Dutch · English · A1–A2

Easy Dutch short stories for beginners, with English translation (A1–A2)

Short stories written in simple Dutch for learners, with the English beside every paragraph. Short enough to finish in one sitting, simple enough for your first months of Dutch.

162 beginner stories in Dutch, 124 of them free

Each one opens in your browser with no account, the Dutch and the English side by side, paragraph by paragraph, shortest first. Every free story is also a free Dutch–English ebook for Kindle, Kobo or any e-reader: downloading needs a free account, no payment (which file to pick).

The stories at this level come from Helemaal vanaf nul, original Dutch stories written for the library.

The stories at this level come from First Stories, original Dutch stories written for the library.

The stories at this level come from Lijn 24, original Dutch stories written for the library.

The stories at this level come from Het echte leven, original Dutch stories written for the library.

The stories at this level come from Easy Classics A2, original Dutch stories written for the library.

The stories at this level come from Everyday Talk, original Dutch stories written for the library.

The stories at this level come from Volksverhalen uit Azië, original Dutch stories written for the library.

The stories at this level come from Summer at the Lemon House, original Dutch stories written for the library.

The stories at this level come from Het kerstspel, original Dutch stories written for the library.

The stories at this level come from Simple Stories, original Dutch stories written for the library.

The stories at this level come from De nachtbakkerij, original Dutch stories written for the library.

Open the beginner Dutch–English stories in the library, where you can search them and switch to another level or pair.

To listen as you read, see the Dutch stories with audio.

What beginner Dutch stories are like

These stories are written for the level, not translated down to it: everyday settings, short sentences, the words a beginner meets first, and a plot worth finishing.

The classics start at B1. Even a short fable becomes full, old-fashioned prose once translated, so the fables and fairy tales sit one level up, as the first step after these.

How to read Dutch at A1–A2

Read the English first if you need to

At A1 there is no shame in reading a paragraph in English, then the Dutch. You are matching words to meaning, and the paragraph beside it makes that quick.

Finish, then reread

Read the whole story once, glancing across whenever you are lost. The second time, cover the English and look only when you are stuck. Most readers are surprised how much stayed.

Collect a few words, not every word

Pick three or four words per story that keep coming back and learn those. The rest will return in the next story.

More on the method in how to read a parallel text.