Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the Dutch vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and native-speaker audio.
Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.
| English | Dutch | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the apple | de appel | I eat the apple. Ik eet de appel. |
| the book | het boek | She reads the book. Ze leest het boek. |
| the cat | de kat | The cat is sleeping. De kat slaapt. |
| the dog | de hond | The dog is barking. De hond blaft. |
| the car | de auto | He drives the car. Hij rijdt in de auto. |
| the house | het huis | We live in a house. We wonen in een huis. |
| the chair | de stoel | She sits on the chair. Ze zit op de stoel. |
| the table | de tafel | Put the book on the table. Leg het boek op de tafel. |
| the window | het raam | Open the window. Open het raam. |
| the door | de deur | Close the door. Sluit de deur. |
| the pencil | het potlood | I write with the pencil. Ik schrijf met het potlood. |
| the paper | het papier | The paper is on the table. Het papier ligt op de tafel. |
| the school | de school | The school is big. De school is groot. |
| the teacher | de leraar | The teacher teaches math. De leraar geeft wiskunde. |
| the student | de student | The student is studying. De student studeert. |
| the boy | de jongen | The boy is playing. De jongen speelt. |
| the girl | het meisje | The girl is singing. Het meisje zingt. |
| the adult | de volwassene | The adult is working. De volwassene werkt. |
| the friend | de vriend | My friend is here. Mijn vriend is hier. |
| the tree | de boom | The tree is tall. De boom is hoog. |
| to accept | accepteren |
| to add | toevoegen |
| to agree | het eens zijn |
| to allow | toestaan |
| to ask | vragen |
| to believe | geloven |
| to borrow | lenen |
| to break | breken |
| to bring | brengen |
| to build | bouwen |
| I like apples | Ik hou van appels |
| She is my friend | Ze is mijn vriendin |
| It is a sunny day | Het is een zonnige dag |
| He runs fast | Hij rent snel |
| We are happy | We zijn blij |
| They play soccer | Ze voetbalen |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for learning while you sleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.
Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.
With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.
Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.
Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.
For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Dutch vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with native-speaker audio.