Novels give you the opportunity to empathise with characters and immerse yourself in a world of experience that’s more or less coloured by the author’s cultural background. By reading books by Dutch writers, you learn more about the Dutch perspective on themes such as the importance of religion, colonisation, immigration and far-reaching events.
Nobody says you have to read books in Dutch. Many Dutch books have been translated into multiple languages, such as these titles:
If you can already read a bit of Dutch, then put yourself to the test with one of these less challenging books in their original language:
Or, alternatively, go to leeslicht.nl for novels written in simple Dutch.
By reading a book in a foreign language, not only do you develop your vocabulary, but you also get a feel for sentence structure, the rhythm of the language, and how its grammar is used. You get to know different speaking styles by reading conversations and, because you can see the words in front of you, you’re also able to remember them better.
A lot of foreign literature has been translated into Dutch, so you can even opt to read the Dutch translations of your favourite novels.
Make sure you take a relaxed approach to reading, and don’t go looking up every word you don’t know. Instead, try to guess the meaning of the word from its context. If you still can’t figure it out, underline the word and go on reading. Look it up later. That way, you can keep reading and get into the story.
When you read in Dutch, you put all kinds of processes to work in your head so that you get a natural feeling for the language. It works the same way when it comes to speaking. By doing it, you get better and automatically pick up the language of the people you speak to.