Dutch as a second language

Check your Dutch level

Tick everything you can already do — reliably, not "on a good day." When you're done, your rough CEFR level appears above.

This is a quick self-check, not a placement test — a useful starting point for a lesson, not a diploma.

Your rough level so far — tick a few boxes to begin

First contact

Survival Dutch — familiar, concrete situations only.

I can introduce myself, and ask someone else to introduce themselves I can handle a shop, a café, or a simple form I can follow slow, helpful Dutch about things right in front of me

Everyday basics

Personal, routine topics — work, family, shopping, home.

I can talk about my day, my family, my work, in simple terms I can tell a short story about the past I ask questions back, not just answer them

Getting by comfortably

Most everyday situations, including unfamiliar ones.

I can hold a real conversation on familiar topics I can explain a problem and what I'd like to happen I give a reason for an opinion, not just state it

B1+

The plateau

Same skills as B1, held with more confidence — where progress most often stalls.

I can say most of what I need day to day, without much hesitation I can start to give an opinion on something less personal — a film, the news, a book I notice I've stopped improving as fast as I used to

Comfortable with natives

Fluent enough that conversation stops requiring effort from either side.

I can keep up in a real conversation without either side straining I can argue a position, and name the downside of my own view I catch and fix my own mistakes mid-sentence

Fluent and flexible

Language adapts to the situation, rather than the other way round.

I can speak without visibly hunting for words I shift register on purpose — casual with friends, formal at work I can write something long and well-organised on a complex topic

Mastery

Precision and ease, at any level of complexity. Very few learners need this.

I understand nearly everything, spoken or written I can summarise several sources into one coherent account I smooth over a stumble so well that no one notices

Based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (Council of Europe, 2001 / 2020 Companion Volume). Bring your result to your next lesson — it's a starting point for a conversation, not a verdict.

Want more detail on what a level actually means? See The Dutch Level Ladder.