Dutch reading texts by level
30 texts from A1 to B1, 3 049 words in all, with 107 comprehension questions. Each text shows how much of it is explained in this site’s vocabulary — calculated, not claimed.
A1 (9)
A1 · 85 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
Mijn familie
Sanne introduces her family: parents, brother and an evening round the table.
A1 · 83 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
Ontbijt op zondag
A long Sunday breakfast — and a daughter who is still asleep.
A1 · 74 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
De fiets van Bram
Bram cycles every day — today it is raining.
A1 · 80 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
Op de markt
Emma shops at the market: fruit, cheese and a few flowers.
A1 · 63 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
Een nieuwe buurman
A new neighbour moves in and rings the bell with a question.
A1 · 84 words · 1 min
StoryTravel
De eerste dag in Amsterdam
Lena’s first day in Amsterdam: a small room, a museum and fish in the evening.
A1 · 59 words · 1 min
DialogueEveryday life
In het café
Two friends order in a café — one knows exactly what she wants.
A1 · 45 words · 1 min
NoteLiving there
Een briefje op de koelkast
A note on the fridge: what Mum needs today.
A1 · 52 words · 1 min
MessageTravel
Een bericht van Tim
Tim texts his girlfriend: he will be late, the train has stopped.
A2 (10)
A2 · 113 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
De trein naar Groningen
A train journey to Groningen, an announcement and a missed connection.
A2 · 93 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
Een dag ziek
Joris wakes up with a temperature and has to call in sick.
A2 · 112 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
Een verjaardag op zijn Hollands
A birthday in a circle — and why everybody is congratulated.
A2 · 98 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
Het verloren pakket
A parcel does not arrive — and ends up with the wrong neighbour.
A2 · 93 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
Een dag aan zee
A trip to the beach that ends differently from the plan.
A2 · 81 words · 1 min
StoryLiving there
De hond van de buren
A dog, a ball and a gate that is open.
A2 · 78 words · 1 min
EmailLiving there
Een mail aan de huisbaas
The heating is broken — a polite email to the landlord.
A2 · 73 words · 1 min
DialogueLiving there
Bij de huisarts
An appointment at the doctor’s: three days of coughing and no sleep.
A2 · 61 words · 1 min
NoticeEveryday life
Een briefje in de kelder
A notice in the bicycle cellar: what happens to old bikes.
A2 · 63 words · 1 min
DialogueTravel
Een kaartje kopen
At the ticket window: where to, when back, and is there a discount?
B1 (11)
B1 · 143 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
Een kamer zoeken
Looking for a room in a student town: many applicants, little space.
B1 · 154 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
De eerste werkdag
The first day in a Dutch office: first names, a sandwich for lunch and a meeting that ends on time.
B1 · 146 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
Afval scheiden
How a family separates its rubbish — and why there is less of it as time goes on.
B1 · 141 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
De dijk
A grandfather tells how the water came — and what changed afterwards.
B1 · 136 words · 1 min
StoryEveryday life
Vrijwilliger in de bibliotheek
Why a pensioner reads to children every Wednesday.
B1 · 114 words · 1 min
StoryLiving there
De verhuizing
A move to the third floor with no lift — and a trick that only old Dutch houses have.
B1 · 165 words · 1 min
AdvertWork
Vacature: verzorgende in een woonzorgcentrum
A job advertisement for care work: what is wanted and what you get.
B1 · 179 words · 1 min
StoryLiving with water
Storm op de veerboot
A crossing to the island in a storm — and a woman who is not afraid.
B1 · 117 words · 1 min
EmailWork
Een mail over het project
A colleague sums up a meeting — and asks for an answer by Friday.
B1 · 119 words · 1 min
DialogueLiving there
Bij de gemeente
Registering after a move: an appointment at the town hall and a missing paper.
B1 · 145 words · 1 min
StoryLiving with water
Leven met water
A country below sea level: dykes, pumps and houses that float.
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Learning words one at a time and practising grammar one point at a time is work on separate parts. A text is the first thing that needs both at once — and the only exercise where nobody tells you which rule is being tested.
What makes a graded text is a number: how much of it you already know at your level. If it is too low, reading turns into looking things up. Here that number is calculated for every text against this site’s vocabulary and shown with the text — together with the level that follows from it, next to the level on the label.
Every text is written for this site. Click a word to look it up without leaving the page.
What is measured here — and what is not
Coverage tells you about this site’s vocabulary, not about the text. If a text stands at 96 %, four words in a hundred are not explained anywhere here; they are then in the glossary next to the text.
The measured level can be below the stated one, and that is intentional. A set of minutes made up of perfectly ordinary words can be a very hard text — what makes it hard is the sentences they sit in. That is why the average sentence length is shown alongside.
Whether a text is good is measured by nobody here. That is for the reader to decide.