Learning Dutch in Amsterdam
Learn to speak the local language with our guide to Dutch language courses in the Amsterdam Area, private tutors and official examinations.
Start learning Dutch
Learning Dutch is a great way to feel more at home, integrate into a Dutch workplace or widen your social circle. In the Amsterdam Area, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting Dutch language courses.
Several institutes are CEDEO certified in regards to customer satisfaction and quality. The City of Amsterdam offers a variety of courses to improve your Dutch and to help you get acquainted with living in Amsterdam. These courses are primarily free of charge, but not everyone is eligible. Find out more about free Dutch classes provided by the City of Amsterdam.
Official Dutch examinations
The Dutch government developed an examination system known as the NT2, which will give you an officially recognised diploma and proves that you have a good command of the Dutch language - this course may be required for some immigration procedures (and is sometimes subsidised). If you are following a Civic Integration (inburgeren) programme as part of your immigration criteria, it should be noted that the language level is beneath NT2, focused primarily on the basics of reading, writing and speaking Dutch, as well as aspects of traditional Dutch culture.
Dutch language schools that are partners of IN Amsterdam
- Alliance Française Amsterdam – A cultural centre that specialises in teaching French (and Dutch) as a foreign language to an international audience for all levels and ages.
- Dutch Courses Amsterdam – expect small groups of maximum 6 students and a variety of courses from intensive to private, including online options.
- INTT (Institute for Dutch Language Education at the University of Amsterdam) – choose from a wide range of courses, including preparation courses for the NT2 exam.
- Flowently – develop practical and social conversation skills with a private tutor online or meet up in town for 'snap the city' and 'learn Dutch live' sessions.
- Katakura – a great choice for busy Amsterdammers, Katakura offers several different combinations of times, dates and intensity levels and holds courses at two locations.
- Regina Coeli – located approximately an hour outside of Amsterdam, Regina Coeli has a proud history of intensive week-long Dutch courses designed by ‘the nuns of Vught’.
- Taalhuis Amsterdam - located in the heart of the Dutch capital, Taalhuis Amsterdam offers group courses, private training and tailored in-company workshops.
- Taalthuis – Learning Dutch is fun at Taalthuis. You can follow courses at different levels, online or face-to-face in small groups.
- Talencoach – a seven-day immersion course known as the ‘Dutch brainwash’ uses humour to make learning the language enjoyable.
- UvA Talen – the University of Amsterdam’s language centre offers courses to students, staff and graduates, as well as internationals that are not connected to the university.
- Volksuniversiteit – an adult education centre in Amsterdam’s city centre that has more than 100 years of experience in teaching Dutch to speakers of other languages.
- VU-NT2 – designed to prepare students for the NT2 exam, this course at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is aimed at anyone with secondary education.
Find a private tutor
If you prefer a one-on-one approach to learning Dutch or want to speed the process along, a private tutor might be the solution for you.
Many of the organisations listed above, such as Flowently, offer private lessons in addition to group classes. Alternatively, agencies such as Dutch Ready have been established to match students with tutors for lessons in person or online. The extremely high level of English proficiency in The Netherlands means that everyone is a potential tutor - even sites like Marktplaats are worth exploring if you prefer less structure than a typical course.
