Dutch A2: elementary level A2
A2 is the level most new arrivals to the Netherlands aim for first, and the level tested by the standard Inburgering (civic integration) exam. Here is what it actually covers.
What you can do at A2
- Understand and use everyday expressions and very basic phrases for immediate needs.
- Introduce yourself, ask and answer simple questions about home, work and people you know.
- Handle short, simple exchanges when someone speaks slowly and is willing to help.
Roughly how much vocabulary
A2 learners typically recognise somewhere around 1,000 to 1,500 words. That sounds like a lot, but it is well within reach with regular short practice, roughly the size of Tungo's "First 100 Words" through "Everyday Words" account levels combined.
Grammar you should have down
Present tense (see our present tense verbs guide), basic past tense, simple word order, and common question forms. You are not expected to handle complex sentences yet, clear and simple is the goal.
What A2 does not give you
A2 is a transactional level, and it is worth being clear about the ceiling. You can complete an errand, but you cannot hold a conversation that goes somewhere unplanned. You will follow speech aimed deliberately at you and lose almost all of a conversation between two Dutch people at normal speed. Reading a letter from an official body will still mean looking up several words per paragraph. None of that is failure - it is what A2 is - but expecting more from it is the most common source of discouragement at this stage.
How long it takes to get here
For a motivated adult starting from nothing, A2 is usually somewhere between six and nine months of consistent daily work, or considerably less if you live in the Netherlands and actually use what you learn. The variable that matters most is not hours studied but how much of that time is spent producing Dutch rather than reading about it. Two people can put in identical hours and arrive months apart, and the difference is almost always how early they started speaking badly in public.
What comes after A2
B1 is the next step and it is a larger one than the gap from A1 to A2, because it changes what kind of language you are handling rather than just how much of it. A2 works from rehearsed scripts; B1 works from understanding, which is why it is the level employers mean and the one tied to the citizenship requirement. Most people also find the A2 to B1 stretch is where progress stops feeling fast, and knowing that in advance is worth a surprising amount.
Do you need to prove it?
Most people never need a certificate at A2, and studying as though you do changes what you practise in unhelpful ways. The exception is the civic integration obligation, where A2 was the old requirement and the level has since been raised - so if residency is your reason, check which level applies to your own case rather than assuming. If nobody has asked you for proof, treat A2 as a private milestone and spend the money on speaking practice instead of an exam fee.