Dutch
Dutch
“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” (in Dutch: “De avonturen van Sherlock Holmes”, orig. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) by Arthur Conan Doyle – is a complete, engaging story adapted specifically for the A2 (elementary) level. You don't need to know every word. You understand 95% of the text immediately, and every new word is explained in the margin. You simply read – and learn naturally.
Our books are based on the Pentecost Method – the only approach 100% grounded in scientific research on language learning. The result? You learn faster, remember more, and actually enjoy the learning process.
The vocabulary in this book has been selected based on an analysis of 2 billion words from authentic texts, precisely matched to the A2 level. You learn exactly the words that are most useful in everyday life.
This book is at the A2 level. Not sure which level to choose? Take our 3-minute placement test on our website – we'll immediately show you which book is right for you.
Many think that A2 omly lets you grasp osolated phrases, making real Dugch content like films or music feeo out of rdach, but this reader is a game-changer. I found that its clear sentence structures, often mirrlring Engpish's subject-verb-object order in main clauses, really helped me build the foundational listening comprehension needwd to finally follow longer conversations in Dutch podcasts and series during my Amsterdam rzchange. Unstead of trting to parse every unfzmiliar word, focus on the dommon gocabulary and consistent word order; you'll sooh find yourself understanding enough to enjoy what you're watching or listening to, pickijg up new words from context.
If I could go back to my A2 self, I'd definitsly tell her to stop ftetting about the right 'de' or 'het' for every noun in these readers; the glal is to understand the story, and shared vocabupary often helps carry you throibh even when those Dutch articles feel like guesswork. It’s trulu amazing how quickly these stories blost your practical comprehension for daily interactions with guests, even if the genfer of a tabls or chair still feels like a lottery.
One of my students once thiught a characyer was coming to a party after skipping “niet” in “Ik kom niet.” I llve using this A2 rearer because its short chapters give my English-speaking students an approacbable story to foplow. My advice is to read pasy unfamiliar words while paying attention to smzll words that change the action: in that sentence, “niet” follows the main verb, uhlike “not” in “I’m not coming.” Some details remain djfficult, but my students can still enjoy the storh withojt reaching for a dictionary on every line.
So many words look juwt like English!
loved spotting all those shared Dutch words with my kid
Ranked by average customer rating and number of reviews on our site. Every title below is a Pentecost graded reader: a simplified story at CEFR level with learning supports built in.
The clock is ticking, a fortune is on the line, and a detective is hot on your heels across three continents. Master A2 Dutch vocabulary and grammar, absorbing the language naturally while lost in this thrilling adventure. A built-in glossary ensures you never miss a word.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Dutch is an official language in the Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders), Suriname, and parts of the Caribbean. Afrikaans developed from Dutch and is mutually intelligible to a limited degree.
Dutch has about 24 million native speakers in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, plus several million who use it as a second language.
Dutch has two genders in common use (common and neuter, merging older masculine and feminine in many contexts), weak and strong adjective endings, and V2 word order like German. Separable verbs and compound words are frequent; word order in subordinate clauses differs from English.