Select delivery location
See All Buying Options
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Jenneke Oosterhoff
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Basic Dutch: A Grammar and Workbook (Routledge Grammar Workbooks) 1st Edition

by Jenneke A. Oosterhoff (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 138 ratings
See all formats and editions

There is a newer edition of this item:

Basic Dutch (Routledge Grammar Workbooks)
Basic Dutch (Routledge Grammar Workbooks)
$170.00
(2)
In Stock

Basic Dutch: A Grammar and Workbook comprises an accessible reference grammar and related exercises in a single volume.

This Workbook presents twenty-five individual grammar points in realistic contexts, providing a grammatical approach which will allow students not already familiar with these structures to become accustomed to their use. Grammar points are followed by examples and exercises allowing students to reinforce and consolidate their learning.

Suitable for class use or self-study, Basic Dutch introduces Dutch culture and people through the medium of the language used today, providing students with the basic tools to express themselves in a wide variety of situations.

Features include:

    • useful exercises and a full answer key

    • grammar tables for easy reference

    • frequent comparative references to English grammar

    • an appendix of irregular verbs

    • an index of grammatical terms.
    Read more Read less
    Previous page
    1. ISBN-10
      041548488X
    2. ISBN-13
      978-0415484886
    3. Edition
      1st
    4. Publisher
      Routledge
    5. Publication date
      February 20, 2009
    6. Part of series
      Routledge Grammar Workbooks
    7. Language
      English
    8. Dimensions
      6.25 x 0.5 x 9.25 inches
    9. Print length
      206 pages
    10. See all details
    Next page
    Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

    Editorial Reviews

    About the Author

    Jenneke Oosterhoff is Senior Lecturer in the Dept of German, Scandinavian and Dutch at the University of Minnesota. She has taught both German and Dutch since finishing her PhD (Austrian lit); she has presented several papers on issues around language teaching and materials over the last few years.

    Product details

    • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge; 1st edition (February 20, 2009)
    • Language ‏ : ‎ English
    • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 206 pages
    • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 041548488X
    • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0415484886
    • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.19 pounds
    • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 0.5 x 9.25 inches
    • Customer Reviews:
      4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 138 ratings

    About the author

    Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
    Jenneke Oosterhoff

    Jenneke Oosterhoff

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    Customer reviews

    4.6 out of 5 stars
    4.6 out of 5
    138 global ratings
    Very nice and portable
    5 Stars
    Very nice and portable
    I expected the book to be somewhat bigger compared to a japanese learning book i had, but the smaller size makes it alot better for carrying if neededotherwise so far i love it and cant wait to get to learning
    Hide
    Thank you for your feedback
    Sorry, there was an error
    Sorry we couldn't load the review

    Top reviews from the United States

    David C. Beard
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous as a Refresher
    Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A fabulous book for anyone who wants to refresh their knowledge of Dutch. The exercises are progressive but pack a lot of information and vocabulary as you move through the chapters. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book for a beginner with no knowledge of Germanic languages, but once again as a refresher I highly recommend this book. The only negative (if you consider it a negative), is that the spaces in which to write the answers to the exercises is too small, requiring a notebook. Not a big problem for me, otherwise five stars all the way.
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
    Sedina
    5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible resource with explanations
    Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This workbook taught me more about the _why_ of Dutch grammar than any other course, book, or online program I have yet tried. Within the first eight pages, I learned invaluable facts that I could apply to learning Dutch from any source. I cannot recommend this book enough.

    Other resources will have you memorize phrases. Some will have you conjugate verbs. This book explains WHY spelen is different from spellen, which gives you the tools you need to start building up a method of learning on your own.

    I strongly recommend buying this if you are at all studious about learning Dutch.
    21 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
    recent MD
    4.0 out of 5 stars not a textbook
    Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This is not a textbook, but it doesn't purport to be one. College-style textbooks don't seem to exist for less popular languages, so some try to make do with grammars and mindless tourist CDs. The Ooosterhoff grammar is a fast-paced introduction to Dutch grammar, but it lacks readings, vocabularly lists, and extensive drills (i.e., it is not a textbook). To say that it includes a "workbook" is a bit of a stretch; it contains short drills of the type constructed by graduate students for the purpose of taking up space. I agree with another poster that the Michel Thomas CDs are a good way to learn pronunciation (see my review), but an online or paper dictionary is a must when using this grammar, which is replete with undefined vocabulary. I have the Kindle for PC version of this and the Intermediate books; both contain obvious errors (like confusing the words for apples and potatoes); one would think that reporting errors would result in an almost realtime correction, right? Also, don't bother complaining about problems with the Kindle software, because there is only one response, probably from silicon: de-register, then reload. IOW, it's your fault. Although suitable as a grammar, I would guess that a set of CDs on colloquial conversation for business travelers -- not for tourists -- would be a useful addendum. Listening to streaming audio of Dutch talk radio might also be helpful.
    13 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
    Paridnya Puri
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    An excellent book for a beginner with very little knowledge of Dutch like 10-15 hours of guided learning or self study. This book provides crisp explanations, variety of exercises on each and every topic at basic level and ample practice. A must for people who wish to prepare for A1 and A2 level (as per Common European Framework of Reference) exams of Dutch as a foreign language. Will also prove useful for NT2 aspirants. May be useful for B1 level of CEFR as well. Have already bought the Intermediate level book from the same series. Can't wait to start reading the same!
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
    John Knetemann
    5.0 out of 5 stars I moved to Amsterdam last July and this has been a life-saver!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I have gone through this book, and I couldn't imagine having a better start in my learning. Since reading it I have moved on to the Intermediate Book from the same author and publisher, and I really love that one as well.

    It is important to know that language learning is not a one stop shop, so this is just one aspect of your learning. You will need to find other resources to supplement your vocabulary book, as this book focuses very little on vocabulary and may use vocabulary you are not familiar with. Luckily, there are a lot of resources online for this.

    I also used this book alongside LearnDutch.org's #DutchGrammar course. Since it is a book, it lacks a lot of pronunciation, so that supplements that short fall.
    12 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
    Anna S.
    5.0 out of 5 stars No for absolute beginner, this book should be renamed as intermediate haha
    Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I bought a used one, the quality is amazing! BTW, if you are a beginner like starting from the start, like really really beginner, I advise you to NOT buy this book because there are so many things you would not understand inside of this grammar book, I would advise you to learn the basics from other books before purchasing this one! Otherwise, the book had been perfect for me to study more Dutch grammar rules! Heel erg bedankt!
    14 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
    Sunflowerarni
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great starter grammar book
    Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    So far I am really liking this book - the explanation for each concept is clear, and examples are helpful from a grammar perspective. I wasn't bothered by the lack of a pronunciation guide, since it's easy to learn pronunciation elsewhere. I do wish that ALL (not just some) of the examples would be translated into English: there are paragraphs with a lot of vocabulary that I didn't know (I am a beginner, after all). A translation of these paragraphs would be helpful, especially when grammar changes with regard to a noun's "gender" or lack thereof (de-words vs. het-words). This is fairly easy to overcome with a simple Dutch-English dictionary, and in general I think this book has been doing a good job of setting me up to understand Dutch grammar. I can't wait to become more proficient in this language!
    7 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
    Shizu
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice and portable
    Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I expected the book to be somewhat bigger compared to a japanese learning book i had, but the smaller size makes it alot better for carrying if needed

    otherwise so far i love it and cant wait to get to learning
    Customer image
    Shizu
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice and portable
    Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2020
    I expected the book to be somewhat bigger compared to a japanese learning book i had, but the smaller size makes it alot better for carrying if needed

    otherwise so far i love it and cant wait to get to learning
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    Customer image
    Helpful
     Report

    Top reviews from other countries

    Translate all reviews to English
    G A
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!
    Reviewed in Canada on April 16, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This book is great fun to go through. I am learning Dutch via Duolingo, and this book combined with the other two books listed below for cross-referencing, are amazing!!!

    Van Dale Dutch grammar: a step-by-step approach to grammar for learners of Dutch (Van Dale grammatica's)

    Henry R. Stern
    Essential Dutch Grammar
    Report
    Red Leader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource
    Reviewed in Germany on April 8, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This book covered all the relevant topics I was looking for with concise explanations and examples. It was great for an extra resource to a course and for self-learning.
    Report
    Massimo
    4.0 out of 5 stars Compact and clear
    Reviewed in Italy on January 8, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    It is a compact book with clear and succinct grammar explanations. It is a good way to start learning the language.
    Report
    Courtney M.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
    Reviewed in Australia on October 21, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Super fast shipping. Great book! Really straightforward explanation of Dutch and helpful examples and exercises.
    Report
    Kerry Marshall
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent supplementary Dutch textbook
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This is not really a beginners' book, as Dutch structures and linguistic twists are dropped in right from the start. But it is really outstanding if you have already made some headway in Dutch and have mastered some of the basic principles.

    I got about halfway through the excellent grammatically-based "Teach Yourself Complete Dutch" & "Hugo Dutch in Three Months", when I realised I could do with a bit more vocabulary, and more practice in building basic conversational sentences.

    Oosterhoof fulfils this need in a way which goes way beyond "conversational" texts, as she introduces Dutch by using words in groups where they are part of a theme. This is something I've never encountered before in any language I've tackled, and find it quite amazing! For example, A typical teaching block on page 35 starts with the title:

    "Order of Events - First, Then, Afterwards, Next, Following that, Further, Finally" where the Dutch words are given for the English ones I've listed.

    Then there's a little paragraph in Dutch, describing a simple scene, where each sentence will contain one of these similar words, followed by the English translation:

    "FIRST, he drinks coffee & reads the newspaper from cover to cover. THEN he goes jogging a bit. AFTERWARDS he goes to the market with Sanne. NEXT, he washes the car. THEN, he does some chores around the house, and LASTLY, he watches TV with the family."

    If you ever look into memory improvement courses, you'll find they always emphasise the need for ASSOCIATION. We can remember better when things are associated together, and the author's grouping of associated words, rather than strict grammar or casual conversation is a real winner for me.
    The above example occupies but half a page of the book, which gives you an idea of how much the book is packed with these "useful little sentences".

    (The other block on the same page covers the associated words for "always, usually, often, sometimes, seldom, never" )

    Unfortunately, no accompanying CD, but this is easily remedied by producing your own recordings. Something fairly straightforward with any cheap MP3 player (or phone?) possessing a built-in mike. My MP3 player records audio as WAV data, which produces largish file sizes. These are easily converted to the compact MP3 format using something like the free "Audacity" audio editing software.

    Of course, you need to have a half-decent Dutch accent to produce a worthwhile recording, and that's probably the major challenge! And why using another text first is essential.

    EDIT: A word of caution. It IS "a Dutch grammar" & you will find grammatical terms used throughout the book. For example, the chapter on adjectives refers to "predicate adjectives", which may throw you if you have not had a grammar-based education (and even if you have!). But Oosterhoof always explains these terms clearly, with simple examples, before they are used.
    26 people found this helpful
     Report