Dutch FluencyLesson 16 of 50 · A0 to A1 · Free
Free time, travel and going out
The best Dutch question is not where you work. It is what makes you alive.
A dull calendar explodes into free-time choices. These words turn small talk into a real connection.
12 minutes. No account needed for lesson 1. No rush.
16Today you will
- 1Answer the best Dutch small-talk question
- 2Learn the going-out ladder: borrelen, uitgaan, stappen
- 3Turn Dutch nouns into verbs for free
- 4Plan a Dutch holiday out loud
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.
trap word
de vrije tijd
duh VRAY-uh TAYT
de vrije tijd
free time
Wat doe je in je vrije tijd? What do you do in your free time?
de hobby
duh HOB-bee
de hobby
the hobby
Mijn hobby is koken. My hobby is cooking.
reizen
RAY-zun
reizen
to travel
Wij reizen in juli. We travel in July.
de vakantie
duh vah-KAHN-see
de vakantie
the holiday
De vakantie is kort. The holiday is short.
het strand
ut STRAHNT
het strand
the beach
Het strand is mooi. The beach is beautiful.
sporten
SPOR-tun
sporten
to exercise
Ik sport op maandag. I exercise on Monday.
hardlopen
HART-loh-pun
hardlopen
to run
Ik ga hardlopen in het park. I go running in the park.
wandelen
VAHN-duh-lun
wandelen
to go for a walk
We wandelen naar het strand. We walk to the beach.
borrelen
BOR-ruh-lun
borrelen
to have drinks (the Dutch way)
Vrijdag borrelen we. Friday we have drinks.
uit eten gaan
out AY-tun khahn
uit eten gaan
to go out for dinner
Zaterdag gaan we uit eten. Saturday we go out for dinner.
stappen
STAH-pun
stappen
to go out (and party)
Vanavond gaan we stappen. Tonight we go out.
koken
KOH-kun
koken
to cook
Ik kook voor mijn vrienden. I cook for my friends.
Nouns become verbs for free
Dutch loves turning a thing into the doing of it: add -en and go. Read the pairs out loud; you already know half the verb before you start.
- the thing
- de sport - sport · de tuin - garden · de zon - sun
- the doing
- sporten - to exercise · tuinieren - to garden · zonnen - to sunbathe
borrelen, the most Dutch verb
borrelen has no real translation: drinks plus bitterballen plus talking for hours, usually starting at five. It sits on a ladder: borrelen (drinks), uitgaan (going out), stappen (going out until the trams stop). Learn the ladder and you understand a Dutch weekend.
What makes you alive
Two new friends skip the boring questions. 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
- wat doe je what do you do
- en jij? and you?
- het park the park
- bij by, near
- daarna after that
- de stad the city
- tot until
- geen not a
- de vraag the question
- het leven the life
Thirty seconds. Prove it.
Three words from this lesson. Answer before you doubt yourself.
Prove it · 1 of 3
de vrije tijd
All 20 words in this lesson
de vrije tijd
free time / leisure time
de hobby
the hobby
reizen
to travel
de vakantie
the holiday
kamperen
to camp out
het strand
the beach
zonnen
to sunbathe
het pretpark
the theme park
tuinieren
gardening
de taal
the language
sporten
to exercise
hardlopen
to run
wandelen
to go for a walk
tennissen
to play tennis
hockeyen
to play hockey
borrelen
to have a drink
uit eten gaan
to go out for dinner
uitgaan
to go out
stappen
to go out (and drink)
koken
to cook
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 answer wat doe je in je vrije tijd
- I can climb the going-out ladder: borrelen, uitgaan, stappen
- I can name five sports and outings
- I can say where I go on holiday
- I can turn Dutch nouns into verbs
Fifty fifty. We build it. You show up.
