🇧🇪 Pilot cohort: limited places
Learn Dutch the way it’s actually spoken in Belgium.
Dutch Through Stories: From Zero to A1 — Part 1
A self-study course built around real life in Flanders. Story-led, Belgian Dutch from day one, designed for people who have moved to Flanders, are on their way, or just want to feel at home in Belgium.
📖 Story-led learning
🎧 Voice-over in Flemish
⚡ Interactive exercises
🏛️ Grammar Vault
🃏 Custom flashcard app
✦ Start from zero
“Ik ben nieuw hier. Ik leer Nederlands.”
Sarah, the main character in our stories. Possibly the most useful sentence you will learn.
Sound familiar?
You want to learn Dutch. But are you learning the right Dutch?
Most Dutch learning resources out there, apps, textbooks, courses, are all built for one version of Dutch: the version spoken in the Netherlands. The vocabulary, the pronunciation, the cultural references, everything has a very distinct ‘Netherlands’ flavour. Which is perfectly fine if you’re heading to Amsterdam.
But if you’re living in or moving to Flanders, this is far from ideal. Because what tends to happen? You work through the lessons, you learn the words, you practise all the phrases… And then the Dutch around you sounds different from everything you’ve studied. Not wrong. Not incomprehensible. Just not quite the same.
The app isn't working
You’ve been using apps like Duolingo or Babbel diligently, but what you hear in real life sounds nothing like what you’re learning.
You need it to work here
Not in the Netherlands. Not in some abstract “standard Dutch” universe. Here, in your actual life. In the supermarket, at a restaurant, with your neighbours.
A classroom doesn't fit your life
Language schools are expensive and inflexible. It takes up a large portion of your day and requires you to adjust your schedule to it.
You don't know where to start
There’s too much conflicting advice about how to learn a language, and most resources don’t even apply to starting from zero in Belgian Dutch.
A different approach
There’s nothing else quite like this for Flanders.
Dutch Through Stories is built for expats and internationals living in or moving to Flanders, Belgium. Most resources for Belgian Dutch are either classroom-based, with fixed schedules, fixed locations and a significant cost, or they’re Netherlands Dutch courses with a Flemish flag on the cover. Dutch Through Stories is neither. It is built around everyday life in Flanders: Belgian vocabulary, Belgian cultural context, a Flemish voice throughout.
But what makes it genuinely different isn’t just the content. It’s the system behind it.
The entire course is story-led. Every module follows Sarah, an expat navigating a new language and a new city. You read, you listen, you notice how the language works, and then you practise it. Grammar and vocabulary emerge from context, not the other way around.
You’re not getting a folder of PDFs and some videos. You’re getting:
- an interactive story reader with hover translations,
- self-scoring exercises,
- grammar discovery tasks,
- a dedicated flashcard app,
- a searchable grammar vault that covers the entire course.
Every piece is designed to work together. And all of it follows Sarah: one continuous story, from the first morning in Ghent to finding her footing in Belgium. Most courses teach you Dutch. This one puts you inside it.
🇧🇪
Belgian Dutch from day one
The vocabulary, the register, the culture, everything is taught in the Flemish context, rather than Netherlands Dutch with a disclaimer.
⚡
Genuinely interactive
Not just videos and PDFs. Interactive readers, exercises, grammar noticing tasks, and a custom flashcard app.
📖
Story-led, not grammar-first
You meet the language in the most natural way, just like children do: in context, through real moments, before you actually learn the rules.
🏠
Grounded in real life
Every module has a Real Life in Flanders sections that gives you a glimpse into what it’s like to live in Belgium.
🎧
Hear real Belgian Dutch
Every story is accompanied by a recording. This way, you hear the correct pronunciation from the very first word. With a Flemish accent, of course.
⏱️
Fully self-paced
No schedule, no deadlines, no fixed sessions. You can work when it suits you: in your own time, at your own pace.
Meet Sarah, your guide through this course
From her first morning in Ghent to finding her footing.
Sarah is an expat who has just arrived in Ghent. She doesn’t know anyone. Her Dutch is practically zero. But she’s going to figure it out. One conversation, one encounter, one small victory at a time.
Every module follows her story. The Dutch she learns is also the Dutch you need. By the end of Part 1, eight modules covering everyday life in Flanders, you’ll have followed her from her very first conversation all the way to a real, functioning level of Dutch.
Everything included
What’s in each module
Every module contains two connected stories and a full set of learning materials.
Here’s what you get for each story.
Interactive story reader
Read and listen at the same time. Hover over words for translations and listen to the voice-over.
Voice-over recording
Every story is read aloud in Flemish Dutch. Perfect to start training your ear immediately.
Reading & vocabulary exercises
Self-scoring comprehension checks and vocabulary practice built from the story.
Grammar noticing tasks
Spot the patterns yourself before the explanation. The way language learning actually works.
Grammar explainer video
We’ll walk through the grammar together, with examples from the story you’ve just read.
Grammar reference card
A branded PDF summary of all the grammar covered. Keep it. Use it. Refer back to it at any point.
Grammar exercises
Interactive practice with instant feedback. Production, not just recognition anymore.
Speaking exercises
Low-stakes prompts to practise out loud. No recording required, no judgment.
Writing exercises
Short tasks with model answers provided. Self-check without needing a teacher.
Real Life in Flanders
One video per module on a cultural or practical topic connected to Sarah’s story.
Vocabulary list
Every new word from the story in a clean, downloadable reference document.
Flashcard deck
Import the vocabulary directly into the Storialis flashcard app, including an example sentence for context.
Why a pilot?
A small group. A special price. A real say in what comes next.
I’m opening this course to a small group of pilot learners before the full public launch. The reason is simple: I want real people working through this course while I’m still building it. Your experience as a learner, what works, what’s unclear, what you wish were different… It will all directly shape the final version.
What being a pilot member means
- You get access to Module 1 immediately , everything is ready and waiting.
- New modules are added progressively as they’re completed. You’ll be notified each time.
- You are locked in at the pilot price. It will not apply once the course officially launches.
- Your feedback genuinely matters. I’ll check in at the end of each module and actually read what you say. This isn’t a survey that goes nowhere. It shapes what gets built next.
- If you choose the full Part 1 option, you have lifetime access, come back whenever you like.
Module 1 is complete and ready to use right now. The remaining modules of Part 1 are in development and will be released progressively, and pilot members get access to each one as it’s published.
This isn’t a half-finished product at a reduced price. Module 1 is complete in every detail. The pilot price reflects the fact that the full course is still being built , not that the quality is anything less than the final version will be.
Wait… there’s more.
The course is complete as described above. But when you join, you also get two tools that most language courses charge extra for, or don’t offer at all.
A custom-built flashcard app, made for this course.
Every vocabulary list in every module has its own flashcard deck, ready
to import into a dedicated app built specifically for Dutch Through Stories.
And it’s not a generic flashcard tool with Dutch words thrown in. No, it’s a purpose-built app that knows exactly which words belong to which story, which module,
and which level.
Tap through your deck on the bus. Review before bed. Come back to the words that aren’t sticking. The app works on any device, even offline.
- ✓ One deck per story: vocabulary in context, not random lists
- ✓ Works on phone, tablet, and desktop
- ✓Free, included with your course, no separate subscription needed!
Move past passive recognition and turn vocabulary lists into words you actually use.
🎁 Exclusive bonus #2
And there’s one more thing.
The Storialis grammar vault.
A searchable grammar reference that grows with you through all 8 modules. Every grammar point in this course lives in one place: the Storialis Grammar Vault. Type zijn, de/het, word order, or anything else you’re trying to remember, and it’s there in seconds.
It’s not a PDF you’ll lose track of. It’s not a list buried somewhere in Module 3. It knows which module each grammar point comes from, which story it appeared in, and shows you example sentences drawn directly from Sarah’s world, so nothing ever feels abstract or out of context.
The vault starts with Module 1 and grows with every module you complete. By the time you finish Part 1, you’ll have a complete A0→A1 grammar reference that’s genuinely yours.
- ✓ Every grammar point from all 8 modules, in one searchable place
- ✓ Filter by module or grammar category — find anything in seconds
- ✓Example sentences from the stories — always in context, never abstract
- ✓ Grows with every module, complete by Module 8
- ✓Works on any device, no download needed
Most courses scatter grammar explanations across dozens of lessons and leave you to piece it together yourself. This one keeps it all in one place, and makes it searchable.
CHOOSE YOUR OPTION
Join the pilot
Two ways in. One price that won’t last.
Upgrade to the full course for €70, bringing your total to €89.
Still less than half the launch price!
Mieke Vanhengel
I’m a language coach, translator, and subtitler based in Belgium. I’ve spent years working with languages. First in the classroom, then as a subtitle translator and in one-on-one coaching sessions with people who want to communicate more confidently.
I grew up surrounded by both Belgian and Netherlands Dutch, and I’ve watched too many students get frustrated by courses that teach them the wrong version of the language for where they actually live. Dutch Through Stories is my answer to that.
The course is built the way I believe languages should be learned: through stories, in context, with a real human voice on the other end.
Subtitler & translator
Native Belgian Dutch
Frequently Asked Questions
Dutch Through Stories is built for expats and internationals living in or moving to Flanders, Belgium, who want to learn Dutch from scratch, in the right version of Dutch for where they actually are.
It’s the right fit if:
- You’re new to Flanders and need functional Dutch, not textbook Dutch
- You’ve tried apps like Duolingo or Babbel and found the Dutch didn’t match what you hear around you
- You want a self-paced option that fits around your life, not a classroom schedule
- You’re starting from absolute zero — no prior Dutch required
It’s probably not the right fit if you’re already at A1 level or above, if you’re based in the Netherlands rather than Belgium, or if you prefer live group classes with a fixed schedule.
If you join the full Part 1 pilot, work through Module 1 genuinely, and find that the course isn’t right for you, get in touch within 14 days of purchase and I’ll refund you. I’d rather have that conversation than have someone sitting on a course that isn’t working for them.
The Module 1 Trial doesn’t include a refund option. At €19 for a complete, self-contained module, you’ll have everything you paid for from the moment you log in. If you’re not sure yet, that’s exactly what this trial option is for.
Sarah started with one sentence.
You can too.
Ik ben nieuw hier. Ik leer Nederlands.
That is all it takes to open a door.