Last updated: March 24, 2023
Dutch podcasts for beginners are the perfect resource to add to your Dutch learning routine.
They allow you to focus entirely on audio — the vocabulary you’re hearing, the pronunciation, and the cadence (or flow) of the words as demonstrated by a native speaker.
There are a number of podcasts created specifically as a resource to help new Dutch learners. These are typically focused on the Netherlands — history, holidays, traditions — and are spoken in slow, clear, Dutch.Â
Many people find it useful to follow the text of each episode while listening. Therefore I have mentioned below which podcasts offer transcripts and where to find them.
In order of difficulty, here are the Dutch podcasts for beginners that I recommend:
1. DutchPod 101
The podcast from DutchPod101.com was the first ever podcast I listened to when I started to learn Dutch. It has over 50 episodes uploaded between 2014 and 2023. They also have some episodes available in video format.
This podcast will teach you basic, fundamental Dutch phrases and conversations. For example, how to greet at different times of the day, how to tell someone what your name is, how to say please and thank you, how to ask someone where they live, etc.
The podcast is mainly spoken in English.
When phrases are being taught, you will often hear the conversation in Dutch (at a natural speed), followed by the conversation being broken down slowly, with detailed explanation given in English. This makes it perfect for an absolute beginner.
For beginners, I can only recommend the older series from DutchPod 101. Many of the episodes uploaded after 2014 are spoken entirely in English, and are there to promote the different products offered by DutchPod 101.
Here are the episodes I recommend:
- Basic Bootcamp #1 – Basic Greetings in Dutch
- Basic Bootcamp #2 – Talking Nationality in Dutch
- Basic Bootcamp #3 – Useful Phrases for Learning Dutch
- Survival Phrases # 1 – How to Say Thank You in Dutch
- Survival Phrases #2 – You’re Welcome in Dutch
- Survival Phrases #3 – Please in Dutch
- Absolute Beginner Lesson #1 – Catching up with an Old Dutch Friend
- Absolute Beginner Lesson #2 – Where in the Netherlands Do You Live?
- Absolute Beginner Lesson #3 – Let’s Drink Dutch Coffee
| Number of episodes | 50+ |
| Episode length | 3-12 minutes |
| Speed | Slow |
| Subject | Basic Dutch greetings and phrases |
| Where to listen | Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts |
| Transcripts | Not available |
2. Zeg het in het Nederlands
Wherever Dutch podcasts for beginners are discussed, you will always find ‘Zeg het in het Nederlands’ on the list — and for good reason. This was another one of the first Dutch podcasts I listened to, and I will still to this day, listen to new episodes as they’re uploaded.
This podcast has been around since 2018 and is spoken in the most clear, slow Dutch of any of the podcasts in this list, so it’s great for following along with a transcript (which are available for purchase on their website).
Even without a transcript, beginners are likely to understand parts of this podcast thanks to the slow, clear tempo.
The podcast itself is not meant to teach you Dutch phrases or grammar structures. It is rather meant to help you practice listening and comprehending spoken Dutch, while discussing various topics about the Netherlands.
You can expect to learn about Sinterklaas, tulips, football, several Dutch cities, and just about every holiday that is celebrated in the Netherlands.
What I love about this podcast, is that you can begin to understand it (or at least pick up on familiar words) rather early on in your Dutch learning study. These early wins are important to keep you encouraged and motivated to continue learning.
| Number of episodes | 40+ |
| Episode length | 15-30 minutes |
| Speed | Slow |
| Subject | Dutch culture and history |
| Where to listen | Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify SoundCloud dutchidiom.com radioviainternet.nl |
| Transcripts | Available for sale at dutchidiom.com at € 3.75 per episode or € 29.50 per 10 episodes |
3. Your Dutch Coach
The Your Dutch Coach is a Dutch podcast for beginners, created to train your listening and speaking skills, so that you can start a conversation in Dutch with confidence.
The host, Kathelijn actually acts questions throughout the podcast, giving the listener an opportunity to think and respond in Dutch.
The host speaks in a fairly slow, clear manner that can be easily understood by beginners.
She combines Dutch topics such as birthdays and birth traditions in the Netherlands, with important grammar topics such as inversion and negation.
The podcast (which started in 2019) was inactive during 2021 but starting uploading new episodes again in January 2022. So fingers crossed for more episodes in the future.
| Number of episodes | 15+ |
| Episode length | 5-17 minutes |
| Speed | Slow – moderate |
| Subject | Dutch culture and grammar |
| Where to listen | Spotify Google Podcasts |
| Transcripts | Not available |
4. Learn Dutch with Lianne
This up-and-coming podcast was created by Lianne Gorissen, teacher and founder of EasyLanguageOnline.com. Lianne began uploading episodes in March 2021.
The podcast discusses Dutch culture and history, so is meant to help you practice listening and comprehending spoken Dutch. It is spoken in fairly slow, clear Dutch. It is not quite as slow as ‘Zeg het in het Nederlands’, but still suitable for beginners.Â
You will find episodes about celebrating birthdays in the Netherlands, surviving Dutch weather (and the many words for it), Dutch holidays and history, and a little bit about learning new languages.
I think this a great, educational Dutch podcast for beginners and elementary students. Full transcripts are available for every episode.
At the time of writing this, there are only 11 episodes however I think it has quite the potential. I hope that Lianne continues to grow this podcast and I am looking forward to more episodes!
| Number of episodes | 10+ |
| Episode length | 4-12 minutes |
| Speed | Slow – moderate |
| Subject | Dutch culture and history |
| Where to listen | Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify easylanguageonline.com |
| Transcripts | Available for free on every episode page at easylanguageonline.com/podcast |
5. The Dutch Online Academy
The podcast by the Dutch Online Academy has been around for about three years now, posting roughly on a monthly basis since March 2020. There are over 50 episodes online.
Most of the episodes are recorded by the author, Ida Mathilde, but occasionally the episode is recorded by a guest speaker.Â
This is another one of the Dutch podcasts for beginners which mainly discusses everyday Dutch life, culture, and history, and meant to help you with listening and comprehending Dutch. Some episodes, however, are centred around a specific grammar structure, but tell a story (e.g. a well-known fairy tale) using that grammar structure frequently, rather than explaining in detail the grammar structure itself. This makes for a nice variety of episode styles to choose from.
The author speaks at a moderate, but clear tempo. Episodes featuring a guest speakers tend to be at more of a native speaker’s tempo.
Transcripts for all episodes are available for free online.
| Number of episodes | 50+ |
| Episode length | 2-12 minutes |
| Speed | Moderate |
| Subject | Dutch life, culture, and history; short stories |
| Where to listen | Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify thedutchonlineacademy.com |
| Transcripts | Available for free on every episode page at thedutchonlineacademy.com/en/podcast |
6. 5-minuten Nederlands
As the name implies, 5-minuten Nederlands is a podcast with roughly 5-minute episodes.
The creator, Caroline, speaks about the Dutch language and culture, as well as the things she experiences in her everyday life (like her bike being stolen, or celebrating her grandmother’s birthday).
There are occasionally guest speakers or features from another speaker to demonstrate a conversation (for example with a student, or a Dutch-speaking expat).
Caroline studied French in high school, and decided a few years ago to pick it up again by joining a French course in Den Haag. After a couple years, she could read and write reasonably well in French, and understood the most important grammar topics, but still needed to master speaking and comprehension.
She discovered a podcast that told short stories in French. She would study by making lists of new words and expressions that she came across in each episode. This really improved her French, and she created this podcast to help Dutch learners improve in the same way!
The podcast is spoken at a clear, moderate to native speed (guest speakers in particular speak at a native speed), making it good for beginners but also suitable for more intermediate listeners.
What’s great about this podcast is that you will not only be practicing listening to and comprehending Dutch, but there is also some really useful information shared for those new to the Netherlands or considering coming to the Netherlands.
There is for instance, an episode about studying in the Netherlands, and another about handy websites that everyone living in the Netherlands should know about.
Transcripts are available online or can be requested by e-mail.
| Number of episodes | 130+ |
| Episode length | 4-6 minutes |
| Speed | Moderate – native |
| Subject | Dutch life, culture, and history; about the author; guest speakers |
| Where to listen | Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify 5minutennederlands.buzzsprout.com/ |
| Transcripts | Available with € 5/month subscription at petje.af/5-minutennederlands |
7. NOS Jeugdjournaal
NOS Jeugdjournaal is a news program for children between 9 and 12 years old, and has been around for 35 years. The news program airs on live television on NPO 3, and at their website you can find approximately 50 of their latest articles. Being targeted for 9-12 year olds, it is perfect for a beginner.
Check out my article: Dutch reading material for beginners: 19 different online ideas for more ideas of what to read as a beginner!
The podcast was launched in 2021 and has over 60 episodes online. It is of course directed at children (not one of the intentional Dutch podcasts for beginners), so you will hear Dutch spoken at native speakers’ tempo.
Unlike the other podcasts in this list, this one has two hosts so you will hear more conversational Dutch. The hosts Bart Tuinman and Malou van der Starre also speak with various guests of all ages.
The advantage of the podcast is that the topics are relatively simple — e.g. eating vegetables, or taking tests at school — so you can hopefully follow along with the discussion even if you are not understanding every word.
At the moment the podcast is not offering transcripts.
| Number of episodes | 60+ |
| Episode length | 13-19 minutes |
| Speed | Native |
| Subject | News |
| Where to listen | Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify zapp.nl |
| Transcripts | Not available |
Hopefully you discovered some new podcasts today to check out and add to your study routine.
Are your favourite Dutch podcasts for beginners not on the list? Leave a comment and let me know what your go-to podcast is for learning Dutch!