The first things you need in a foreign tongue are practical sentences, common routines for daily use. How do you say in Dutch: I'm  coming ( Ik kom eraan), Then I got stuck (Toen zat ik vast), I am almost home (Ik ben bijna thuis) etc. You will find this sort of useful,  simple but indispensable sentence in Jip en Janneke, written by Annie M.G. Schmidt. Every Dutch person knows the stories. Through her work, Annie M.G. Schmidt, 1911-1995,  inspired many children and adults. Millions of copies of Jip en Janneke alone have been sold and still are. Her writing has been translated into numerous languages. You can find Jip and Janneke articles in HEMA stores. The expression Jip en Janneke taal is an expression generally used to indicate clear and simple language. That is why the Jip en Janneke stories can help you to build up a basic vocabulary in Dutch. The stories have been written for children but they are not too childish for adults.

However, just reading is not enough to memorize words and expressions. Retention of words can be stimulated by working with these words. Besides focus on listening is essential for understanding and a proper pronunciation.

The Jip and Janneke lessons are developped as Powerpoint presentations using animations: you listen to the words and expressions, you read them, you listen to the story, you read the story, you make a crossword puzzle, you do an exercise to verbs from the story, you answer questions and send them in for correction.

To get an idea you can download the Powerpoint presentation by clicking on the image below.

and

print the Crossword Puzzle

If you are interested in more Jip and Janneke lessons, please contact Glossa.