Dutch B1.1 Listening Practice: Identify the Person or Thing
Listen to a B1 Dutch dialogue about identify the person or thing, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
B1.1
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
15 segments
A short Dutch listening chapter with transcript.
Identify the available table, the bicycle you have, the book you need, or the larger house.
Read while you listen.
1. Marieke · Teacher
Welcome back! Today we're learning how to refer back to a noun using relative clauses in Dutch.
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2. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Ik wil de tafel die vrij is.
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3. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Goed idee, en ik heb het boek dat ik nodig heb al bij me.
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4. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Fijn, ik zie buiten ook de fiets die ik heb.
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5. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Mooi, dan kijken we vanavond samen naar het huis dat groter is.
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6. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Prima, ik heb het boek dat ik nodig heb al op tafel gelegd.
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7. Marieke · Teacher
Let's break those sentences down. Bram said: 'Ik wil de tafel die vrij is', which means 'I want the table that is free'. Since 'tafel' is a de-noun, we link it with 'die'.
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8. Daan · Student
So every singular de-noun gets 'die' when starting a relative clause?
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9. Marieke · Teacher
Exactly, 'de' leads to 'die'. Next, Lotte said: 'Ik heb het boek dat ik nodig heb', meaning 'I have the book that I need'.
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10. Daan · Student
And because 'boek' is a het-noun, she used 'dat' instead?
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11. Marieke · Teacher
Spot on! 'Het' leads to 'dat'. Bram also said 'de fiets die ik heb'—'the bicycle that I have'. Since 'fiets' is a de-noun, it takes 'die'.
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12. Daan · Student
I noticed the verb 'heb' comes at the very end of that clause. Is that always the case?
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13. Marieke · Teacher
Yes, in these simple Dutch relative clauses, the finite verb moves to the end. Finally, Lotte mentioned 'het huis dat groter is'—'the house that is bigger'.
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14. Daan · Student
Because 'huis' is a het-noun, it gets 'dat', and 'is' goes at the end!
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15. Marieke · Teacher
Perfect! Remember: de leads to die, het leads to dat, and keep your verb at the end.
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