What is a Dutch “vuurtoren”?
Op pad langs vuurtorens met Kefah
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch · Picked for people who know a little
A vuurtoren (“fire-tower”) is the Dutch word for a lighthouse, a transparent compound that names the original purpose: a tall tower that once burned a fire. The Netherlands has dozens of operational and decommissioned vuurtorens along its North Sea coast and the Wadden islands. Iconic ones include Egmond aan Zee’s J.C.J. van Speijk, the Brandaris on Terschelling (one of Europe’s oldest, from 1594), and the squat Westhoofd on Goeree. Several are open as museums, holiday rentals, or wedding venues.
In this clip, a Dutch presenter walks the coast at Egmond aan Zee: “Welkom in Egmond aan zee. We maken vandaag een rondje om de vuurtoren.”
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A2 Dutch listening practice video?
How common in written Dutch
How common in spoken Dutch
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Dutch coastal-tourism and Wadden-island content (Visit Wadden, Holland.com, Staatsbosbeheer)
- ▸In Dutch maritime-history writing (Het Scheepvaartmuseum, Rijksmuseum, De Volkskrant)
- ▸In Dutch travel and family-trip content (Het Klokhuis, VPRO Tegenlicht, Floortje Naar Het Einde Van De Wereld)
- ▸In Dutch news features about coastal erosion and Rijkswaterstaat (NOS, NRC, Rijkswaterstaat)