If you are planning on staying at home this holiday period why not use the opportunity to catch up on your Dutch classes with an intensive summer course in the heart of Amsterdam.

Speaking Dutch within a week? Yes you can! Language school Taalhuis Amsterdam is offering summer immersion classes at the end of July and beginning of August to help people who have been dithering about learning Dutch to take the plunge.

The classes involve three hours of lessons every morning for one week and will, says Taalhuis’s Esin Karliova, really help beginners get a feel for the language. Esin started Dutch lessons at Taalhuis shortly after moving to the Netherlands with her partner and daughter in 2019 and now works there.

“The name immersion says it all really,” she says. “It’s very nice to have a concentrated time. You get a lot of practice. During the course you’ll learn how to order your coffee, go grocery shopping like a local, and you’ll get a feeling for the basic structure of the language.”

New arrivals

Taalhuis Amsterdam offers small, interactive classes with between four and 10 students and the emphasis is on speaking Dutch only from day one. Dutch is also the language of instruction.

“You’ll be encouraged to speak it from the start, and be taught strategies to help you actively use the language,” says teacher and school director Myrte Jansen. “You and the rest of the class are in it together. You are all there with the same goal and that really helps boost your motivation.”

The immersion course is aimed at everyone who is new to the language but Taalhuis Amsterdam also offers an intensive course at a slightly higher level (A2.1) for people who have some basic Dutch but want to improve.

“The weeks are back to back, so you can do both courses, and then in September you can take the follow-up course in your level and keep the motivation going,” Esin points out.

On Saturday, the class goes on an excursion to practise the language – this year’s outing will be a trip to the nearby Albert Cuyp market, where students can put their new skills into practice and learn more about the surrounding neighbourhood.

Kick-off weeks

If the summer immersion course is not for you, you can also get a feel for the Dutch language at Taalhuis Amsterdam’s Kick-off Weeks at the beginning of September. Beginners can then take an intensive week of lessons at A1.1 to get started with learning Dutch before the regular schedule starts up during the week of September 15.

“This means you are not a complete beginner when autumn lessons start,” Esin points out. “But we also offer a course for people who are at A2 level but don’t use their Dutch very much and would like to get a boost before starting a B1 course where the language becomes more complex. It’s a great way for people who want to consolidate their A2 level or who are feeling a bit nervous about moving up to their B levels.”

In short, Taalhuis Amsterdam has intensive courses to help nearly everyone either start or get back into learning Dutch and then move on to regular lessons in the second half of the year.

“The intensive courses really are a good way of getting right into learning the language,” says Esin. “And if you are not going away this summer, this is a wonderful opportunity to invest in your language skills and connect to other students in the heart of Amsterdam.”

Want to find out more? Taalhuis is holding an open day at its beautiful building in the Pijp district on Saturday, August 30, where you can meet your potential teachers and check out the facilities, including a cafe and a library. You can join a trial lesson and get a feel for what it’s like to be a student.

The summer immersion course for beginners starts on July 28, while the kick-off courses ahead of the new season of regular classes are from September 8.

By the way, if you are looking to learn a little Greek or Italian before you head off on holiday later in the summer, then Taalhuis Amsterdam is offering immersion courses in several other languages later this month as well. You can find a general guide of all their summer courses on their website.