Dutch course in a group

Dutch courses for expats - all levels

Are you an expat in the Netherlands? Is it time to start - or continue - learning Dutch? You've come to the right place! NIOW offers live online classes from beginner to B2, all led by professional language teachers and supported by a study book with online exercises.

Learn Dutch as a foreign language

All courses are taught live online via Teams. Our groups are small, with a maximum of eight students, to guarantee enough time for interaction and personal feedback during the lessons. The emphasis is on speaking skills and knowledge of Dutch social norms to increase your confidence in dealing with everyday situations. You will get the most out of the course if you participate actively, make time to study at home, and practise daily.

The course levels are:

• Beginner course, for those who want to start from the very beginning. This course will take you up to level A1.
• A1 course, aimed at learners who can understand elementary phrases. The target level is A1+.
• A2 course, for those who are able to apply basic grammar as offered in the A1 course.
• B1 course, most suitable for those who are familiar with all basic grammar and are beginning to use it actively in speech.
• B1.2 course, the follow-up after the B1 course, designed to give you more practice and expand your vocabulary.
• B2 course, for learners who have spent considerable time (300-400 hours) studying Dutch. In this upper-intermediate course the approach is more loosely structured and based on the participants’ needs rather than a strict programme.
• B2.2 course, a follow-up to the B2 course.

Before the start of your course, the trainer will contact you to assess your level of Dutch and to discuss personal learning objectives. In this way, we make sure each student receives the attention he or she needs. As soon as your starting level is clear, we will offer you several course dates to choose from. On average, we start a course at your level five times per year. All courses take place during office hours.

Study load

The study load is 40 hours, which includes 10 weekly online lessons of 2 hours each. Learning to use a language cannot be achieved by taking lessons alone. Practicing is key! The book that is used during the lessons comes with online materials enabling you to practise on your own. It includes vocabulary, grammar, and listening / reading exercises. At the end of the course you will receive a school certificate stating the language level you achieved.

Extra speaking practice

For extra speaking practice, you are welcome to join our Conversation Cafés. These relaxed, informal sessions are a great way to practise your Dutch speaking skills and enjoy some fun, friendly conversation with fellow Dutch learners.

Beginner course

Maybe you have been in The Netherlands for a while and have already started learning vocabulary through Duolingo or YouTube videos. Perhaps you have learned some words you hear your colleagues say all the time, like ‘klopt’, ‘precies’, ‘inderdaad’! You might have even started using words like ‘doei’, ‘dankjewel’ or ‘fijne dag’. In this training course, you will learn many more words, and how to use them in basic sentences.

Schedule: Tuesdays from 12.30-14.30, starts on 18th of November

A1 course

Now that you are familiar with the topics described under the beginner course (either by completing that course with us, through self-study, or via courses elsewhere), you can continue to the next level! Before the course begins, you should be able to introduce yourself in Dutch (say who you are, where you live, where you are from, where you work, what you do, etc.) and have basic conversations about daily topics. We will focus heavily on verbs during this course, so you can confidently use different types of verbs and tenses.

Schedule: Wednesdays from 12.30-14.30, starts on 5th of November

A2 course

At the start of this course, you should be able to apply basic grammar rules (as specified for level A1). Generally, this means that you should already have some experience of speaking in a Dutch environment OR completed our A1 course.

In the A2 course, we focus on fluency and accuracy. We cover topics such as talking about weekend plans, posting voice chats, apologizing, and explaining short procedures. When it comes to grammar, you will learn more about word order, verb constructions, and tenses.

Schedule: Thursdays form 14.30-16.30, starts on 18th of September.

B1.1 course

At this level, you should be familiar with all the basic grammar from the A2 course and be able to apply most of it actively in speech. This course reviews the vocabulary and grammar of the previous levels, and helps you to greatly increase your vocabulary. You will practise formulating sentences quickly - without thinking - and taking part in longer conversations. You will learn to phrase things in different ways, practise talking about the consequences of our actions, expressing emotions, and handling practical everyday situations like dealing with a bank, an estate agent, utility companies, and so on.

Schedule: Tuesdays from 12.00-14.00, starts on 7th of October.

B1.2 / B2.1 / B2.2 courses

At these levels, you can express yourself well and get things done in Dutch. However, your tone or exact choice of words may sometimes miss the mark. You might even have to look up the meaning of more complicated and/or job-related vocabulary. That is what we will work on in these courses. You will also learn more about business jargon, how to express yourself in meetings and presentations, and how to write business e-mails. The programme will be adapted to your needs and your personal objectives.

Schedule B1.2 course: Tuesdays from 15.30-17.30, starts on 16th of September

Schedule B2.1 course: Thursdays from 15.00-17.00, starts on 30th of October.

Schedule B2.2 course: Thursdays from 11.00-13.00, starts on 11th of September.

Register for the course, start with an intake

After you register, we will contact you to schedule an intake interview and check your proficiency level. The dates you see when you click on ‘trainingsdata/inschrijven’ in the green button at the top, are for the interview. The interview takes approximately 15 minutes.