In language learning, two things are important: input and output.
Input includes things like reading books, watching videos or listening to podcasts. Output is about actively using the language: forming your own sentences, speaking, thinking, and expressing what you actually want to say. Studies show that learners make significantly more progress when they actively practise speaking, rather than focusing on input alone.

What I often see is that students focus mainly on input and hardly practise their output. In my classes, the balance shifts. There is a strong focus on output, especially in the Talking Club classes, so yes: praten, praten en praten. At the same time, there is always space for understanding the what and the why behind the language, particularly in my courses.

I believe that for adults, mind and heart work together. When we both understand and feel what we are learning, new knowledge is absorbed more deeply and applied more naturally and long-term. So that’s what I’m focussing on in my classes with my students, to not only let you understand the language but also speak and feel the language more and more :).

A couple of things 🙂

Practise your output. Start speaking from day one. Yes, it’s really possible. Research shows that actively using the language helps you become more fluent, remember more, and improve faster.

Real interaction. Speak with a teacher or language partner, get personal feedback, and have real conversations where you express your own ideas. This helps you improve faster. And real interaction is simply better and more fun, which leads me to the third point…

Have fun! But really: enjoy the process. If you stop enjoying it, it’s sometimes better to take a break. Don’t push yourself too hard. Feel what works for you. When you have fun, you make more progress (this is evidence-based), and you simply have a better life :).

The Talking Club and my courses are online.

If you are a company based in the north of Limburg (the Netherlands), I also offer in-person lessons. For this option, please check “Dutch for Teams” on this website.

I work online with small groups, with a maximum of 3–5 people. For companies, group sizes can be larger.

The Talking Club focuses mainly on speaking (the real deal! 😉) and is suitable from A2 level onwards, with groups at A2 and B1/B2 level. The goal is to practise, gain confidence and speak more fluently in a relaxed setting. We don’t work with a book, but you will receive helpful material in advance for each class so you can prepare.

The courses are more grammar-based and start from A0 level. I offer courses from A0 to A1, A1 to A2 and A2 to B1, combining grammar, vocabulary and clear explanations with plenty of speaking practice and creating your own sentences. For the courses, we work with a book.

In short: the Talking Club is ideal if you want to speak more, become more fluent and receive plenty of personal corrections, while a course helps you to build a strong foundation and progress step by step.

There are online tests and self-assessment tools that can give you an idea of your level, but it’s often hard to determine exactly where you stand. Someone might understand spoken Dutch well but struggle with speaking themselves. Your level is also a snapshot: speaking might feel easier today than tomorrow. That’s why I choose not to ‘test’ you formally, but you can use this explanation (below) to get a good idea. Most people actually know where they stand better than any 5-minute test.

Here’s a guide to help you get a better sense of your level:

A0 – Complete beginner
You have almost no knowledge of Dutch. You might know a few words or phrases, but you cannot form sentences or understand spoken Dutch in everyday situations.

Grammar: You probably don’t know any grammar yet; you haven’t started forming sentences or using verbs.

A1 – Beginner
You can understand and use simple phrases and sentences about yourself, your family, daily routines, or immediate needs. You can ask and answer basic questions and introduce yourself (at a slow pace), but conversations are still very limited. Real spoken Dutch often feels too fast and participating in a real conversation is often too big a step, so you are probably not talking (yet).

Grammar: You know basic sentence structures, the simple present tense, and some common verbs and adjectives. You can form very simple statements and questions. Plurals and diminutives are familiar to you. You may have started learning the past tense.

A2 – Elementary
You can handle simple, routine tasks and conversations in familiar situations. You can describe your background, talk about daily life, give simple directions, and understand short texts or conversations on familiar topics. You still need to think about what you want to say, especially if the conversation is a bit faster or about difficult topics.

Grammar: You know the present, past, and future tenses at a basic level, use common prepositions, and can form longer sentences with conjunctions. You are familiar with separable verbs and reflexive verbs (not always easy to use yet).

B1 – Intermediate
You can manage most everyday situations, describe experiences, hopes, and opinions, and explain reasons for your choices or plans. Not without mistakes or thinking of course. You can understand straightforward texts and hold longer conversations, though being in a fast conversation is not always easy.

Grammar: You can use most common tenses and sentence structures, start using subordinating clauses, and have a growing vocabulary. You have begun using verbs with prepositions (er/waar/daar/hier), have a better feel for separable and reflexive verbs, and are starting to use conditionals (zouden).

B2 – Upper-intermediate
You can speak quite easily and interact with native speakers with relative ease (though not always perfectly). You understand more complex texts, express nuanced opinions, and argue your point of view. Your grammar and vocabulary are generally accurate, though some errors still occur.

Grammar: You have a solid command of Dutch grammar, including complex sentence structures, conditional sentences, passive voice, and nuanced use of verbs and prepositions. You can adapt your language confidently to different contexts.

Tip: Think about what you can do in real-life situations: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Often your level may vary across these skills, which is completely normal.

Courses or packages for The Talking Club are not refundable as you will have your place in a small group. 

For courses, it’s simple: you can see the exact dates on the course page for the specific course you’re interested in. In general, there is a class every week, but sometimes there won’t be a class due to my holiday or a national holiday. These dates are always clearly shown at the start of the course.

For The Talking Club, it works a bit differently. There isn’t a fixed start or end date for the group. You will join when purchasing a package. Classes are held every week (consecutively) unless there isn’t one. If a class won’t take place, this will be communicated as early as possible, and the information is also available in the next FAQ ;).

Yes!

Here you’ll find the days off that are already known. It’s possible that Dian may add another holiday later. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you’ll have one lesson less. It simply means your course or Talking Club package will continue for one extra week.

There is no class on:

• February 24 – March 3

• April 6 (Easter)

• April 27 (King’s Day)

• May 1

• May 14 (Ascension Day)

• May 25 (Pentecost / Whit Sunday)

• July 27 – August 9 (holiday)

• December 24 – from 5:00 PM onwards (Christmas Eve)

• December 25 (Christmas Day)