A1.14: Calendar dates and holidays

Kalenderdatums en feestdagen

Learn how to express calendar dates, holidays, and plan appointments in Dutch with practical examples and dialogues. This beginner lesson covers essential time expressions, conjugation of planning verbs, and common Dutch holidays like Kerstmis and Nieuwjaar.

Listening & reading materials

Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.

A1.14.1 Dialoog

Wij gaan naar huis met de feestdagen

We are going home for the holidays


Vocabulary (13)

 De agenda: The diary (Dutch)

De agenda

Show

The diary Show

 De datum: The date (Dutch)

De datum

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The date Show

 De feestdag: The holiday (Dutch)

De feestdag

Show

The holiday Show

 De vakantie: The holiday (Dutch)

De vakantie

Show

The holiday Show

 De week: The week (Dutch)

De week

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The week Show

 Het weekend: the weekend (Dutch)

Het weekend

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The weekend Show

 De kalender: The calendar (Dutch)

De kalender

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The calendar Show

 Kerstmis: Christmas (Dutch)

Kerstmis

Show

Christmas Show

 Oud en nieuw: New Year's Eve (Dutch)

Oud en nieuw

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New year's eve Show

 Nieuwjaar: New Year (Dutch)

Nieuwjaar

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New year Show

 Pasen: Easter (Dutch)

Pasen

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Easter Show

 Pinksteren: Pentecost (Dutch)

Pinksteren

Show

Pentecost Show

 Plannen (to plan) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Plannen

Show

To plan Show

Exercises

These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.

Exercise 1: Reorder sentences

Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.

Show answers
1.
een afspraak | in mijn | Op maandag | agenda. | heb ik | 3 april
Op maandag 3 april heb ik een afspraak in mijn agenda.
(On Monday, April 3, I have an appointment in my calendar.)
2.
begint op | ik kijk | 2025 en | ernaar uit. | 5 juli | De vakantie
De vakantie begint op 5 juli 2025 en ik kijk ernaar uit.
(The holiday starts on July 5, 2025, and I am looking forward to it.)
3.
in Nederland. | belangrijke feestdag | is een | Kerstmis is | op 25 | december; dat
Kerstmis is op 25 december; dat is een belangrijke feestdag in Nederland.
(Christmas is on December 25; that is an important holiday in the Netherlands.)
4.
is donderdag | is het | 12 juli. | Welke datum | vandaag? Het
Welke datum is het vandaag? Het is donderdag 12 juli.
(What date is it today? It is Thursday, July 12.)
5.
plannen veel | het nieuwe | mensen hun | jaar. | In januari | doelen voor
In januari plannen veel mensen hun doelen voor het nieuwe jaar.
(In January, many people plan their goals for the new year.)
6.
nieuw met | mijn familie. | vier ik | december 2023 | oud en | Op 31
Op 31 december 2023 vier ik oud en nieuw met mijn familie.
(On December 31, 2023, I celebrate New Year's Eve with my family.)

Exercise 2: Match a word

Instruction: Match the translations

Ik plan een afspraak op maandag 3 april. (I am planning an appointment on Monday, April 3rd.)
Kerstmis is op 25 december. (Christmas is on December 25th.)
We hebben vakantie in juli. (We have vacation in July.)
Op 31 december 2023 vieren we Oud en Nieuw. (On December 31, 2023 we celebrate New Year's Eve.)

Exercise 3: Cluster the words

Instruction: Put the words in the correct group: Holidays or Time expressions.

Feestdagen

Tijdsaanduidingen

Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence

Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.

1

De agenda


The diary

2

Pinksteren


Pentecost

3

Kerstmis


Christmas

4

De feestdag


The holiday

5

Oud en nieuw


New Year's Eve

Oefening 5: Gespreksoefening

Instructie:

  1. Noem de naam van de feestdag en de datum. (Say the name of the holiday and it's date.)
  2. Wat zijn je plannen voor de feestdagen? Met wie ga je ze doorbrengen? (What are your plans for the holidays? With whom are you going to spend it?)
  3. Welke dag is het vandaag? (What day is today?)

Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes

Example phrases:

Kerstmis is op vijfentwintig december.

Christmas is the twenty-fifth of December.

Zomervakantie is in juli en augustus.

Summer holiday is in July and august.

Pasen valt altijd op een andere datum.

Easter is always on another date.

Ik ben van plan om kerst met mijn familie te vieren.

I plan to celebrate christmas with my family.

Ik ga nieuwjaar vieren met mijn vrienden.

I am going to celebrate new year's with my friends.

Vandaag is het veertiende februari 2025.

Today is the forteenth of february of 2025.

...

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 _____ een vakantie in juli.

(I _____ a vacation in July.)

2. Wij _____ een feest op 5 juli 2025.

(We _____ a party on 5 July 2025.)

3. Jij _____ de vergadering voor volgende week.

(You _____ the meeting for next week.)

4. Zij _____ altijd haar afspraken goed in de agenda.

(She _____ always her appointments well in the agenda.)

Exercise 8: Plans for the holidays

Instruction:

Deze week (Plannen - OTT) ik een weekend met mijn familie. We (Plannen - OTT) om op zaterdag samen te koken en op zondag naar het park te gaan. Mijn vrouw (Plannen - OTT) ook haar werk zodat ze die week vrij is. We (Plannen - OTT) onze vakantie in mei, omdat Pasen dan in april (Vallen - OTT) . Ik (Plannen - OTT) altijd onze agenda goed, zodat iedereen tijdens Oud en Nieuw tijd heeft voor elkaar.


This week I am planning a weekend with my family. We plan to cook together on Saturday and go to the park on Sunday. My wife also plans her work so she is free that week. We plan our vacation in May because Easter then falls in April. I always plan our schedule well so that everyone has time for each other during New Year's Eve.

Verb Tables

Plannen - To plan

Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd (OTT)

  • ik plan
  • jij plant
  • hij/zij/het plant
  • wij plannen
  • jullie plannen
  • zij plannen

Vallen - To fall

Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd (OTT)

  • ik val
  • jij valt
  • hij/zij/het valt
  • wij vallen
  • jullie vallen
  • zij vallen

Exercise 9: Hoe formuleer je de datum?

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Grammar: How do you formulate the date?

Show translation Show answers

op 5 juli 2025, op, in, op 10 maart, op 31 december 2023

1.
Wij vieren Pasen ... april.
(We celebrate Easter in April.)
2. 10/03:
Wij plannen een reis ... de zomer.
(We are planning a trip in the summer.)
3.
De vakantie begint ... zaterdag.
(The holiday starts on Saturday.)
4. 10/03:
Mijn verjaardag is ....
(My birthday is on 10 March.)
5. 05/07/2025:
Het evenement is ....
(The event is on 5 July 2025.)
6.
Ik ben geboren ... 2001.
(I was born in 2001.)
7.
De afspraak is ... woensdag.
(The appointment is on Wednesday.)
8. 31/12/2023:
Het feest is ....
(The party is on 31 December 2023.)

Grammar

It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!

A1.14.2 Grammatica

Hoe formuleer je de datum?

How do you formulate the date?


Verb conjugation tables for this lesson

Plannen to plan

Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd (OTT)

Dutch English
(ik) plan I plan
(jij) plant / plan je you plan
(hij/zij/het) plant he/she/it plans
(wij) plannen we plan
(jullie) plannen you plan
(zij) plannen they plan

Exercises and examples phrases

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Welcome to the Lesson on Calendar Dates and Holidays

In this beginner Dutch lesson, you will learn how to talk about dates, holidays, and planning events clearly and correctly. We focus on commonly used phrases for stating specific calendar dates, discussing holidays, and setting appointments—all essential for everyday conversations.

Key Topics Covered

  • Formulating Dates: Learn how to say and write dates like "op maandag 3 april" and "op 25 december," essential for arranging meetings or talking about special days.
  • Holidays and Festivals: Discover important Dutch holidays such as Kerstmis (Christmas), Nieuwjaar (New Year), Pasen (Easter), and Pinksteren (Pentecost), including how to mention their dates.
  • Time Expressions: Understand words related to the calendar and time, like weekend, week, and de datum (the date).
  • Making Appointments: Practice setting appointments using verbs like plannen (to plan), with example sentences such as "Ik plan een afspraak op maandag 3 april."

Important Language Points

The lesson highlights the conjugation of key verbs like plannen in the present tense to express planning activities. You will also explore full sentences and dialogues that simulate real-life scenarios including office meetings, discussing holidays with colleagues, and organizing events.

Useful Phrases and Example Sentences

  • "De vakantie begint op 5 juli 2025." (The holiday starts on July 5, 2025.)
  • "Kerstmis is op 25 december." (Christmas is on December 25.)
  • "Wanneer is de vergadering?" (When is the meeting?)
  • "We vieren oud en nieuw op 31 december." (We celebrate New Year's Eve on December 31.)

Note on Instruction and Dutch Date Expressions

In Dutch, dates are often introduced by the preposition "op" followed by the day of the week and the calendar date, for example, "op maandag 3 april." This structure differs from English where the day usually follows the date ("Monday, April 3"). When planning or discussing appointments and events, Dutch speakers commonly use the verb plannen, which conjugates regularly but requires attention to subject agreement. Additionally, Dutch places considerable emphasis on holidays, and their names are often used as proper nouns without translation in conversation.

Useful words include de feestdag (holiday), de datum (date), de kalender (calendar), and het weekend (weekend). Knowing these will strengthen your ability to understand and use date-related vocabulary fluently.

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