What to watch to learn Dutch
Everything 2 working Dutch teachers told us they would actually put in front of a learner, with a note on why each one works and the level it suits.
19
Recommendations
2
Teachers
Picked by
I've been teaching Dutch to expats in Alphen aan den Rijn and online for more than fifteen years. Most of what I recommend is ordinary Dutch television, where people talk at normal speed about holidays, animals, travel and money and there is enough on screen to keep you with them. If that is still too fast, start with the news in simple Dutch. The two conversation sets are my own dialogues, written by me and recorded with my family and friends.
See Anouk van der Linde’s picks
12 Everyday Conversations in Dutch
Anouk's own dialogues for the situations you meet first: the doctor, the shop, the neighbours. Short enough to play twice, which is when the phrases start to stick.
Beginner
NOS Journaal in Makkelijke Taal
The day's news read at a calm pace in plain Dutch, with the background explained instead of assumed. A short bulletin every day is the easiest listening habit to keep.
Beginner
Het echte leven in de dierentuin
Hidden cameras follow the animals in Dutch zoos day and night, with the keepers explaining what you are looking at. The pictures carry most of the meaning, so you can follow it long before you catch every word.
Beginner-Intermediate
Ten MORE Everyday Conversations in Dutch
A second set of the same everyday scenes, a little longer and a little quicker. Move on to these once the first twelve feel comfortable.
Beginner-Intermediate
3 op Reis
Dutch presenters travel the world and talk you through each place straight to camera. The commentary is clear and unhurried, and there is always something on screen to hang the words on.
Intermediate
Bed & Breakfast
Three couples each spend a night at the others' bed and breakfast and then score what they found. The hosts come from all over the country and nobody is reading a script, so you get everyday Dutch and a wide spread of regional accents.
Intermediate
Floortje naar het einde van de wereld
Floortje Dessing visits people who have built a life in the most remote corners of the planet and stays with them for a few days. She narrates most of it herself in calm, clear Dutch.
Intermediate
MAX Vakantieman
A consumer show that takes on holidays gone wrong, from a hotel that was nothing like the photos to an airline that will not pay up. It is exactly the vocabulary you need the day you have to complain about something yourself.
Intermediate
Metropolis
Local reporters around the world answer the same question from their own city, with Stef Biemans introducing each episode in Dutch. The Dutch framing is clear and the reports come subtitled, so it doubles as reading practice.
Intermediate-Advanced
NPO Kennis
The Dutch public broadcaster's knowledge platform: a real question, then a short answer cut from its own documentaries and science programmes. The same clips run on their Instagram if you would rather have them in a feed.
Intermediate-Advanced
Steenrijk, Straatarm
Two families at opposite ends of the income scale swap houses and budgets for a week. Nothing is scripted and a lot of it is emotional, which means fast, ordinary speech and real accents.
Intermediate-Advanced
De Universiteit van Nederland
Free lectures from Dutch professors, filmed for a general audience and also published as a podcast. Academic vocabulary at native speed, so save it for when you can already follow a long argument.
Advanced
Picked by
These are the Dutch series and films I recommend to my students.
See Mariska van der Meij’s picks
B&B Vol Liefde
Single Dutch B&B owners abroad hope one of their guests turns into a partner. It is hours of unscripted conversation at normal speed, and the plot pulls you along even when the words get away from you.
Intermediate
Boer zoekt vrouw
Farmers across the country look for a partner, filmed at home on the farm. You get real regional accents and the way people speak when nobody has written it down for them.
Intermediate
Heel Holland Bakt
Ten home bakers compete for the title of best baker in the Netherlands, and everything on screen shows you what the words mean. The kitchen vocabulary comes back every episode, which is what makes it stick.
Intermediate
Alles is Liefde
A Sinterklaas romantic comedy with a dozen Amsterdam storylines that cross over by the end. Half a crash course in the biggest holiday in the Dutch calendar, half an hour and a half of people talking to each other the way they really do.
Intermediate-Advanced
Dirty Lines
Amsterdam in the late 1980s, where two brothers launch Europe's first erotic phone line and a psychology student takes a job answering it. Fast, slangy, adult, and a good ear workout once you can follow a scene.
Intermediate-Advanced
Máxima
Videoland's drama about Máxima Zorreguieta before she became queen of the Netherlands, from Buenos Aires and New York to the Dutch royal family. Much of the early story plays out abroad, so the Dutch arrives in stretches rather than all at once.
Intermediate-Advanced
Gooische Vrouwen
The film that grew out of the series about four women in het Gooi, the wealthy stretch of country outside Amsterdam. The Dutch is quick, catty and thick with slang, so save it for when you can already follow a conversation. The series itself is on Videoland.
Advanced
Frequently asked
What can I watch to learn Dutch?
Anouk van der Linde of Active Dutch recommends 12 Everyday Conversations in Dutch, NOS Journaal in Makkelijke Taal, Het echte leven in de dierentuin and Ten MORE Everyday Conversations in Dutch, 19 teacher-chosen picks in total. Each links out to where you can watch or listen, with a note on the right learner level.
What shows can I watch on Netflix and Amazon Prime to learn Dutch?
Anouk van der Linde, who teaches Dutch at Active Dutch, recommends NOS Journaal in Makkelijke Taal, Het echte leven in de dierentuin, 3 op Reis, Bed & Breakfast, Floortje naar het einde van de wereld, MAX Vakantieman, Metropolis and Steenrijk, Straatarm. Mariska van der Meij, who teaches Dutch at Dutch Speaking Academy, recommends B&B Vol Liefde, Boer zoekt vrouw, Heel Holland Bakt, Alles is Liefde, Dirty Lines, Máxima and Gooische Vrouwen. These are all TV series and films, so you will usually find them on Netflix or Amazon Prime. Each one links out to where to watch it, with a note on the level it suits.
What are the best podcasts to learn Dutch?
Anouk van der Linde, who teaches Dutch at Active Dutch, recommends 12 Everyday Conversations in Dutch and Ten MORE Everyday Conversations in Dutch. Each one links out to where you can watch or listen, with a note on the level it suits.