“As soon as I sat in front of the microphone, I forgot everything.” That is the sentence we hear most often about the Spreken (speaking) part. Yet Spreken, when prepared for correctly, is one of the parts where you improve fastest; the questions in the exam come from predictable topics and the scoring is much simpler than people think: even a short answer can get full marks. In this guide you will find the official assessment criteria, sample answers for the question-and-answer and sentence completion parts, the most common mistakes and practical exercises.

How does Spreken work?

In the exam the computer asks you a question in Dutch or gives you half a sentence. You say your answer into the microphone. Your answer is recorded and assessed later.

The Spreken practice exams at Dutch Daily Online consist of two parts:

Question and answer (officially Video-opgaven): You answer short questions about yourself and your daily life.
Sentence completion (Aanvulzinnen): You complete an unfinished sentence in a meaningful way.

You can listen to your recording, see a transcript of what you said and compare it with the sample answers. If you wish, you can also request an instructor assessment.

How is Spreken scored?

According to the official assessment model (Beoordelingsmodel Spreken A1), every answer is scored on two criteria. This model is the same for both question and answer (Video-opgaven) and sentence completion (Aanvulzinnen):

Criterion	0 points	1 point
Relevance (Adequaatheid)	No answer, not understandable, or not an answer to the question (in sentence completion: does not complete the sentence meaningfully)	The answer is a plausible and appropriate answer to the question (or a fitting continuation of the sentence)
Pronunciation (Uitspraak)	The answer can only be understood by an experienced listener with great effort	The answer can be understood by an experienced listener with some effort

The model also contains three important rules:

An answer may consist of a single word.
The answer does not have to be grammatically correct.
If relevance scores 0, pronunciation also counts as 0.

What does this mean? You do not have to build long, flawless sentences. Answering the question “Waar woon je?” with just “Konya.” is a relevant answer. What decides your score is that your answer fits the question and is understandable.

The 3 rules of a good answer

Rule 1: Give an answer that fits the question

This is the first and most important condition for points; if relevance is 0, pronunciation counts as 0 too. If the question asks Waar (where), say a place; if it asks Wanneer (when), say a time; if it asks Hoeveel (how many), say a number.

Rule 2: Speak clearly

The second point comes from pronunciation. A flawless accent is not required; it is enough that the listener can understand you with some effort. Speak clearly and calmly, and do not swallow your words.

Rule 3: A short answer is enough; longer is optional

A single word or a short phrase can get full marks:

✅ “Konya.”
✅ “In Konya.”
✅ “Ik woon in Konya.”

All three fit the question. A long sentence does not earn extra points; but if you can build a clear sentence you are sure of, there is nothing wrong with doing so. The real risk is getting stuck in a long sentence you are not sure of and making your answer unintelligible. If you are not sure, give a short and clear answer.

Question and answer: the most common topics and sample answers

The topics below come up very often in the exam and in practice exams. For each question we prepared a short answer (enough for full marks) and, for those who want it, a longer one. Rather than memorizing them, adapt them to your own life.

Introducing yourself

Question	Short answer	Longer answer (optional)
Hoe heet je?	Elif.	Ik heet Elif Yılmaz.
Waar kom je vandaan?	Uit Turkije.	Ik kom uit Turkije, uit Kayseri.
Hoe oud ben je?	Tweeëndertig.	Ik ben tweeëndertig jaar.
Waar woon je?	In Bursa.	Ik woon in Bursa, met mijn familie.

Family

Question	Short answer	Longer answer (optional)
Ben je getrouwd?	Ja.	Ja, ik ben getrouwd. Mijn partner woont in Nederland.
Heb je kinderen?	Ja, twee.	Ja, ik heb twee kinderen: een zoon en een dochter.
Waarom wil je naar Nederland?	Voor mijn partner.	Mijn partner woont in Nederland. Ik wil bij mijn partner wonen.

Daily life

Question	Short answer	Longer answer (optional)
Hoe laat sta je op?	Om zeven uur.	Ik sta om zeven uur op.
Wat eet je graag?	Rijst.	Ik eet graag rijst met groenten.
Hoe ga je naar je werk?	Met de bus.	Ik ga met de bus naar mijn werk.
Wat doe je in je vrije tijd?	Wandelen.	In mijn vrije tijd wandel ik graag.

Work and education

Question	Short answer	Longer answer (optional)
Wat voor werk doe je?	In een winkel.	Ik werk in een winkel. Ik help de klanten.
Werk je?	Nee, nu niet.	Nee, ik werk nu niet. Ik zorg voor mijn kinderen.

Shopping, weather and home

Question	Short answer	Longer answer (optional)
Waar doe je boodschappen?	In de supermarkt.	Ik doe boodschappen in de supermarkt.
Wat voor weer is het vandaag?	Mooi weer.	Vandaag is het mooi weer. De zon schijnt.
Hoeveel kamers heeft je huis?	Drie.	Mijn huis heeft drie kamers.

Tip: Prepare a short “Spreken notebook” based on your own life: who you are, your family, your work, your home, your day, your hobbies. For each topic, write both your short answer and one sentence you can say comfortably. If you get nervous in the exam, switch to the short answer; that is enough too.

Sentence completion: learn the conjunctions

In the sentence completion part you are given half a sentence. According to the assessment model, your completion must be meaningful and appropriate in content; being short or containing a grammar mistake is not a problem. So the most important thing is to understand the conjunction in the sentence, because the conjunction tells you how to continue.

Conjunction	Meaning	Example
want	because	Ik ga naar de dokter, want ik ben ziek.
omdat	because (verb goes to the end)	Ik blijf thuis, omdat het regent.
dus	so	Ik ben moe, dus ik ga vroeg slapen.
maar	but	Ik wil een auto kopen, maar ik heb geen geld.
als	if / when	Als het mooi weer is, ga ik naar het park.
en	and	Ik ga naar de markt en ik koop groenten.

Careful: with omdat and als the word order changes

In Dutch, after conjunctions like omdat and als, the verb goes to the end of the sentence. You still get the point if your completion is relevant even without following this rule; but the correct order makes your answer easier to understand:

…, omdat ik ziek ben. (✅) — …, omdat ik ben ziek. (❌)

In the second half of a sentence that starts with als, the verb comes first:

Als het regent, neem ik een paraplu mee.

We explain these rules in more detail in our article on Dutch sentence structure.

The 7 most common mistakes

Staying silent. Even if you do not fully understand the question, say something. Silence is a certain loss of points.
Trying to build long sentences you are not sure of. A long sentence earns no extra points; if you get stuck and become unintelligible, you can lose both points. A short, clear answer is enough.
Repeating the question. Do not waste your time repeating the question itself; go straight to the answer.
Reciting long memorized texts. A memorized text usually does not quite fit the question, and the moment you stumble, everything falls apart.
Speaking too fast. Speeding up out of nervousness reduces intelligibility. Speak slowly and clearly.
Starting over to correct yourself. If you made a small mistake, keep going. Starting over wastes time.
Speaking too far from or too close to the microphone. Speak from a normal distance, in a normal tone of voice.

Pronunciation: being understood is enough

You do not need a flawless accent. But some sounds can change the meaning. Pay special attention to the sounds g/ch, ui, ij and uu/u. Our Dutch pronunciation guide for English speakers shows the easiest way to produce these sounds.

How to practice Spreken at home

Record yourself: Record your answers with your phone or with the Spreken practice exams and listen back. Hearing your own voice is the fastest way to spot your mistakes.
Shadowing: Listen to a Dutch sentence and repeat it immediately afterwards with the same intonation. The spoken example sentences in the word games are ideal for this.
10 minutes every day: Add speaking practice out loud to your daily routine. A little, but every day, is the most effective method.
Practice with your partner: If your partner speaks Dutch, ask them a few questions every day and answer them together.

Frequently asked questions

Do I lose points if I make a grammar mistake?

No. According to the official assessment model, your answer does not have to be grammatically correct. Points come from the answer fitting the question (relevance) and being understandable (pronunciation).

Is a one-word answer enough?

Yes. The model explicitly says “an answer may consist of a single word”. Answering the question “Hoe ga je naar je werk?” with “Met de bus.” is a relevant answer. What matters is that the word fits the question and is said clearly.

What should I do if I don't understand the question?

Catch the words you did understand in the question and give an answer based on them. For example, if you only understood the word werk, give a short answer about your work (“In een winkel.”). It is always better than saying nothing.

Should I memorize my answers?

Instead of memorizing ready-made answers word for word, learn your short answers by topic and a few patterns: Ik woon in…, Ik werk in…, In mijn vrije tijd… A memorized text usually does not quite fit the question, and the relevance score looks at exactly that.

Ready to practice speaking? Do a Spreken practice exam, listen to your recording and compare it with the sample answers.