Nederlands

Season 5, Episode 5: een formulier invullen

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Episode 5: filling in a form. The bureaucratic gesture you'll perform a hundred times in the Netherlands. The clerk hands you a form, asks you to fill it in and sign at the bottom.

Vocabulary: formulier, invullen, kunt u, dit, tekenen, hier, daar, graag.

Episode page · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via ElevenLabs.

Season 5, Episode 4: bij de IND

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 18:30:00 +0000

Episode 4: at the IND. You visit the Immigration and Naturalisation Service to confirm your residency status. The clerk asks who you are, where you live, and since when.

Vocabulary: ik ben, Amerikaan, ik woon, in Amsterdam, sinds, jaar, welkom.

Episode page · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via ElevenLabs.

Season 5, Episode 3: een nieuw paspoort

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Episode 3: a new passport. A month later, you return to the gemeente because your paspoort is expiring. Meneer de Vries handles the renewal.

Vocabulary: paspoort, verloopt, mag ik, zien, nieuw, kost, euro.

Episode page · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via ElevenLabs.

Season 5, Episode 2: naam en adres

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 17:30:00 +0000

Episode 2: name and address. You arrive at the gemeente for your appointment and meet meneer de Vries. He needs your name and address to start your record.

Vocabulary: mijn, naam, wat, uw, adres, hoofdstraat, tot ziens.

Episode page · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via ElevenLabs.

Season 5, Episode 1: een afspraak bij de gemeente

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Diane's Inburgering Dutch - season 5 launches with Pimsleur-style situational dialogues aimed at the A2 inburgering exam. Two voices: Noa as the female Dutch clerk and English narrator, Thijs as the male Dutch student-model voice.

Episode 1 drills booking an appointment at the gemeente - the canonical TKM-Spreken scenario you'll hit again and again for BSN, paspoort, marriage, address change. Drills both sides of the dialogue so you can produce the clerk's questions too.

Vocabulary: afspraak, maken, voor, wanneer, alstublieft, hoe laat, om tien uur, tot maandag, dank u wel.

Episode page with full script · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via ElevenLabs.

Season 1, Episode 10: doen

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:08 +0000

The verb doen - irregular conjugation, with present, past, and (where applicable) future tense forms drilled side by side.

Includes three example sentences in context, and a Brueghel proverb at the end.

For full conjugation and translations, see the episode page.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 1, Episode 9: komen

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:07 +0000

The verb komen - irregular conjugation, with present, past, and (where applicable) future tense forms drilled side by side.

Includes three example sentences in context, and a Brueghel proverb at the end.

For full conjugation and translations, see the episode page.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 1, Episode 8: gaan

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:06 +0000

The verb gaan - irregular conjugation, with present, past, and (where applicable) future tense forms drilled side by side.

Includes three example sentences in context, and a Brueghel proverb at the end.

For full conjugation and translations, see the episode page.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 1, Episode 7: zullen

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:05 +0000

The verb zullen - irregular conjugation, with present, past, and (where applicable) future tense forms drilled side by side.

Includes three example sentences in context, and a Brueghel proverb at the end.

For full conjugation and translations, see the episode page.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 1, Episode 6: willen

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:04 +0000

The verb willen - irregular conjugation, with present, past, and (where applicable) future tense forms drilled side by side.

Includes three example sentences in context, and a Brueghel proverb at the end.

For full conjugation and translations, see the episode page.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 1, Episode 5: moeten

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:03 +0000

The verb moeten - irregular conjugation, with present, past, and (where applicable) future tense forms drilled side by side.

Includes three example sentences in context, and a Brueghel proverb at the end.

For full conjugation and translations, see the episode page.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 1, Episode 4: kunnen

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:02 +0000

The verb kunnen - irregular conjugation, with present, past, and (where applicable) future tense forms drilled side by side.

Includes three example sentences in context, and a Brueghel proverb at the end.

For full conjugation and translations, see the episode page.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 1, Episode 3: worden

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:01 +0000

The verb worden - irregular conjugation, with present, past, and (where applicable) future tense forms drilled side by side.

Includes three example sentences in context, and a Brueghel proverb at the end.

For full conjugation and translations, see the episode page.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 1, Episode 2: hebben

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000

The verb hebben - irregular conjugation, with present, past, and (where applicable) future tense forms drilled side by side.

Includes three example sentences in context, and a Brueghel proverb at the end.

For full conjugation and translations, see the episode page.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 3, Episode 10: De koe bij de hoorns vatten

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:40:09 +0000

A short Brueghel proverb: De koe bij de hoorns vatten

The proverb is said normally then slowed down for the learner, then explained in English with a real-world example sentence.

Cover art: a zoomed-in crop from Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 3, Episode 9: Achter het net vissen

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:40:08 +0000

A short Brueghel proverb: Achter het net vissen

The proverb is said normally then slowed down for the learner, then explained in English with a real-world example sentence.

Cover art: a zoomed-in crop from Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 3, Episode 8: Iemand een blauwe huik omhangen

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:40:07 +0000

A short Brueghel proverb: Iemand een blauwe huik omhangen

The proverb is said normally then slowed down for the learner, then explained in English with a real-world example sentence.

Cover art: a zoomed-in crop from Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 3, Episode 7: Iemand bij de neus nemen

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:40:06 +0000

A short Brueghel proverb: Iemand bij de neus nemen

The proverb is said normally then slowed down for the learner, then explained in English with a real-world example sentence.

Cover art: a zoomed-in crop from Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 3, Episode 6: De wereld op zijn kop

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:40:05 +0000

A short Brueghel proverb: De wereld op zijn kop

The proverb is said normally then slowed down for the learner, then explained in English with a real-world example sentence.

Cover art: a zoomed-in crop from Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 3, Episode 5: Twee narren in één kap

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:40:04 +0000

A short Brueghel proverb: Twee narren in één kap

The proverb is said normally then slowed down for the learner, then explained in English with a real-world example sentence.

Cover art: a zoomed-in crop from Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 3, Episode 4: Een rad voor de ogen draaien

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:40:03 +0000

A short Brueghel proverb: Een rad voor de ogen draaien

The proverb is said normally then slowed down for the learner, then explained in English with a real-world example sentence.

Cover art: a zoomed-in crop from Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 3, Episode 3: De huik naar de wind hangen

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:40:02 +0000

A short Brueghel proverb: De huik naar de wind hangen

The proverb is said normally then slowed down for the learner, then explained in English with a real-world example sentence.

Cover art: a zoomed-in crop from Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 3, Episode 2: Twee honden aan één been

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:40:01 +0000

A short Brueghel proverb: Twee honden aan één been

The proverb is said normally then slowed down for the learner, then explained in English with a real-world example sentence.

Cover art: a zoomed-in crop from Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 3, Episode 1: Boter aan de galg smeren

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:40:00 +0000

A short Brueghel proverb: Boter aan de galg smeren

The proverb is said normally then slowed down for the learner, then explained in English with a real-world example sentence.

Cover art: a zoomed-in crop from Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 4, Episode 5: hoor

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:35:05 +0000

Modal particle. Hoor is the imperative of the verb horen, ‘to hear’ - so it's literally hear! tacked onto the end of a sentence as a friendly tag.

Almost exactly the Southern American ‘y’hear’ - same move, but Dutch uses it constantly, across the whole country.

Four jobs:

Reassurance — Het is goed, hoor. Maak je geen zorgen, hoor.
Warm sign-offs — Dag, hoor! Dank je wel, hoor.
Softening corrections — Dat klopt niet, hoor.
Ja hoor / Nee hoor — the high-frequency duo. Friendly by default, sarcastic if you aim it that way.

Brueghel proverb: De teerling is geworpen — the die is cast.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 4, Episode 4: wel

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:35:04 +0000

The verb wel - irregular conjugation, with present, past, and (where applicable) future tense forms drilled side by side.

Includes three example sentences in context, and a Brueghel proverb at the end.

For full conjugation and translations, see the episode page.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 4, Episode 3: naar

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:35:03 +0000

Like the nog episode, a deep-dive on one little Dutch word that does many jobs: naar. Four letters, several roles, plus one homonym trap.

Direction — the core meaning: ik ga naar huis (I'm going home), naar het station (to the station).

The naar … toe wraparound — a Dutch flourish, especially with people: hij komt naar mij toe.

Verb government — the big one. A class of verbs always pairs with naar: kijken naar, luisteren naar, zoeken naar, vragen naar, verlangen naar.

Named after — vernoemd naar.

Fixed adverbial phrases — naar mijn mening, naar wens, naar verluidt, naarmate.

The homonym — a second word spelled exactly ‘naar’ that's an unrelated adjective meaning ‘nasty’. Een nare droom. Context tells you which is which.

Brueghel proverb: een aal bij de staart hebben — to have an eel by the tail (wrestling with something slippery).

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 4, Episode 2: groeten

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:35:02 +0000

Dutch greetings and goodbyes - formal vs informal vs shopkeeper.

Formal hellos (by time of day): goedemorgen, goedemiddag, goedenavond. Universal-safe: hallo.

Informal: hoi, hé.

Formal goodbyes: tot ziens. From shop staff: prettige dag verder, fijne dag nog, fijne avond nog.

Informal goodbyes: doei, doei doei, tot straks, tot morgen.

Decision guide: shopkeeper/doctor/official = formal. Friends/family/peers = informal. When in doubt, lean formal.

Brueghel proverb: met de hoed in de hand komt men door het hele land - politeness opens doors.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 4, Episode 1: nog

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:35:01 +0000

Not about a sound - about a slippery little word. Nog has six meanings depending on context:

Wil je nog koffie? → more
Ben je er nog? → still
Nog drie dagen → another / X more
Fijne dag nog! → for the rest of
Ik ben er nog niet → yet (in negatives)
Hij is nog jong → even / after all

The trick: don’t translate “nog” word-for-word. Translate the sentence.

Brueghel proverb: pannenkoeken op het dak - abundance, paradise on earth.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 2, Episode 4: w, v, and f

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:35:00 +0000

The trickiest consonant trio for Dutch learners. In writing they look different. In Amsterdam speech, F and V are nearly indistinguishable because V is often devoiced.

F - voiceless, like English F: fiets, foto, film

V - technically voiced, often devoiced in the north: vader, vis, vandaag

W - softer than English W; a labiodental approximant: water, wijn, wat

Tongue twister: Vader fietst vandaag naar het werk met witte wijn.

Brueghel proverb: twee vliegen in één klap slaan - kill two birds with one stone.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 2, Episode 3: ui

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:30:02 +0000

The ui sound - the iconic Dutch diphthong. No close equivalent in English or Spanish, which is why foreigners struggle with it.

How to make it: start with the English ‘how’ mouth position, round your lips like you’re saying ‘oo’, then glide to a tight, fronted ‘ee’.

Three examples: ui (onion), huis (house), buiten (outside).

Sentence drill: Ik snijd een ui voor het avondeten buiten op het terras.

Brueghel proverb: een rad voor de ogen draaien - to pull the wool over someone’s eyes.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 2, Episode 2: e and ee

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:30:01 +0000

Dutch has two distinct E sounds: short and long. They’re different sounds, not just shorter or longer versions of the same one.

Short e - relaxed mouth, like English ‘e’ in bed:

bed, het, met

Long ee - tongue higher, mouth tighter, no English ‘y’ glide:

twee, nee, veel

The rule: closed syllable → short E. Open syllable → long E. Governs every Dutch vowel pair.

Brueghel proverb: zo de ouden zongen, zo piepen de jongen - like father, like son.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 2, Episode 1: het alfabet

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:30:00 +0000

Season 2 kicks off with the Dutch alphabet. Twenty-six letters, same as English, but most of them sound different in Dutch.

The ABC song - same tune as the English ABC, with Dutch letter names. Then a walk through all 26 letters with one common word for each (appel, boek, kaas, mooi, zon…).

Three letters worth a closer look:

G - the famous Dutch hard G, a throaty scrape
R - either rolled (Spanish style) or guttural (French style)
IJ - treated as one letter in Dutch

Brueghel proverb: boter aan de galg smeren - wasted effort.

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.

Season 1, Episode 1: zijn

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

The verb zijn means to be. It's the most-used verb in Dutch and its forms are completely irregular - you can't predict them from the dictionary form, you just memorize them.

This episode covers:

Present tense: ik ben, jij bent, hij is, wij zijn, jullie zijn, zij zijn
Past tense: was for singular pronouns, waren for plural
Future tense: zullen + infinitive, and why Dutch speakers usually skip it
Three example sentences in context
Brueghel proverb: twee honden aan één been

Episode page with full script and Anki cards · Transcript

Scripts and audio under CC0 1.0. Narration via the Noa voice on ElevenLabs.