Sports and exercise
Sport en beweging
- Learn the sports
- Talk about the sports you practice
- Adverbs of frequency (soms, vaak, nooit, ...)
Discover common Dutch sports vocabulary like voetbal (football) and zwemmen (swimming), and learn frequency adverbs such as soms (sometimes) and altijd (always) to talk about your exercise habits naturally.
Listening and reading
Start this class by listening to the audio and completing the corresponding exercises.
Vocabulary (13) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Divide the following words into two groups: sports where you use a ball and sports without a ball.
Sporten met een bal
Sporten zonder bal
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Zwemmen
To swim
2
De wedstrijd
The match
3
Boksen
To box
4
Het voetbal
The football
5
Lopen
To walk
Oefening 5: Conversation exercise
Instructie:
- Noem de sport en zeg of je deze in een team (of paar) doet of alleen. (Name the type of sport and say if you do it as a team (or a pair) or alone.)
- Doe je aan sport? Hoe vaak? (Do you do sports? How often?)
- Hou je van sport kijken? (Do you like to watch sports?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Volleybal is een teamsport. Volleyball is a teamsport. |
|
Zwemmen is een individuele sport. Swimming is an individual sport. |
|
Als sport doe ik aan boksen. As sports I do boxing. |
|
Ik speel graag tennis. Ik speel elke woensdag en zaterdag tennis. I like to play tenis. I play tenis every Wednesday and Saturday. |
|
Ik kijk niet graag naar sport. Ik word er moe van. I do not like to watch sports. I get tired. |
|
Ik kijk graag naar basketbalwedstrijden. I like to watch basketball games. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Ik ___ vaak in de sportschool na mijn werk.
(I ___ often work out in the gym after my work.)2. Soms ___ ik basketbal met mijn vrienden in het park.
(Sometimes ___ I play basketball with my friends in the park.)3. Gisteren ___ ik twee uur ___ in het zwembad.
(Yesterday ___ I for two hours ___ in the swimming pool.)4. We ___ altijd door het centrum naar ons werk.
(We ___ always cycle through the city center to our work.)Exercise 8: Exercising in the park
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Zwemmen - Swimming
Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd
- ik zwem
- jij zwemt
- hij/zij/het zwemt
- wij zwemmen
- jullie zwemmen
- zij zwemmen
Spelen - Playing
Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd
- ik speel
- jij speelt
- hij/zij/het speelt
- wij spelen
- jullie spelen
- zij spelen
Sporten - Exercising
Voltooid verleden tijd
- ik heb gesport
- jij hebt gesport
- hij/zij/het heeft gesport
- wij hebben gesport
- jullie hebben gesport
- zij hebben gesport
Sporten - Exercising
Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd
- ik sport
- jij sport
- hij/zij/het sport
- wij sporten
- jullie sporten
- zij sporten
Exercise 9: Bijwoorden van frequentie (soms, vaak, nooit, ...)
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Adverbs of frequency (soms, vaak, nooit, ...)
Show translation Show answersvaak, soms, nooit, Telkens, af en toe, altijd
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
A1.40.2 Grammatica
Bijwoorden van frequentie (soms, vaak, nooit, ...)
Adverbs of frequency (soms, vaak, nooit, ...)
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Zwemmen to swim Share Copied!
Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd (OTT)
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| (ik) zwem | I swim |
| (jij) zwemt / zwem jij | you swim / you swim |
| (hij/zij/het) zwemt | he/she/it swims |
| (wij) zwemmen | we swim |
| (jullie) zwemmen | you swim |
| (zij) zwemmen | they swim |
Sporten to sport Share Copied!
Voltooid verleden tijd (VVT)
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| (ik) heb gesport | I have done sport |
| (jij) heb gesport / hebt gesport | you have sported / you have sported |
| (hij/zij/het) heeft gesport | he/ she/ it has sported |
| (wij) hebben gesport | we have sported |
| (jullie) hebben gesport | you have sported |
| (zij) hebben gesport | They have sported |
Spelen to play Share Copied!
Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd (OTT)
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| (ik) speel | I play |
| (jij) speelt/spel | you play |
| (hij/zij/het) speelt | he/she/it plays |
| (wij) spelen | we play |
| (jullie) spelen | you play |
| (zij) spelen | they play |
Don't see progress when learning on your own? Study this material with a certified teacher!
Do you want to practice Dutch today? That is possible! Just contact one of our teachers today.
Lesson Overview: Sports and Exercise in Dutch
This lesson introduces common sports vocabulary and adverbs of frequency to talk naturally about sports activities in Dutch. You will learn how to describe how often you practice different sports using words like soms (sometimes), vaak (often), nooit (never), and more.
Popular Sports Vocabulary
The lesson divides sports into two key groups: Sports with a ball and Sports without a ball. Examples include:
- With a ball: het basketbal, het tennis, het voetbal
- Without a ball: zwemmen, boksen, fietsen, lopen, turnen
Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency help express how often an activity takes place, which is essential in everyday conversation about habits and routines. Examples you will practice include:
- altijd — always
- vaak — often
- dikwijls — frequently
- af en toe — occasionally
- soms — sometimes
- nooit — never
Useful Example Sentences
- Ik sport vaak in het park met mijn vrienden. (I often exercise in the park with my friends.)
- Speel jij soms voetbal in het weekend? (Do you sometimes play soccer on weekends?)
- Ze loopt altijd naar haar werk voor beweging. (She always walks to her work for exercise.)
- Ik doe nooit aan boksen, maar ik fiets vaak. (I never box, but I often bike.)
Conversations about Sports
You will practice dialogues in various everyday situations such as at the gym, the sports club house, or chatting at home about your sports habits. These exercises build confidence in asking and answering questions like:
- How often do you play sports?
- Which sports do you do regularly?
- Do you go to the sports school or prefer outdoor activities?
Verb Conjugation Practice
Sports-related verbs such as sporten (to exercise), zwemmen (to swim), spelen (to play), and fietsen (to bike) are covered with conjugation examples and gap-fill exercises to reinforce correct use in sentences.
Mini Story: Sports in the Park
This story includes common sports vocabulary and verbs in different tenses to help you understand real-life usage. Example verbs and tenses you will encounter include:
- Zwemmen (to swim) — present tense: ik zwem, wij zwemmen
- Spelen (to play) — present tense: ik speel, wij spelen
- Sporten (to exercise) — past tense: ik sportte, wij sportten
Note on Language Differences
Unlike English, Dutch often places frequency adverbs directly before the main verb in simple present sentences (Ik sport vaak — "I often exercise") instead of after it. Also, Dutch sports names frequently include the definite article het (the), which is not required in English. For example, het voetbal means "soccer" or "football." Understanding these nuances helps form natural Dutch sentences.
Here are some helpful phrases for talking about sports frequency:
- Ik sport altijd op maandag en woensdag. (I always exercise on Monday and Wednesday.)
- Soms ga ik zwemmen met vrienden. (Sometimes I go swimming with friends.)
- Wij spelen vaak voetbal in het weekend. (We often play football on the weekend.)
These lessons would not be possible without our amazing partners🙏
