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What people say about their Dutch course
with betterdutch
I’ve gone from speaking only English to carrying on daily life in Amsterdam almost entirely in Dutch, conversing easily with neighbors, shopkeepers, and friends. While Marisa improves my Dutch, she also builds my confidence in learning it. She knows when to be supportive, when to praise, and even when to nudge me in a different direction. — Kat
Kevin – United States
Marisa was the best language teacher I have ever worked with, and I have had many! Lessons were so much fun and as a result the learning came quickly. Marisa is excellent at tailoring to each individual's level and goals, even in a group setting. I highly recommend learning Dutch with Marisa!
Maxim - Russia
I have been learning Dutch with Marisa since January 2022, and it's been incredible. Marisa is a great teacher, she perfectly tailored the learning experience to match my specific needs and personal style. Marisa has a great personality, and at the same time she is highly demanding and takes time to explain Dutch both in theory and in practice. I strongly recommend Marisa for those who are eager to learn Dutch.
Violeta - Macedonia
Marisa is an excellent and very knowledgable teacher. She puts real effort to tailor the lessons to the student’s knowledge level and interests and is always prepared. She adopts to situations and uses tools and techniques (white board, flash cards, videos, newspaper, different articles, interesting excercises and games, role play…). Her explanations are clear and concise supported with good examples. I really recommend Marisa!
Alexander - Ukraine
Marisa has been helping my wife and I study Dutch for the last 11 months. I'm very happy with Marisa — she is a highly experienced, knowledgeable and creative teacher. From the onset, I was impressed by her technique that is taking advantage of the modern online meeting tech — with online exercises, whiteboards always at hand. Behind Marisa's seemingly casual and relaxed style, there is hard work and ruthless preparation that results in quick and robust students' progress. Dankjewel Marisa!
Hila - Israel
I studied with Marisa not long after I arrived in Amsterdam. I had a course of 10 lessons, and she taught me sooooo much in these few hours. Marisa is patient, she adjusts the study tempo, level, and interests to the students and has excellent teaching methods.
Right after my course I started working in the HEMA - the super Dutch store chain - in Dutch (!!!)
I think you learn most from daring and practising, but you really need a good foundation to gain the real language, and she gives that, and a lot more!
Egemen - Turkey
After struggling to improve my Dutch for a long time, I decided to take private lessons, and luckily I found Marisa! I was never speaking Dutch, but now I am having conservations with my son's teachers in Dutch.
Working with Marisa helped me make this progress. She was always well-prepared for our lessons with interesting materials. She searched for videos, podcasts, news articles etc. in the subjects I like, which made the learning fun for me. She also explained difficult grammar rules in an intuitive way with lots of examples. Not only is she a good teacher but also a very nice person!
You can see that she cares for her students and puts effort to find the best ways to help them improve their Dutch. I enjoyed working together Marisa and highly recommend her for learning Dutch.
Doug and Kathryn - United States
Chicagoans most of our lives, we now live in Portland, Oregon. Doug is Dutch (his father's family emigrated from the Groningen region) but he didn't learn more than a few phrases as a child.
We love the Netherlands and spend as much time as we can in Amsterdam each year, moving away from tourist areas to living in regular neighborhoods. About three years ago, we decided that we really wanted to learn the language – as a sign of respect for Dutch culture, to understand Dutch society and to speak and interact in Dutch with our many good friends in Amsterdam.
Marisa Lems has been and is our Dutch instructor. In the US, we take lessons once a week online and when we're in the Netherlands, in person.
Marisa has been an absolute gem. As teachers ourselves, we recognize the care with which she plans our meetings, guiding us, challenging us, and showing immense patience when we stumble – all with a great sense of humor.
We could not have found a better person to lead us on this journey.
Wij vinden "Beter Nederlands" heel leuk!
Mascha - Russia
I met Marisa on my first Dutch language course in one of the Amsterdam schools. Already then, studying Dutch with her was fun, efficient and never boring. I looked forward to every next lesson, and already this first course gave me a good start.
After a while I set a goal for myself to take NT2 exams (program I) as I was obliged to by IND and I searched a private teacher who would prepare me.
I contacted Marisa again and I never regretted it. The fact that we lived in different cities and I had a busy work schedule, wasn't an obstacle. Once or twice a week we had lessons online.
Marisa knows everything about inburgering and NT2 exams: the types of tasks, how they are evaluated, what is the setting of the exams. I received a lot of homework and a lot of tasks similar to those in the exam – so when I finally took the exam, I wasn't worried at all, I knew exactly what to expect. Marisa made sure I was prepared.
She was very motivating, and she believed in me more than myself. After approximately half a year of taking lessons with her, I passed all four of the NT2 exams on the first try, so my goal was reached.
She has everything I look for in a teacher: efficient, structured, consistent, attentive, understanding, motivating and last but not least - Marisa is a very pleasant person.
I would strongly recommend her to everybody, no matter the level of your Dutch and your aim – she can find the best approach for every student.
Miriam - Spain
The first thing I did when I arrived to the Netherlands was look for Dutch lessons. I think it is very important to learn the language if you want to integrate in Dutch society and to find a good job. I was very lucky to find Marisa.
I really enjoyed her lessons. She is really passionate, positive, with a lot of energy and makes you enjoy learning in a fun way. She knew exactly what my weak points were, and she made a great effort to make me improve my skills. I attended group lessons, and she made them very dynamic, with a great variety of exercises.
I strongly recommend Marisa as a teacher. Now that I am back in Spain, I remember her with a big smile.
Branka - Macedonia
I first met Marisa in 2013 when I moved to the Netherlands. Soon after I arrived here, I started my lessons (group lessons) and Marisa was my teacher.
After 2 months I stopped since I started to work, and I couldn't follow the morning classes, but I was very satisfied with the way Marisa was teaching the language. Therefore, when I wanted to continue, I contacted her again. Because of my new responsibilities, I couldn't attend group lessons. So betterdutch was a perfect choice.
First we started with private lessons via Skype, but shortly we realized that my workplace is nearby her house, so we continued with face-to-face lessons.
I am very satisfied with her way of working. She knows how to explain different grammar rules so that it is easier to understand the point. Her lessons consist of many different segments, therefore it is never boring.
She prepares very well for every class, with lots of exercises, games and of course speaking Dutch on many different subjects.
She encourages me to speak Dutch with my colleagues, but also in everyday situations. So far I think it helps a lot in improving my Dutch.
What I especially appreciate is her flexibility in regard to scheduling the lessons, she always does her best to adjust to my agenda, and she is very punctual.
All in all, I would highly recommend her as a Dutch teacher!
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