about us

Your path to Dutch, my passion to guide

Hallo! I'm Maartje. Here’s my vision and our story.

I grew up in a small Dutch village surrounded by greenhouses, windmills, and the comforting smell of "stamppot" at dinnertime. In other words. I’m a true Dutchie at heart. Today, I live in the vibrant city of Rotterdam, one of the largest port cities in the world.

Here in this bustling city, I met people from all over the world. Many of them expats who quickly became close friends. Our shared language was English, but I noticed how much they struggled with learning Dutch. They wanted to dive into Dutch life, but the language barrier often held them back.

From dealing with supermarket self-checkouts, doctors’ appointments, and understanding letters from the gemeente, to simply joining in on Dutch conversations at work or with neighbors. It wasn’t easy. That’s when I knew I wanted to help. And so, SayDutch was born.

I started offering free Dutch lessons because I love helping people learn my language. I’m not doing this to earn money, but to make learning Dutch more fun and accessible, especially for young adults.

SayDutch is not your typical dull language course. No endless grammar drills or boring textbooks. Instead, I bring Dutch to life in a way that’s engaging, fun, and practical. So you can actually use what you learn in your daily life. With my background as a journalist, I know how to tell stories, present with confidence and create experiences that capture attention. I bring that same energy to SayDutch.

Can’t wait to help you start speaking Dutch! 💙