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 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.
You will start with everyday Dutch words like the food (het eten), the drink (het drankje), the cup (het kopje) — the vocabulary that appears most often in real conversations.
| English | Dutch | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the food | het eten | The food is delicious. Het eten is heerlijk. |
| the drink | het drankje | I want a drink. Ik wil een drankje. |
| the cup | het kopje | The cup is full. Het kopje is vol. |
| the bottle | de fles | The bottle is empty. De fles is leeg. |
| the plate | het bord | The plate is clean. Het bord is schoon. |
| the spoon | de lepel | I use a spoon. Ik gebruik een lepel. |
| the fork | de vork | I eat with a fork. Ik eet met een vork. |
| the knife | het mes | The knife is sharp. Het mes is scherp. |
| the breakfast | het ontbijt | I eat breakfast. Ik eet ontbijt. |
| the lunch | de lunch | We have lunch at noon. We lunchen om twaalf uur. |
| the dinner | het avondeten | They eat dinner together. Ze eten samen avondeten. |
| the bread | het brood | I buy bread. Ik koop brood. |
| the butter | de boter | I put butter on the bread. Ik doe boter op het brood. |
| the cheese | de kaas | I eat cheese. Ik eet kaas. |
| the milk | de melk | I drink milk. Ik drink melk. |
| the coffee | de koffie | I drink coffee in the morning. Ik drink 's morgens koffie. |
| the tea | de thee | I like tea. Ik hou van thee. |
| the juice | het sap | I drink juice. Ik drink sap. |
| the soda | de frisdrank | I drink soda. Ik drink frisdrank. |
| the rice | de rijst | I eat rice. Ik eet rijst. |
Every word explained individually – with example sentence: Browse all 1000 words →
The 100 most important Dutch words →
The 100 most important Dutch verbs →
| to borrow | lenen |
| to buy | kopen |
| to clean | schoonmaken |
| to close | sluiten |
| to cook | koken |
| to do | doen |
| to drink | drinken |
| to eat | eten |
| to find | vinden |
| to get | krijgen |
| She is my friend | Ze is mijn vriendin |
| They have fun together | Ze hebben samen plezier |
| We eat lunch together | We lunchen samen |
| She smiles a lot | Ze glimlacht veel |
| He tells funny jokes | Hij vertelt grappige moppen |
| I visit my friends | Ik bezoek mijn vrienden |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for listening before you fall asleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Type your own words – AI translates them, adds example sentences and the trainer practises them with you.
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 audio.