Dictionaries

The Dutch language went through some major changes to its grammar and spelling in 1995 and to a lesser extent in 2005. It is therfore worth investing in post 2005 dictionaries and grammar reference books.

We recommend the following translation dictionaries:

Mini-woordenboek (Engels - Nederlands / Nederlands - Engels) (Van Dale, 2009)
A well laid out and well bound mini Dutch to English and English to Dutch Dictionary. Translations are very brief but this is an excellent dictionary for beginners and post-beginners learning Dutch. The gender of nouns are clearly specified in the margin. (ISBN: 9789066483279)

New Routledge Dutch Dictionary (Routledge, 2003)
A good value (paperback) Dutch to English and English to Dutch Dictionary. Specifies the gender of nouns. (ISBN: 9780415300414)

Groot woordenboek Nederlands-Engels ( Van Dale, 2008)
The very best (hardback) Dutch to English dictionary in two volumes (ISBN:9789066481626). Can be purchased with the English-Dutch dictionary as a four volume set (ISBN:9789066481688).

Groot woordenboek Engels-Nederlands ( Van Dale, 2008)
The very best (hardback) English to Dutch dictionary in two volumes (ISBN:9789066481633). Can be purchased with the Dutch-English dictionary as a four volume set (ISBN:9789066481688).

We recommend the following Dutch dictionaries:

Pocketwoordenboek Nederlands als tweede taal (NT2) (Van Dale, 2005)
A well laid out and good value (paperback) compact Dutch Dictionary with pictures and diagrams and all keywords printed in blue. This dictionary is designed for non-native Dutch speakers with definitions that do not use difficult words. Specifies the gender of nouns in the margins and underlines accented vowels. (ISBN: 9789066488564)

Prisma woordenboek Nederlands ( Prisma, 2008)
An excellent paperback Dutch dictionary that would suit more advanced students. All keywords are printed in blue, the gender of nouns are given, and accented vowels are underlined. Also included is the entire dictionary on CDROM (ISBN:9789027418890).

We recommend the following Dutch grammar book:

Concise Dutch Grammar ( Wolters Noordhoff, 2003 )
An excellent Dutch Grammar reference book for students learning Dutch as a foreign language.  This book is written in English, is clearly laid out, and includes plenty of exercises. A nice book to handle and use. (ISBN: 9001137997)