Speak Professional Dutch: speak Dutch at work with confidence, a Dutch speaking course for expats and internationals in the Netherlands

Free daily Dutch speaking practice for internationals in the Netherlands

You've been learning Dutch. It's time to actually speak it

Ten minutes a day, out loud, built around real meetings, feedback moments and small talk with colleagues. No grammar drills, no classroom, just speaking until it feels normal. Free, launching August 18.

Jacky, founder of SpeakProfessionalDutch

Free · Launching August 18 · 110+ professionals already trained

Get ready, it's free

Let's be honest: learning Dutch and speaking Dutch are two very different things

You're not alone, and it's not your fault.

You've done A2, B1, maybe even B2.

But your course never made you speak. Really speak. You studied Dutch, you did the exercises. Now it's time to actually use it out there.

Different situations, same feeling every time

Job interviews, presentations, small talk at the coffee machine, every time that same thought: I'm just not ready yet.

Two, five, ten years, and still not speaking Dutch?

You've built a career here, made friends, maybe even a family. And Dutch is still "something you're working on." That little voice has been saying the same thing for years. It's time to actually do something about it.

1 ecosystem, 4 ways to make you speak

Spreekwafel, Spreekwafel Circle, TaalStar and StageUP work together: free daily practice, live community, intensive training, and live confidence in one place.

Daily practice · Free app · Coming August 18

Spreekwafel

Practice on your own real situations, an upcoming meeting, a piece of feedback you need to give, out loud, in your own time. Nobody's listening but you, and that's exactly the point.

Get ready for launch

Live community · Opens September 2026

Spreekwafel Circle

The same courage, now live. Speaking circles, live sessions per level, and masterclasses with other internationals, so the words you rehearsed alone finally land with someone who actually responds, wherever you both are.

Join the waitlist for September

Intensive training · 1 on 1 · from A2

TaalStar

Tailored 1 on 1 or duo Dutch training for international professionals. Two sessions per week plus homework, your goals, your pace. For people who are serious about speaking Dutch at work and in life.

Explore TaalStar

Live events · Group · from B1

StageUP & Connect

A small group of internationals who get it. You take the stage, speak Dutch out loud, and discover that making mistakes is fine. Short talks, real conversations, real confidence. Next session September 1, more dates through the year.

Sign up for the next event
Opening September 2026  ·  Testing now  ·  Free to join the list

Get on the Spreekwafel Circle waitlist

Be the first to know the moment membership opens: daily speaking practice, live sessions per level, and a community to keep you going.

Other courses teach you the language, here you learn to speak and to dare

"Most people don't fail at Dutch because they haven't learned enough. They fail because nobody ever made them actually speak. Out loud, in real situations, before it felt 'ready'. Confidence doesn't come from studying. It comes from doing. And the doing starts here."
Jacky, founder of TaalStar & SpeakProfessionalDutch.com

Real people, 100% Dutch conversation, real results

From expats who came in hesitant and left speaking Dutch with confidence, at work, in meetings, in life.

Rodrigo

A2 to B1 · TaalStar 1 on 1

Soumitra

B1 to B2 · TaalStar 1 on 1

★★★★★
Although I was hesitant at first, as the program progressed I gained significant confidence in my Dutch skills, which I can now apply in my work. I truly appreciate Jacky's dedication and highly recommend her to anyone feeling uncertain about their Dutch.
CU

Cahitcan Uzman

Data Analyst

★★★★★
A fully personalised training with a unique approach. First focusing on improving your confidence, then tweaking the process by introducing different rules and strategies. If you want to learn the language but aren't sure how to approach it, reach out to Jacky. It will definitely be worth it.
AP

Adhiraj Pimpalkar

High-Tech Engineering

★★★★★
As an international professional, I struggled to gain confidence speaking Dutch. Working with Jacky made all the difference. Her personalised, practical approach focuses on real-life communication and professional language skills. She truly understands what expats need to succeed in the Dutch job market and social life.
IB

Inbal Barel

Investment Manager

What a StageUP event looks like

A warm group of internationals speaking Dutch out loud, building real confidence together.

StageUP participants smilingInternationals listening at StageUPParticipant smiling at StageUP
Sign up for the next event

The person behind the voice

Jacky, founder of TaalStar and SpeakProfessionalDutch

Jacky's mission: make you communicate with confidence. Not just speak Dutch, actually communicate. So people understand you, you understand them, and you can be yourself in a language that isn't your own. Yes, mistakes are part of it. Always.

Entrepreneur since 2009, Jacky knows the workplace from the inside: team meetings, client calls, performance reviews, casual Fridays. Not from a textbook, from experience. She's helped many internationals in the Netherlands go from hesitant to confident. She knows the excuses. She gets it. Warm, direct, practical, and very Dutch.

For employers

Does your company support your Dutch?

More and more employers in the Netherlands offer Dutch speaking training as part of onboarding or development. If your company is looking for a practical solution for international employees, from individual coaching to a speaking programme tailored to your industry and workplace, let's talk.

Get in touch

Questions people ask before they start

Is it worth the investment? +

This is an investment in yourself and in your career. Think about what it costs you not to act: missed promotions, job interviews that go sideways, always depending on colleagues to translate. One conversation that goes well can change things. The question is not whether it is worth it. The question is how much longer you are willing to wait.

I don't have time +

Spreekwafel is 10 minutes a day, on your commute, at lunch, on the sofa. TaalStar is two sessions per week, plus homework between sessions. You don't need to clear your schedule. You need a system that fits around your life. That's exactly what this is.

My Dutch isn't good enough yet +

From A2 level, you're welcome. And here's the thing: waiting until you feel ready is exactly what keeps people stuck for years. It doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to be spoken. That's what we practise: real conversations, your level, your pace.

What makes this different from a regular language course? +

Regular courses teach you the language. Here you learn to speak it, and to dare. No grammar lists, no textbooks. Real situations, your workplace, your goals. The focus is on speaking out loud from day one, with feedback, so confidence actually builds.

Why "professional" Dutch? Isn't Dutch just Dutch? +

Saying "how are you" is very different from leading a meeting, giving feedback, or defending your idea in Dutch. Professional Dutch is a specific skill: the vocabulary, the tone, the directness. And here is something people often discover: when you focus on professional Dutch, your general and social language skills improve too. The confidence, the habits, the ear for the language. The other way around, that does not work as well.

What is Spreekwafel and when is it free? +

Spreekwafel is the daily speaking app: short exercises built around real workplace situations, meetings, feedback, small talk with colleagues, with real speaking feedback every time. It is free, with a target launch date of August 18, 2026. Get ready above to be the first to know.

What is Spreekwafel Circle and when does it open? +

Spreekwafel Circle is the live community for internationals who want to keep speaking professional Dutch every day, not just study it. Live sessions per level, masterclasses, and speaking circles where you practise with other professionals in the same job market, on top of your daily Spreekwafel practice. It opens in September 2026. Join the waitlist above to be notified the moment it opens.

Start speaking Dutch today