Dutch Mistakes That Instantly Signal ‘Non-Native’ (and How to Fix Them Fast)
Common speaking mistakes (word order, articles, intonation) and a practice plan.
Practice speaking English with Chickytutor - the AI language tutor mentioned in this guide!
Dutch Mistakes That Instantly Signal ‘Non-Native’ (and How to Fix Them Fast)
If you live in the Netherlands, you might recognize this: you can follow Dutch conversations, but when it’s your turn to speak, you hesitate, translate in your head, and the moment is gone.
Fixing one high-signal mistake at a time compounds faster than trying to fix everything.
The 10-minute speaking loop
Use this daily. Keep it small enough that you actually do it.
- Warm-up (1 min) — say 5 filler phrases out loud (no thinking).
- Scenario (6 min) — roleplay one real situation. Don’t stop; paraphrase if you get stuck.
- One correction target (2 min) — fix one thing (word order, de/het, pronunciation, pacing).
- Retell (1 min) — summarize the scenario in new words.
Example lines to practice
- Ik ben 30 jaar (i.p.v. ik heb 30 jaar)
A simple prompt you can use today
Pretend you’re speaking to a colleague/shop employee. Say:
- what you want
- why you want it
- what you already tried
- what you’re asking them to do next
Where ChickyTutor fits
ChickyTutor is a speaking-first AI voice tutor: pick Dutch, press the mic, and speak. It responds instantly and corrects pronunciation/word choice/grammar while keeping you talking.
Try it for free and aim for 10 minutes a day. The goal isn’t perfect Dutch — it’s reliable Dutch under pressure.