The natural way for your brain to pick up a new skill is to generalize.
First we see what knowledge you already have, then we simplify the knowledge you still need.
Our science-backed method uses these important principles.
The natural way for your brain to pick up a new skill is to generalize.
Leverage the knowledge you already have, then simplify what’s new.
Our method uses these important principles.
We use what you already know from English to kickstart your Dutch
Most people try to learn Dutch with traditional, often group-based lessons, or through conversation. Traditional lessons are ineffective and based not on you, but the class as a whole.
They often focus on the wrong principles and more often than not, you’re either trying to catch up, or stuck wishing things would go faster. Meanwhile, learning through conversation is incredibly difficult, and only very few people actually stick with it long enough to become fluent.
Don't learn harder, learn smarter.
The beauty of this principle is that it applies to beginners, intermediate and advanced students. While you might focus on a different trick at a later stage, the idea stays the same: use what you already know, and simplify what you don’t.
For instance, did you know that you secretly know hundreds of Dutch words already? Using so called cognates and loan words means you can train your vocabulary without having to memorize at all.
Here are just a few examples:
the taxi = (de) taxi
the bar = (de) bar
the menu = (het) menu
the hand = (de) hand
the lamp = (de) lamp
the plant = (de) plant
the wind = (de) wind
the lunch = (de) lunch
the camera = (de) camera
the weekend = (het) weekend
Or did you know that by learning changes in suffixes (word endings) and prefixes (word beginnings) you can often guess what the translation of a word will be?
For instance, if you take English words with the suffix ‘-tion’ and replace those with the Dutch suffix ‘-tie’ you often get the Dutch word with the exact same meaning.
Again, here are just a few examples:
action = actie
definition = definitie
audition = auditie
realization = realizatie
intuition = intuitie
animation = animatie
donation = donatie
edition = editie
Even grammar, which might seem difficult, is much easier than you think.
By following our suggested sentence structure, it simply becomes a matter of dragging and dropping words.
A simple Dutch sentence breaks down into four parts: subject and verb (red), the context (purple), the objects (blue) and the notorious other verbs at the end (green).
All you need to do is make sure the pieces are in the right place.
The student wants to learn Dutch quickly.
De student wil snel Nederlands leren.
The student can simply take lessons at home.
De student kan simpelweg thuis lessen volgen.
I practiced Dutch in my pyjamas on the couch this morning.
Ik heb vanochtend in mijn pyjama op de bank Nederlands geoefend.
Don’t worry about all the fancy language terms for now, just note how the different pieces are always in the same spot. The topic comes first, followed by the context and the object, with the remaining verbs at the end. Grammar really doesn’t need to be that difficult.
Using these tricks, and many more like them, we hope to give you the cheats to learning Dutch quickly and easily. Even if you’ve already tried learning Dutch in the past.
Remember, it’s about learning smarter, not harder.
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