Dutch FluencyLesson 9 of 50 · A0 to A1 · Free
Counting higher and moving through the day
Dutch numbers feel impossible until you hear the hidden pattern.
A number wall turns into a walking, asking mini-story. The twist: Dutch builds 21 as one-and-twenty.
12 minutes. No account needed for lesson 1. No rush.
09Today you will
- 1Count to a hundred with one repeating pattern
- 2Build 21 the backwards Dutch way
- 3Ask a price and survive the answer
- 4Meet your first five real Dutch verbs
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.
tien
teen
tien
ten
Tien euro, alsjeblieft. Ten euros, please.
elf
elf
elf
eleven
Elf, twaalf, dertien. Eleven, twelve, thirteen.
twaalf
twahlf
twaalf
twelve
Om twaalf uur. At twelve o'clock.
twintig
TVIN-tukh
twintig
twenty
Twintig euro voor twee. Twenty euros for two.
trap word
eenentwintig
AYN-un-TVIN-tukh
eenentwintig
twenty-one
Ik ben eenentwintig. I am twenty-one.
dertig
DER-tukh
dertig
thirty
Ik heb dertig euro. I have thirty euros.
vijftig
VAYF-tukh
vijftig
fifty
Vijftig lessen. Fifty lessons.
honderd
HON-durt
honderd
hundred
Honderd mensen. A hundred people.
duizend
DOW-zunt
duizend
thousand
Duizend woorden. A thousand words.
lopen
LOH-pun
lopen
to walk
Ik loop naar de markt. I walk to the market.
gaan
khahn
gaan
to go
We gaan om vijf uur. We go at five o'clock.
vragen
VRAH-khun
vragen
to ask
Mag ik iets vragen? May I ask something?
How Dutch builds 21
Read both lines out loud and feel the flip. This one reversal covers every number from 21 to 99, so it pays rent every time you hear a price or an age.
- English order
- twenty-one = twenty + one
- Dutch order
- eenentwintig = een + en + twintig
The hidden pattern
Teens end in -tien: dertien, veertien, vijftien. Tens end in -tig: twintig, dertig, veertig. Then the famous flip: from 21 to 99 the small number goes FIRST. Not twenty-one but one-and-twenty, eenentwintig. Say your own age out loud the Dutch way once and the pattern is yours forever.
Market maths
Market day: prices fly, numbers flip, and the walk home is long. Read it once for the shape. Then 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 markt the market
- hoeveel how much
- de kaas the cheese
- het stuk, stukken the piece, pieces
- voor for
- om ... uur at ... o'clock
- naar huis home, homewards
- mensen people
- misschien maybe
- moe tired
Thirty seconds. Prove it.
Three words from this lesson. Answer before you doubt yourself.
Prove it · 1 of 3
eenentwintig
All 20 words in this lesson
tien
ten
elf
eleven
twaalf
twelve
dertien
thirteen
veertien
fourteen
vijftien
fifteen
twintig
twenty
eenentwintig
twenty-one
dertig
thirty
veertig
forty
vijftig
fifty
honderd
hundred
tweehonderd
two hundred
duizend
thousand
miljoen
million
lopen
to walk
hebben
to have
worden
to become
gaan
to go
vragen
to ask
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 count to a hundred using one pattern
- I can say my age the backwards Dutch way
- I can ask how much something costs
- I can say where I am walking and going
- I can understand a price at a market
Fifty fifty. We build it. You show up.
