UCL CENTRE FOR LANGUAGES
& INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Course Units 2015-2016
Dutch Syllabus A
Prerequisite for entry
For complete beginners or those who have had only very little contact with the language.
Course duration
20 x 2-hour classes.
Self-Study
80 hours in total.
Course codes
LCDU6001, LCDUG001, LCDUM001, LCDU6012, LCDUM012 (together with Dutch syllabus B).
Aims and Objectives
The aim of the course is to enable students to function at a basic everyday survival level (basic vocabulary, grammar,
morphology, syntax and phonetics).
Students should be able to communicate in and understand Dutch on a number of practical everyday matters. Cultural
awareness will be developed. Language learning skills, including autonomous learning and how to approach authentic
material, will be enhanced. Some transferable skills will also be covered.
Functions
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greeting people and responding;
introducing oneself and others;
spelling names and addresses;
counting;
thanking, apologising, basic enquiries;
asking people about themselves, giving information about oneself;
enquiring about prices;
correcting statements;
describing eating habits;
ordering and paying in the restaurant;
shopping;
telling and asking for the time of day;
expressing agreement/disagreement;
suggesting, accepting, refusing;
asking for information;
Course Content
Main topics/themes to be covered
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first contacts;
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personal details;
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family relationships;
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closer acquaintance, friends;
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countries, nationalities;
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household activities;
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working, studying;
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food and drink: restaurant, supermarket, social occasion;
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countries, nationalities, languages;
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numbers, time of day, days of the week, months, dates;
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hobbies, spare time activities, holiday activities;
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calendar of events;
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weekly diary;
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aspects of low countries culture and society.
Linguistic Structures
Phonetics
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pronunciation of standard spoken Dutch (stress, intonation, consonants, vowels, diphthongs);
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connection between spelling and pronunciation.
Grammar
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verbs: conjugation, present tense, modals, separable verbs, introduction to the perfect tense;
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nouns: gender, plural;
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definite and indefinite articles;
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expressing duration;
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infinitive constructions;
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prepositions (time, place);
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modal verbs;
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possessive pronouns;
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adjectives: predicative use;
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personal pronouns;
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adverbs (especially of time);
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basic prepositional phrases;
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cardinal numerals;
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ordinal numerals;
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imperative;
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sentence functions: subject, verb, direct object;
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syntax: basic word order in main clauses, interrogatives (yes/no questions and wh-questions), negations,
imperatives.
Learning Resources
Syllabus A Course Books
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Nederlands in Gang, Chapters 1-9 (Coutinho) – ISBN: 9789046902257
Teach Yourself: Dutch Grammar you really need to know (McGraw-Hill) – ISBN: 9781444189544
Syllabus A/B Course Books
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Nederlands in Gang, (Coutinho) – ISBN: 9789046902257
Additional material
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A selection of authentic material will also be used (e.g. press articles on current affairs, internet websites).
Bilingual dictionary (e.g. Routledge, Van Dale)
In addition there is a wide range of language learning materials available for self-study in the Self-Access Centre.