52 Episodes
Inburgering.org – A2
Practice everyday Dutch at A2 level with short, practical conversations.
The podcasts help you prepare for your inburgering exam by covering topics about Dutch culture, history, and society. It prepares you for the KNM (Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij) exam and helps you integrate successfully in the Netherlands.
Episodes
1. Nederlandse Feestdagen
On 4 May, at 8pm, the Netherlands keeps two minutes of silence for the war dead. On 5 May it marks the liberation of 1945. This episode dates Koningsdag (King's Day), Sinterklaas and Oud en Nieuw, and notes that Suikerfeest is not an official day off.
2. Fietsen in Nederland
Lights are compulsory after dark: white at the front, red at the back. Holding your phone while you cycle is banned. This episode covers haaientanden (shark's teeth), the markings that mean give way, buying a second-hand bike, and the two locks most riders use.
3. Het Nederlandse Koningshuis
The king signs every new law, and the ministers answer for it. Willem-Alexander became king in 2013, when his mother Beatrix stepped down. This episode explains the constitutional monarchy and Prinsjesdag, the third Tuesday in September, when he reads the government's plans aloud.
4. Nederlandse Buren
Neighbours expect quiet after 10pm, and no drilling on a Sunday. Tell the people next door before a party. This episode covers introducing yourself, the VVE (owners' association) rules on flat hallways, and buurtbemiddeling, mediation by trained volunteers.
5. Nederlandse Eet- en Drinkcultuur
Breakfast and lunch are both bread with beleg, the topping: cheese, peanut butter or hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles). This episode covers the early evening meal of potatoes, vegetables and meat, stamppot (mash with vegetables and sausage), and what to bring when you are invited.
6. Het Nederlandse Schoolsysteem
School is compulsory from age 5, though most children start at 4. In groep 8 a teacher's schooladvies sets the secondary route: VMBO leads to vocational training, HAVO to applied higher education, VWO to university. This episode explains how a pupil moves up a level later.
7. Nederlandse Feesten en Uitgaan
An invitation for Friday is fixed weeks ahead, and 8pm means 8pm. This episode covers the bruin café, a traditional wood-panelled pub, borrelen with colleagues after work, taking turns to buy a round, and clubs that often close at 3am.
8. Nederlandse Gezondheidszorg
Outside office hours you phone the huisartsenpost, the out-of-hours GP service, before you go. This episode covers the insurance everyone must hold, the eigen risico you pay yourself first, and why adult dental care sits outside the basic package.
9. Nederlandse Politiek
Voters directly elect the 150 members of the Tweede Kamer, the lower house. Provinces choose the 75 senators of the Eerste Kamer. This episode explains why no Dutch party governs alone, and the stempas (voting card) you take to the polling station.
10. Nederlandse Natuur en Parken
At low tide you can walk across the seabed of the Waddenzee, which the Dutch call wadlopen. This episode covers the national parks, De Hoge Veluwe with its Kröller-Müller Museum, the Keukenhof bulb gardens, and the volkstuin (allotment) many families rent.
11. Nederlandse Weer en Klimaat
Rain falls in every season, so people check Buienradar, the rain-radar app, before they leave. This episode covers the maritime climate, KNMI warnings coded yellow, orange and red, and terrasjesweer, the sunshine that fills the outdoor cafés.
12. Nederlandse Winkels en Service
Most shops shut at 6pm, and Thursday's koopavond (late shopping evening) runs to 9pm. Some open on Monday only after midday. This episode covers paying by card, packing your own groceries at the till, and asking staff for help instead of waiting.
13. Werken in Nederland
After three temporary contracts inside three years, your employer must offer a permanent one. That rule is the ketenbepaling. This episode covers probation, sick pay that can run for two years, and a flat hierarchy where you can contradict your manager.
14. Nederlandse Sport en Recreatie
Dutch children swim for diplomas A, B and C in a country full of water. This episode covers football and the Oranje national team, skating on natural ice, the 200 km Elfstedentocht past 11 Frisian towns, and the sportvereniging (sports club) that volunteers run.
15. Nederlandse huizenmarkt en huren
Social housing in the Netherlands comes from a woningcorporatie (housing association), and waiting lists run 5 to 10 years in the big cities. Register with one as soon as you arrive. Private landlords rent out directly, and they ask for payslips and a work contract.
16. Nederlandse bankieren en verzekeringen
Dutch banks ask for three things before they open an account: ID, a BSN (citizen service number) and a Dutch address. You have four months from arriving to take out Dutch health insurance. Zorgtoeslag is a monthly allowance Dienst Toeslagen pays you towards the cost.
17. Nederlandse vervoer en mobiliteit
OVpay replaced the OV-chipkaart: you check in and out with a bank card, a phone or an OV-pas on every leg, on trains, buses, trams and the metro. NS runs the main network, and Arriva, Keolis and Qbuzz run fourteen regional lines. Sprinters stop at every station. Intercity trains skip small ones.
18. Nederlandse digitale overheid
DigiD, the government login, gets you into Dutch government sites, your health insurer and your pension fund. Your gemeente (municipality) registers you first, so that you have a BSN (citizen service number). MijnOverheid then collects the digital post they send you.
19. Nederlandse startup en ondernemerschap
You register an eenmanszaak (sole trader business) in two steps: an online form, then an appointment at a KVK (Chamber of Commerce) office, where you get your KVK number. A notary must set up a BV, the Dutch private limited company. WBSO is the tax break for research work.
20. Nederlandse sociale voorzieningen
UWV, the benefits agency, pays WW (unemployment benefit). One condition is that you worked 26 of the last 36 weeks. Your gemeente (municipality) pays bijstand, the last-resort benefit, when WW ends. Dienst Toeslagen pays the toeslagen for rent and care.
21. Nederlandse kerk en religie
In the Netherlands you may practise a religion or none, and no school, employer or gemeente (municipality) may decide that for you. Church and state stay separate. More than half the population belongs to no religious group. Roman Catholics come first in the figures, then Protestants, then Muslims.
22. Nederlandse mode en lifestyle
Jeans, sneakers and a rain jacket cover most Dutch dress codes. Suits appear only at formal occasions. Lunch runs at noon and the hot evening meal at about 6 p.m. Colleagues meet at a borrel, the informal drink after work.
23. Nederlandse vrijwilligerswerk
A taalcafé (language café) gives you free Dutch conversation practice, and a buddy project pairs you with a volunteer. You can also volunteer yourself: Dutch sports clubs, schools and care homes run on volunteers, and they recruit at NLdoet, a yearly national event.
24. Nederlandse vakantie en reizen
Employers must give full-time staff at least 20 paid holiday days a year. You also get vakantiegeld, a holiday allowance of at least 8% of gross pay. Your contract or cao (collective agreement) sets the month, usually May. The bouwvak shuts the building trade in August.
25. Nederlandse huisdieren en dieren
Every dog in the Netherlands needs a microchip and a registration. Owners clear dog waste from the street, and leaving it can bring a fine. Many gemeenten (municipalities) charge hondenbelasting, a yearly dog tax. Shelters rehome abandoned cats and dogs.
26. Nederlandse afval en recycling
Sorting waste is compulsory, but your gemeente (municipality) sets the containers and their colours, so check the rules for your street. GFT means vegetable, fruit and garden waste. Glass and textiles go to street containers, and the milieustraat (recycling yard) takes paint.
27. Nederlandse verjaardag en feesten
At a Dutch birthday you congratulate the family as well as the person whose birthday it is. Guests sit in a circle, and the host serves coffee and cake. The birthday person pays for the party, and each guest brings one gift. Weddings begin at the gemeentehuis (town hall).
28. Nederlandse buurtactiviteiten
Many Dutch streets have a buurtvereniging, a residents' association that runs street parties and raises problems with the gemeente (municipality). On Koningsdag (King's Day) neighbours hold a vrijmarkt where children sell old toys. The buurthuis (community centre) hosts courses.
29. Nederlandse kringloop en tweedehands
Kringloopwinkels (second-hand shops) sell furniture, clothes, books and appliances, and volunteers staff most of them. Marktplaats is the Dutch classifieds site, where private sellers list used goods. Flea markets run at weekends. Repair cafés mend broken household goods.
30. Nederlandse waterbeheersing
More than a quarter of the Netherlands lies below sea level. Dikes, polders (drained land) and pumping stations keep it dry. This episode covers the Deltawerken (Delta Works) built after the 1953 flood, and the 21 waterschappen (water boards) that tax residents.
31. Nederlandse architectuur en stedenbouw
Dutch housing adverts use words like rijtjeshuis (terraced house) and nieuwbouw (new build). This episode explains stedenbouw (urban planning): where homes, shops and green space go, why a woonerf slows cars, and which changes to your home need a vergunning (permit).
32. Nederlandse innovatie en technologie
A bank never asks for your pincode, and anyone who does is committing fraud. This episode covers the online portals replacing paper letters, contactless payment, self-scan tills, travel apps, and booking a huisarts (family doctor) appointment online.
33. Nederlandse media en nieuws
The public channel NPO 1 broadcasts NOS Journaal, the national news bulletin, at 8pm. This episode maps Dutch public and commercial media. It names the Jeugdjournaal, which reports the same news in simpler Dutch, and explains how to check a source.
34. Nederlandse milieu en duurzaamheid
Statiegeld, the deposit on plastic bottles and cans, comes back to you when you return the empties. This episode covers how collection days and container rules differ by gemeente (municipality), and the energielabel, the A-to-G rating you see when you rent or buy a home.
35. Aangifte doen en politiecontact
Call 112 when someone is hurt, a fire is burning or a crime is happening now. Call 0900-8844 when you need the police without an emergency. This episode explains aangifte (an official crime report), what to bring to the station, and why you keep the report number.
36. Afspraken maken en op tijd komen
In Dutch, half drie means 2:30, not 3:30. This episode covers booking by phone, checking the bevestiging (confirmation) and arriving five minutes early. Cancelling late can cost money at the dentist or huisarts (family doctor).
37. Bellen en e-mailen in Nederland
Open a Dutch phone call with your name and the reason you are calling. This episode covers what to say on voicemail and how to ask someone to repeat. For a formal email it covers the onderwerp (subject line) and the bijlage (attachment) you check before you send.
38. Bibliotheek en taal oefenen
A Dutch library lets you read, study and use a computer without joining. Borrowing books needs membership, an ID and an address. Ask at the desk about a taalcafé (conversation group) or a taalmaatje (language buddy) to practise Dutch.
39. Boodschappen doen op de markt
Market traders sell by the kilo, by the item or by the box. This episode gives the Dutch sentences for asking a price and ordering half a kilo. It covers paying by card (pinnen), spotting an aanbieding (a short-term offer) and finding out who is next in the queue.
40. Energiecontracten en meterstanden
Your rental contract says whether gas, water and electricity are included. If they are not, you arrange your own energy contract. This episode covers photographing meterstanden (meter readings) at a move and checking the jaarrekening (annual bill).
41. Gemeentehuis en loketafspraken
Gemeente (municipality) counters usually work by appointment. You book online with DigiD (the government login) or by phone. This episode covers the documents to bring, the leges (fee) you pay, and how to move an appointment.
42. Kinderopvang en peuterspeelzaal
Dutch childcare has waiting lists, so start your search early. This episode explains peuteropvang (toddler groups) and the BSO (after-school care). It covers what to ask on a visit, the opzegtermijn (notice period), and the kinderopvangtoeslag childcare allowance.
43. Klachten en consumentenrechten
A product that breaks soon after you buy it goes back to the seller, not the maker. Online orders give you 14 days of bedenktijd, a cooling-off period, unless the goods are perishable or made to order. This episode covers the bon (receipt) and the consumer desk ConsuWijzer.
44. Omgaan met geld en budget
Vaste lasten are the costs that return every month: rent, health insurance, energy. You pay them before anything else. This episode covers building a buffer for unexpected costs, checking your toeslagen (benefits), and asking for a betalingsregeling (payment plan).
45. Omgaan met Nederlandse brieven
Find the sender, the date, the deadline and the kenmerk (reference number) before you read an official Dutch letter in full. This episode also covers payment demands, the Berichtenbox (the government's digital mailbox), and where to ask for help.
46. Openbaar vervoer in de praktijk
If you check in with a bank card, check out with that same card. A phone and the card inside it count as two cards, and a mismatched trip costs you a correction charge. This episode also covers planning a route and what to do when your train is delayed.
47. Ouder worden en mantelzorg
Ask your gemeente (municipality) for support under the Wmo (Social Support Act) if you look after an older parent, partner or neighbour. This episode explains mantelzorg (unpaid care for someone close) and the short breaks a carer can ask for.
48. Post, pakketten en bezorgen
Couriers need your full house number, including the toevoeging (addition, such as 12A), and a postcode of four digits and two letters. This episode covers pickup points, track and trace, and the proof of postage to keep when you return an online order.
49. Privacy en persoonsgegevens
You may ask any organisation why it needs your data, what it does with it, and how long it keeps it. This episode explains the AVG (the Dutch name for the EU privacy rules), your right to see and correct your file, and when to shield details on an ID copy.
50. Veilig wonen en brandpreventie
Dutch homes need a working smoke alarm on every floor, and you must replace every alarm after ten years. This episode walks through pan fires, battery charging, a clear hallway, an escape plan, and the questions a 112 operator asks you.
51. Verhuizen binnen Nederland
Moving two streets away still gives you a new address in government records. Report it to the gemeente (municipality) from four weeks ahead, and no later than five days after the move. Photograph the meter readings and check MijnOverheid, the government message portal.
52. Verlof aanvragen op werk
Work a full year and your statutory holiday comes to four times your weekly hours. Your employer must in principle approve a holiday request, and has two weeks to object in writing. This episode shows how to word one and where your cao (collective agreement) adds days.
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