Dutch A2.6 Listening Practice: Adjective Signal
Listen to a A2 Dutch dialogue about adjective signal, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
A2.6
Audio
1m 41s
Transcript
17 segments
A short Dutch listening chapter with transcript.
A2. Describe nouns with good, small, big, new, and old while noticing the -e signal.
Read while you listen.
1. Teacher
Welcome back. Today we're listening to a conversation about reading and daily life to practice the Dutch adjective signal. Listen for when we add an -e to adjectives and when we leave it off.
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2. Native Speaker 1
Ik lees een goed boek vandaag.
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3. Native Speaker 2
Is het goede boek spannend?
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4. Native Speaker 1
Ja, en de goede man in het verhaal is erg dapper.
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5. Native Speaker 2
Een nieuwe dag is een goede start voor een nieuw verhaal.
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6. Native Speaker 1
Dat klopt, ik vind het een mooie dag.
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7. Teacher
Let's look at the first sentence: 'Ik lees een goed boek vandaag.' This means 'I am reading a good book today.' Notice 'goed' has no -e because 'boek' is a 'het' noun and we used 'een'.
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8. Student
So if it's an indefinite 'het' noun, the adjective stays bare?
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9. Teacher
Exactly. No -e for 'een' + 'het' noun. Let's move to the second sentence: 'Is het goede boek spannend?' meaning 'Is the good book exciting?'
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10. Student
Why did 'goed' change to 'goede' here?
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11. Teacher
Because we used the definite article 'het'. When you say 'the', the adjective almost always gets that -e ending. Next: 'Ja, en de goede man in het verhaal is erg dapper.'
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12. Student
Is 'man' a 'de' noun?
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13. Teacher
Yes, and 'de' nouns always trigger the -e ending on the adjective, whether it's 'the' or 'a'. Now the fourth sentence: 'Een nieuwe dag is een goede start voor een nieuw verhaal.'
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14. Student
I heard 'nieuwe dag' and 'nieuw verhaal'. Why are they different?
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15. Teacher
'Dag' is a 'de' noun, so it gets an -e. 'Verhaal' is a 'het' noun, so after 'een', it stays 'nieuw'. Finally: 'Dat klopt, ik vind het een mooie dag.'
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16. Student
What does 'dat klopt' mean in this context?
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17. Teacher
It means 'that is correct' or 'that's right'. It's a very common way to agree with someone in Dutch.
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