Books
Authentic Travel Stories for Learners of Dutch:
Authentieke reisverhalen voor anderstaligen
Welcome to this collection of short authentic travel stories designed for learners of Dutch at the A2 level of the Common European Framework of reference for languages, published in March 2025.
Whether you are just starting out or looking to strengthen your language skills, this book is tailored to help you navigate everyday Dutch situations in an authentic and unpretentious way.
Each of the 10 chapters features engaging stories that give you a slice of life; day-to-day scenarios and holiday plans. The book gives you a practical understanding of how Dutch is used in real-life situations. From planning a holiday to visiting a local shop, the stories are set in contexts that will feel familiar and useful in your language-learning journey. Every story uses the present and the past tense.
Each story is around 750 words long, making it manageable while offering ample opportunities to learn new words and expressions. To further support your learning, each chapter comes with a verb list and a vocabulary list to focus on essential grammar points like the past tenses, the irregular verbs, separable and inseparable verbs, and common expressions. The selected verbs, words, and expressions of the lists are in bold. After each story, you'll find exercises designed to help you practise and consolidate the new vocabulary and grammar concepts introduced in the chapter.
These authentic travel stories have been tried and tested with my current students in my Beginners and Elementary evening classes. They have provided me with valuable feedback.
This book is ideal for learners who have already been introduced to the basics of Dutch grammar and want to build on that knowledge in a practical way. Whether you're preparing for a trip to the Netherlands or Belgium, or simply looking to improve your conversation skills, these stories will help you expand your vocabulary, understanding and fluency in Dutch.