Antwerp is a Dutch-speaking city. English is widely understood, but daily life, administration, schools and most jobs run in Dutch. This page summarises how adults can learn Dutch in Antwerp and where to start.
Where to start: Atlas
In the city of Antwerp, the first stop is Atlas, integratie & inburgering Antwerpen, at Carnotstraat 110. Atlas gives information on Dutch courses and on the civic integration programme, enrols learners in a course and answers questions on documents and diplomas. An appointment can be requested on the Atlas website, which is also available in English. Anyone who has never followed Dutch lessons, or has no certificate for module 1.1, is asked to go to Atlas first. The role once played by the Huis van het Nederlands, intake and referral to a suitable course, now lies with Atlas in the city and with the Flemish Agency for Integration and Civic Integration elsewhere in Flanders.
Types of courses
- Adult education centres (CVO): group courses by day or evening, for learners from 16 (or 15 after two years of secondary school). In Antwerp these include CVO Encora, CVO LBC, CVO Vitant and GO! CVO Antwerpen.
- Basic education (Ligo): for adults from 18 who cannot yet read or write well in the Latin alphabet, in small groups and at a slower pace.
- University language centre (Linguapolis): the language institute of the University of Antwerp, for adults from 18 with a secondary school diploma and experience learning a Western European language. The pace is fast and part of the programme is self-study. Linguapolis also runs a full-time Dutch language year for future students.
- VDAB: the Flemish public employment service combines vocational training with Dutch, or supports a course followed elsewhere.
Levels
Dutch courses in Flanders follow the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), from A1 to C2. Flemish modules carry codes such as 1.1, 1.2 and 2.1 to 4.2. Roughly, 1.1 corresponds to A1, 1.2 to A2, the modules of level 2 lead to B1, level 3 to B2 and level 4 to C1. More detail (in Dutch) is on the page ERK-niveaus.
Civic integration
The Flemish civic integration programme has four parts: Dutch lessons with A2 as the goal, a social orientation course taught in the learner's own language or a contact language, registration with VDAB for those aged 18 to 65 who are not yet working, and a participation track to build a social network. Each participant has a personal counsellor. According to the Agency for Integration and Civic Integration, Dutch lessons and the test after the course cost 180 euros in total within the programme, plus books. The Dutch summary is on the page inburgering in Vlaanderen.
Practising outside class
Six Antwerp libraries have a Dutch language point (Taalpunt Nederlands) with learning material to borrow: Permeke, Couwelaar, Elsschot, Kielpark, Luchtbal and Vrede. Atlas runs Open Inloop Taal, free drop-in sessions to chat, listen and read in small groups. The multilingual database ikdoemee.be lists language cafés, buddy projects and volunteering where Dutch can be practised. Activities with a language icon show how much Dutch is needed to take part comfortably.
A note on Belgian Dutch
Dutch in Antwerp sounds different from Dutch in the Netherlands, and some everyday words differ: a mobile phone is a gsm, the morning is often the voormiddag. Many people in Antwerp also speak a regional variety among themselves. Standard Dutch, as taught in class, is understood everywhere.
Source: Atlas Antwerpen (English)