Dutch FluencyLesson 22 of 50 · A0 to A1 · Free
Accessories and useful action verbs
A normal morning becomes chaos in ten Dutch words.
A sleepy character leaves home in pyjamas and causes a chain reaction. Verbs are easier when the scene goes slightly wrong.
12 minutes. No account needed for lesson 1. No rush.
22Today you will
- 1Name five accessories with de
- 2Use ten action verbs in present tense
- 3Tell a short story about a chaotic morning
- 4Say what you can and cannot do
The 10 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 pyjama
duh pee-YAH-mah
de pyjama
the pyjamas
Ik draag de pyjama. I wear the pyjamas.
de hoed
duh hoot
de hoed
the hat
De hoed ligt op tafel. The hat lies on the table.
doen
doon
doen
to do
Wat doe je? What are you doing?
beginnen
buh-GIN-nen
beginnen
to begin
De dag begint. The day begins.
brengen
BRENG-en
brengen
to bring
Ik breng de koffie. I bring the coffee.
halen
HAH-len
halen
to pick up
Ik haal de post. I pick up the mail.
trap word
lenen
LAY-nen
lenen
to borrow
Mag ik de hoed lenen? May I borrow the hat?
bellen
BEL-len
bellen
to call
Ik bel mijn vriend. I call my friend.
sluiten
SLOU-ten
sluiten
to close
Ik sluit de deur. I close the door.
vallen
VAL-len
vallen
to fall
De hoed valt. The hat falls.
Always de
All five accessories in this lesson are de-words. There is no het. That is a small mercy. Touch each item and say de: de pyjama, de onderbroek, de bh, de hoed, de das. The article is part of the word. Do not separate them.
- de
- de pyjama · de onderbroek · de bh · de hoed · de das
- het
- (no het words today)
The trap: lenen vs. gebruiken
In Dutch, lenen means both 'to borrow' and 'to lend'. Context tells you who gives and who takes. If you say 'Mag ik lenen?' you are asking to borrow. If you say 'Ik leen jou mijn hoed', you are lending. Own the ambiguity. It is part of the Dutch way.
De ochtend van Kees
Kees wakes up late and everything goes sideways.
- 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 krant the newspaper
- de buurman the neighbour
- de wind the wind
- dicht closed
- buiten outside
- nog eens again
Thirty seconds. Prove it.
Three words from this lesson. Answer before you doubt yourself.
Prove it · 1 of 3
de pyjama
All 20 words in this lesson
de pyjama
the pyjamas
de onderbroek
the undershorts
de bh
the bra
de hoed
the hat
de das
the scarf
doen
to do
beginnen
to begin
geloven
to believe
brengen
to bring
halen
to pick up
lenen
to borrow
bellen
to call
kunnen
can / to be able to
sluiten
to close
snijden
to cut
beslissen
to decide
vallen
to fall
voelen
to feel, to touch
volgen
to follow
gebeuren
to happen
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 name five accessories with de
- I can say what I do, bring, pick up, and borrow
- I can describe a simple chain of events in the present
- I can use lenen for both borrowing and lending
- I can tell a short story about a morning gone wrong
Fifty fifty. We build it. You show up.
