Dutch apps

Here are some of the apps I use while learning Dutch (or when I want Dutch news). I generally only post free apps (well, free for iPhones). Note: I own an iPhone, so the list is a bit skewed. However, if I can find an Android version of an app I do post it.

Feel free to mention Dutch apps you like in the comments and I will add them to the list!

Learning Dutch – Games

Words Maker Pro | Guess Words

Learning Dutch – Other

Woorden! | Google Translate | Accela Essentials | iFlashcards | Duolingo | De Het

News and weather

NU.nl | NOSTeletekst | Buienradar

Transportation

9292

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Words Maker Pro (formally “Get it Spelled” (Apple)

So far I have only played with the free version, which lets you practice without any timer. You can also play online against random other players. That is most definitely not my thing! Not even with an English app. If you upgrade to the Pro version it looks like you can also play with a timer at easy, medium or hard levels. I’m perfectly happy with the practice level, of course. It takes long enough as is.

For those of you who already live in the Netherlands it is pretty simple to a basic version of Lingo. You need to guess what the 6 letter word is, and are always given the first letter (annoyingly, you always need to start your guesses with that letter). Green means that you have found the correct letter for that space. Red means that you have found a correct letter but it should go somewhere else. (Be warned – if you have two identical red letters, it sometimes means the letter appears in one other space in the word and sometimes it means the letter appears in two other spaces.)

Guess Words (Apple)

Guess Words is a Hangman type app made for Dutch, English, French and German. English is the default language but you can switch to Dutch in the settings.

This app does not get the best reviews, but if you are looking to learn random vocabulary, it should be useful. When you first start to learn Dutch, this app might be more frustrating than helpful because you do not have a large vocabulary to work with. Instead, you will just find yourself picking random letters (usually vowels or R, S, T!) in the hopes that something will pop up.

The free version is limited to five letter words, although the paid version allows for three to seven letter words. This app also gives you the option of entering a word yourself (up to 12 letters) and then having your partner guess it.

Woorden! (formally “Muiswerk“) (Apple)

Woorden! is a Dutch dictionary app (no English). The app contains about 40,000 common Dutch words. Each word has a definition and at least one example sentence. Afterwards, some words include uitdrukkings, or phrases, which are used within the Dutch language. For example, you can see below “geen slapende honden wakkermaken” — don’t wake a sleeping dog — with the definition [geen aandacht vestigen op wat beter geheim kan blijven]. This saying is similar to the English saying ‘let sleeping dogs lie’.

In addition, verbs include the conjugations (ik schrijf, hij schrijft) and each page includes links to words used on that page (meer informatie bij…). For example, if you did not know what aandacht was you could click the link and be taken to the aandancht page.

Google Translate (Apple | Android)

This app provides the same support you would expect to see with the browser version – translations back and forth. However, it does not provide a way to let you choose the voice. It also only provides an audio option for the end text of what is translated – so you can hear the Dutch if you start with the English first. But if you are trying to translate a Dutch phrase you found, you cannot translate it and then hear the Dutch being spoken.

Acela Essentials (Apple) –

This Dutch studying app has two versions: a free version with 132 words so you can try it out, and a paid version ($9.99) with 2,100 words. You can select which categories you want to study (colors, numbers and counting, weather, and more). You also have a flashcard option, quizzes, audio quizzes, statistics, and the ability to make your own study sets.

I liked this app, I just didn’t want to pay $9.99 for more words. The free version is just a taste of what it can offer. The paid version would be good for those who need to learn basic vocabulary quickly.

iFlashcards (Apple and Android)
This flashcard app has a free and paid version. It is not a Dutch app per se, so you can use the flashcards for anything. I find the method of entering flashcards rather simple, as I just have to upload a .txt file with the questions and answers. You can customize the thoroughness of the quizzes, as well as the formatting (bold, italics, underlining, etc) of the cards themselves. It also very easy to move your flashcards from your PC to your iTouch and vice versa.

Duolingo (Apple | Android)

What list is complete without a reference to Duolingo? It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it will help you improve your reading and spelling skills. If you’re looking to increase your speaking skills I would look elsewhere, though.

De Het (Apple | Android)

“De Het” refers to the two definite articles in Dutch. In English we only have one: “the”. But in Dutch de is the definite article for masculine/feminine nouns and het is the definite article for gender neutral nouns. Don’t think of it like true gender though – it’s gender in the grammatical sense.

You can use this app to quickly figure out which definite article each noun needs to use. de kat, de politieauto, but het meisje.

NU.nl (Apple and Android)

This is an app for one of the more well-known Dutch news websites. Along with delivering the news it includes such extras as the weather, traffic, the stock market, and a TV listings guide.

NOS Teletekst (Apple | Android)

The wikipedia page states that Teletekst is an informational retrieval service. You can flip to this channel to get national (binnenland) news or international (buitenland) news. You can also check the weather, get sports scores, see financial information, get traffic updates, and more. Also in some cases if you change teletekst to page 888, you will see subtitles for the program you are currently watching.

Buienradar (Apple and Android)

This weather app shows you radar and satellite views to let you know where the rain is currently falling in the Netherlands and Belgium (my bet: everywhere). It also mentions traffic and accidents.

9292 (Apple and Android)

This public transportation app is all but essential if you don’t have a car in the Netherlands. It shows routes and times for the tram, train, bus, subway and ferry from point A to B. You can also create an account and save locations to your device so you don’t have to enter them each time.