Do you also find it hard to keep the meaning of the Dutch modal verbs “kunnen”, “mogen” and “moeten” apart? And what happens to them when we throw in the negation? Not to worry, in this blog post and accompanying video I’ll explain to you just that plus I’ll give you some very concrete...
The two standardized variations of Dutch, namely Dutch as spoken in the Netherlands (so-called “Nederlands-Nederlands”) and Flanders (“Belgisch Nederlands”) have been oft-discussed, mythologized and exaggerated. In a previous article and video, I covered the differences between the two for beginners in which my conclusion was that the beginners . This time, we’ll be taking...
After an epic rant on why you should never use Google Translate and an in-depth explanation of how to use a dictionary correctly, it’s now time to look at what dictionary is right for you and how you can practically use it. That’s why I’ve made two demonstration videos in which I show you...
Do you find it hard to deal with your own perfectionism? Do you always have that feeling that you should be studying or progressing more than you actually are? Fear not, I also deal with these kinds of issues and in this video I want to talk to you about the kind of mindset...
Ok beautiful people, it’s time for a follow-up on Dutch sentence structure. Previously, we had already talked about the “pasta tonsil” holding mechanism that structures most of the Dutch main clauses and today I want to zoom in to the final element of that Dutch claw: the “eindgroep”. Guaranteed that once you get the...
In a previous blog post and video, we already covered how to improve your listening skills and the difference between active and passive listening. In this post, I want to give you some speaking tips for practicing speaking at home. Yes, it does involve talking to the walls like some crazy person but since...
In a previous blog post and accompanying video, I gave you three very good reasons for why you should never use Google Translate. I thought it might also be good to guide you down the right path, away from the devil with these tips on how to use dictionaries productively so you never have...
In the “Spreektaal” video series, I’m speaking freely about a random topic in Dutch. Previously, I had already given you my opinion about the new Taylor Swift album and I had discussed what languages I speak and what my relationship with them is. In this video, I’m talking about what I and other Flemish...
In this post, I’ll give you 5 different ways and structures that you can use when someone asks you “Wat doe jij in jouw vrije tijd?” or “Wat zijn jouw hobby’s?”. It’s just one of my favorite topics: when students can describe what they do in their spare time, talk about their passions and...
If you’ve been studying Dutch for a while and you’ve reached A1 level, you might have come across the “om te infinitive” construction (also called “infinitiefconstructie”. If you haven’t seen my other post or video on Dutch sentence construction for the main clause, I would highly advise you to check that one out first!...