Dutch conversation practice, scene by scene
Updated 2026-10-18
Conversation practice means a situation, someone who answers you, and a reason to keep talking. In Convola that is a scene in the Dutch of the Netherlands, picked at your level from A1 to C2, with one to three people in it who reply in their own way.
What makes it conversation, not a lesson
A lesson tells you what to say. A conversation makes you decide. The other person asks something you did not plan for, and you have to answer with the words you have.
Each Convola scene is written fresh: a setting, a goal for you, and the people in it. You speak or type; they answer, ask back, and sometimes talk to each other. A separate tutor notes your mistakes in English as you go, so you can keep your attention on the exchange.
Scenes by level
The Dutch app has more than a hundred scene types of life in the Netherlands. A few from each level:
| Level | What it asks of you | A scene from the app |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Your first words | Buying a train ticket at the NS counter |
| A1 | Your first words | Introducing yourself at a language café, with two people |
| A2 | Simple, everyday exchanges | A kringverjaardag, the birthday where everyone sits in a circle |
| B1 | Getting by on familiar topics | A hospiteeravond: two housemates interview you for a room |
| B1 | Getting by on familiar topics | Pakjesavond, with Sinterklaas poems and surprises |
| B1 | Getting by on familiar topics | Haggling at the vrijmarkt on Koningsdag |
| B2 | Talking with some ease | A first day at an office where everyone is very direct |
| C1 | Fluent and flexible | Legal advice at the Juridisch Loket about a rental contract |
| C2 | Nearly everything | Gossip with regulars in a Brabant village café the week before carnaval |
Your level moves by itself as you practise, skill by skill. If speaking runs behind reading, your spoken scenes stay simpler while your reading moves on.
How a scene opens at A1
At A1 the opening is one short sentence that ends in a yes or no, or a choice. The people use three to six words a sentence and repeat the key word. A scene at the NS counter could start like this (an example written for this page):
- Medewerker
- Goedemiddag. Een kaartje naar Utrecht?Good afternoon. A ticket to Utrecht?
- You
- Ja, graag. Een retour, alstublieft.Yes, please. A return, please.
- Medewerker
- Een retour. Vandaag terug of morgen?A return. Back today or tomorrow?
You only need one fact at a time. The point is to answer quickly, not perfectly.
How a scene opens at B1
From B1 the people speak calmly but normally, and they expect more than one sentence back. A hospiteeravond could begin like this, with two housemates (again an example, not a recording):
- Sanne
- Welkom. Ga lekker zitten. Vertel eens, waarom zoek je een kamer in Leiden?Welcome. Have a seat. So tell us, why are you looking for a room in Leiden?
- Joris
- En wat doe je eigenlijk op een gewone doordeweekse avond?And what do you actually do on a normal weekday evening?
Two questions at once, from two people, is normal here. You choose which to answer first. At C1 the pace becomes native, with idiom. At C2 people also use slang and irony, and they cut in.
Occasions you will not find in a phrase book
Some Dutch situations have their own rules, and the only way to feel ready is to go through them once. The app includes the kringverjaardag, where you greet everyone in the circle; the hospiteeravond for a room; pakjesavond with Sinterklaas; and Koningsdag, on a canal boat or at the vrijmarkt.
The people in the scenes are direct, and they use jij or u as their role calls for. A landlord or a doctor may start with u; a housemate will not.
Other ways to get conversation practice
- Conversation clubs: small online or in-person groups.
- Evening classes with speaking and live correction from a teacher.
- Language cafés and exchange meetups, where you trade an hour of English for an hour of Dutch.
- A private tutor, for feedback from a person on your speaking.
- Practice in an app like Convola, for the hours in between, with no one watching.
They work well together. Use the scenes to rehearse, then bring what you rehearsed to the club or the class. If you are just starting, Dutch conversation for beginners walks through a first scene line by line.