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B1  ·  32 words

The Netherlands and Flanders in Dutch

Provinces, cities, canals, windmills — the language area and its words.

Practise this list

From these 32 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.

More about this list

Dutch is spoken in the Netherlands, in Flanders (the northern half of Belgium), in Suriname and on the Caribbean islands. The Netherlands has twelve provinces, provincies; “Holland” is really the name of only two of them, Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland, so calling the whole country Holland is common but not exact. Belgium is a federal state with three regions: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. In Brussels both French and Dutch are official languages, and street signs are bilingual. Country names come with or without an article: Nederland, België, but de Verenigde Staten. English has the same pattern: “the United States”, but “Belgium”.

The words

Noun (6)

Nederlandthe NetherlandsNounB1
Nederland ligt aan de Noordzee.The Netherlands lies on the North Sea.

A proper name, singular: Nederland is …. English says “the Netherlands”; the Dutch name has no article.

BelgiëBelgiumNounB1
België heeft drie officiële talen.Belgium has three official languages.
VlaanderenFlandersNounB1
In Vlaanderen spreekt men Nederlands.In Flanders people speak Dutch.
de Randstadthe Randstad (the conurbation in the west)NounB1
De Randstad is het drukste deel van Nederland.The Randstad is the busiest part of the Netherlands.

A proper name: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and the land between them.

de WaddeneilandenWadden IslandsNounB1
De Waddeneilanden liggen in het noorden.The Wadden Islands are in the north.

Plural.

BrusselBrusselsNounB1
Brussel is tweetalig.Brussels is bilingual.

Adjective (2)

VlaamsFlemishAdjectiveB1
Hij praat met een Vlaams accent.He speaks with a Flemish accent.
typischtypicalAdjectiveB1
Wat is typisch Nederlands?What is typically Dutch?

Phrase (1)

eb en vloedebb and flow, tidesPhraseB1
Aan de kust merk je eb en vloed.On the coast you notice the tides.

Literally “ebb and flood”; English says “ebb and flow” or simply “the tides”.

Noun (de) (17)

de VlamingFlemingNoun (de)B1
Veel Vlamingen gaan op vakantie naar de kust.Many Flemish people go on holiday to the coast.
de provincieprovinceNoun (de)B1
Nederland heeft twaalf provincies.The Netherlands has twelve provinces.
de hoofdstadcapital cityNoun (de)B1
Amsterdam is de hoofdstad van Nederland.Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands.
de regeringszetelseat of governmentNoun (de)B1
Den Haag is de regeringszetel.The Hague is the seat of government.
de grachtcanal (in a town)Noun (de)B1
We maken een rondvaart door de grachten.We are taking a boat trip through the canals.

A town canal; the general word is het kanaal.

de molenwindmill, millNoun (de)B1
Bij Kinderdijk staan negentien molens.There are nineteen windmills at Kinderdijk.
de dijkdykeNoun (de)B1
We fietsen over de dijk.We are cycling along the dyke.

Spelt “dike” in American English.

de bezienswaardigheidsight, attractionNoun (de)B1
Welke bezienswaardigheden moet ik zien?Which sights should I see?
de rondvaartboat tourNoun (de)B1
De rondvaart duurt een uur.The boat tour takes an hour.
de VVVtourist information officeNoun (de)B1
Bij de VVV krijg je een stadsplattegrond.At the tourist office you get a town map.

In Flanders: de dienst toerisme.

de stadsplattegrondtown mapNoun (de)B1
Op de stadsplattegrond staat het museum.The museum is marked on the town map.
de binnenstadtown centre, old townNoun (de)B1
De binnenstad is autovrij.The town centre is car-free.
de NoordzeeNorth SeaNoun (de)B1
Het water van de Noordzee is koud.The water of the North Sea is cold.
de koningkingNoun (de)B1
De koning houdt elk jaar een toespraak.The king gives a speech every year.
de inwonerinhabitantNoun (de)B1
Hoeveel inwoners heeft Gent?How many inhabitants does Ghent have?
de klompclogNoun (de)B1
Klompen draagt bijna niemand meer.Hardly anyone wears clogs any more.
de vlagflagNoun (de)B1
Op Koningsdag hangt overal de vlag uit.On King’s Day flags are out everywhere.

Noun (het) (6)

het accentaccentNoun (het)B1
Je hoort aan zijn accent dat hij uit Limburg komt.You can hear from his accent that he comes from Limburg.
het dialectdialectNoun (het)B1
In Limburg spreken veel mensen dialect.In Limburg many people speak dialect.
het FriesFrisianNoun (het)B1
In Friesland spreekt men ook Fries.In Friesland they also speak Frisian.

A separate language, close to English: “butter, bread and green cheese” is bûter, brea en griene tsiis.

het koningshuisroyal familyNoun (het)B1
Het koningshuis woont in Den Haag.The royal family lives in The Hague.
het wadmudflats, tidal flatsNoun (het)B1
Bij eb kun je over het wad lopen.At low tide you can walk across the mudflats.
het plattelandthe countrysideNoun (het)B1
Mijn grootouders wonen op het platteland.My grandparents live in the country.

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Missing a word? Look it up in the dictionary

This list belongs to Everyday life in the Netherlands and Flanders — four lists and 127 words that can also be practised as a whole.

Hear and recognise these words in the listening trainer