Dutch A1.19 Listening Practice: Say What You Want to Do
Listen to a A1 Dutch dialogue about say what you want to do, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
Podcast listening pages are in beta while chapter audio, transcripts, and discussion flows are still being completed.
Level
A1.19
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
20 segments
A short Dutch listening chapter with transcript.
Say that you want to buy a book or learn Dutch, placing an expressed object before its infinitive.
Read while you listen.
1. Marieke · Teacher
Welcome to today's podcast! I'm Marieke. Today, we're practicing how to say what you want to do in Dutch using the simple frame 'Ik wil'.
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2. Marieke · Teacher
Let's listen to a short conversation between Bram and Lotte.
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3. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Ik wil Nederlands leren.
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4. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Mooi! Ik wil een boek kopen.
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5. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Ik wil dit goede boek kopen.
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6. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Ik wil leren.
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7. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Ja, ik wil Nederlands leren!
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8. Marieke · Teacher
Let's break down those sentences together.
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9. Marieke · Teacher
First, Bram said: 'Ik wil Nederlands leren.' This means 'I want to learn Dutch.' Notice how 'wil' comes second, and 'leren' goes to the very end.
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10. Daan · Student
So the object, 'Nederlands', sits right between 'wil' and 'leren'?
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11. Marieke · Teacher
Exactly, Daan! Any object always sits in the middle, while the main action verb closes the clause.
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12. Marieke · Teacher
Next, Lotte said: 'Ik wil een boek kopen.' That means 'I want to buy a book.'
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13. Daan · Student
Would it be wrong if I said 'Ik wil kopen een boek'?
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14. Marieke · Teacher
Yes, that's a classic error! 'Een boek' must go before 'kopen' at the end: 'Ik wil een boek kopen.'
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15. Marieke · Teacher
Then Bram said: 'Ik wil dit goede boek kopen.' This means 'I want to buy this good book.'
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16. Daan · Student
Even with longer descriptions like 'dit goede boek', does the whole phrase stay in the middle?
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17. Marieke · Teacher
Yes! The entire object phrase stays trapped between 'wil' and the final verb 'kopen'.
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18. Marieke · Teacher
Finally, Lotte said: 'Ik wil leren.' That means 'I want to learn.'
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19. Daan · Student
If there is no object at all, do 'wil' and 'leren' stand right next to each other?
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20. Marieke · Teacher
That's right! When nothing intervenes, adjacency is completely normal. Great job, everyone!
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