Many Dutch learners stall in the same place. Dutch uses the same alphabet as English, so they can read a cafe menu early on, and they still cannot follow two friends chatting over coffee. One reason is that Dutch often saves part of a verb for the end of the sentence: in Ik bel je morgen op (I'll call you tomorrow), the verb opbellen (to call) splits in two, and op comes last. Grammar tables and word lists don't turn into understanding on their own. Comprehensible input is the fix: you spend the same study time on Dutch where you already know almost every word, so the few new ones explain themselves.
What Comprehensible Input Looks Like
Each row below is a sentence. The gray bars are words you already know, and the purple bar is the one that is new.
About one new word per sentence.
At this difficulty you keep reading, because everything around the new word tells you what it means. You work it out yourself, and a word learned that way stays with you far longer than one memorized from a list.
Your Roadmap by Level
Bubblegum sorts every lesson into six levels, and each level is described by a sentence about the learner. Find the sentence that sounds like you, and the row tells you what to read and what to do.
- Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words.
Read short dialogues that come with audio and a translation, and save the three words you look up most often. For your first videos, try Juf M, who teaches complete beginners with pictures and almost no English.
Level 1 lessons about Dutch cafes - Level 2
I can handle simple exchanges.
Read dialogues about cafes and meeting people with the translation hidden, and look up only the words that stop you. Watch Super Easy Dutch, the beginner videos from Easy Dutch, with the Dutch subtitles on.
Level 2 lessons about Dutch cafes - Level 3
I follow conversations on familiar topics.
Watch NOS Journaal in Makkelijke Taal, a weekday news show in easy Dutch from the Dutch public broadcaster. Listen to each lesson once more without reading along.
Level 3 lessons about Dutch cafes - Level 4
I understand most content but miss some nuance.
Listen to Een Beetje Nederlands, a podcast in clear Dutch with a free transcript for every episode. Watch shows on NPO Start, the streaming service of the Dutch public broadcasters, with Dutch subtitles on.
Level 4 lessons about Dutch cafes - Level 5
I read complex topics but rare words slow me down.
Watch those shows and the regular NOS Journaal without subtitles, and look up only the words that block the story.
Level 5 lessons about Dutch cafes - Level 6
I read at near-native level.
Read Dutch novels and the news for their own sake.
Level 6 lessons about Dutch cafes
Move up a level when the current one starts to feel easy, and move back down if you lose the thread by the third line.
Try It on a Real Lesson
The lesson below comes from Bubblegum, where Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Dutch lessons at your level. You can read it here just as you would in the app. Switch between Levels 1, 2, and 3, and notice which one you can follow while still looking up a few words.
One Situation, Three Levels
From Bubblegum’s guide Ordering Coffee and Socializing at a Dutch Cafe. It works here the way it works inside Bubblegum.
I can handle simple exchanges.
Making Plans for a Bike Ride
Daan and Sanne are talking about the weekend.
Would you like to go for a bike ride tomorrow?
Yes, sounds fun! What time shall we meet?
Let's meet tomorrow at 10 o'clock at the station.
Great, that works. Should I bring anything?
Could you bring the water bottle?
Sure, see you tomorrow!
Frequently Asked Questions About Comprehensible Input
Do I need to learn which nouns take de or het first?
No. Dutch has two words for "the", de and het, and two rules help: every plural takes de, and every noun made small with -je takes het, so de jongen (the boy) becomes het jongetje (the little boy). For other nouns, you pick up the right word by hearing it with the noun again and again in sentences you understand.
Is watching Dutch TV comprehensible input?
From Level 4 with Dutch subtitles, yes. Before that, a children's show is easier to follow, such as Het Klokhuis from the public broadcaster NTR, which explains how everyday things work.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
The Dutch lessons on this site are also free and need no account.
