is cold.
zonder
ZON-dur
zonder
without
Zonder koffie? Nee. Without coffee? No.
voor
vohr
voor
before
Voor het werk: koffie. Before work: coffee.
na
nah
na
after
Na het werk: markt. After work: market.
om
om
om
at (clock time)
Om drie uur. At three o'clock.
hoe laat is het?
hoo LAHT is ut
hoe laat is het?
what time is it?
Hoe laat is het? Half vier. What time is it? Half past three.
de klok
duh KLOK
de klok
the clock
De klok is boven de deur. The clock is above the door.
trap word
half vier
hahlf FEER
half vier
half past three (3:30)
Half vier is drie uur dertig. Half vier is three thirty.
The half vier trap
Read both lines out loud. The second one is the truth. Dutch counts toward the NEXT hour, English looks back at the last one.
- you think
- half vier = 4:30 (wrong)
- Dutch means
- half vier = 3:30 (halfway TO four)
Tiny words, total control
om owns clock times: om drie uur, om half vier. voor and na sit around events: voor het werk, na de lunch. And the famous trap: Dutch looks half an hour AHEAD. half vier means halfway TO four, so 3:30. Miss this and you are early for exactly one meeting in your life, then never again.
Late, but Dutch-late
One appointment, one clock, one trap. Read it once for the shape. Read it again out loud.
- 01
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 02
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 03
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 04
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 05
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 06
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 07
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 08
tap the Dutch to check yourself
Helper words in this story
- de afspraak the appointment
- nat wet
- de halte the stop
- de brug the bridge
- de winkel, winkels the shop, shops
- de jas the coat
- de toren the tower
- oud old
- precies exactly
- geen not a, no
Thirty seconds. Prove it.
Three words from this lesson. Answer before you doubt yourself.
Prove it · 1 of 3
half vier
All 20 words in this lesson
op
at, on top
tussen
between
het midden
the middle
over
about
over
over
bij
at, near
binnen
inside
buiten
outside
tegen
against
rond
around
sinds
since
zonder
without
voor
before
na
after
om
at
hoe laat?
what time?
hoe laat is het?
what time is it?
de klok
the clock
het uur
the hour
half vier
half past three
Hear all 20, then say them back
The interactive lesson plays every word, walks the story line by line, records your voice next to a native one, and remembers the ones you find hard. Lesson 1 needs no account.
- I can ask what time it is
- I can decode half vier as 3:30, forever
- I can place myself binnen, buiten, bij and tussen
- I can use om for every clock time
- I can say before and after with voor and na
Fifty fifty. We build it. You show up.
