Nederlands in Gang (Dutch in Motion) is a beginners L2 method for well-educated non-Dutch speakers. Divided into eighteen chapters, it deals with everyday situations. Students practise all the language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing. In addition, attention is devoted to grammar, pronunciation and intonation, culture, practical assignments and reflection. In all the parts, the emphasis is on the use of Dutch in daily life.
In a varied way, the beginner lays the foundation for a mastery of Dutch. Based on real life dialogues, speaking and writing assignments, conjugation exercises, texts, films and songs, the student works towards Level A2 of the European Reference Framework. Together with the sequels Nederlands in actie (Dutch in Action) and Nederlands op niveau (In Good Dutch), this book is part of a complete method for learning Dutch.
There are dialogues and pronunciation exercises on the CDs that go with it.
There is also a website that goes with the book with supplementary exercises, intensive listening texts, films and songs. For teachers, there are various tests they can use and a teacher’s manual with copying pages and teaching suggestions.
Nederlands in Gang includes a useful selection of the most relevant topics every expat needs to be sufficiently fluent in to guarantee his/her survival in the Nethertlands: anything from shopping at the market to renting an apartment, and even going to the bike mechanic. The dialogues revolve around the lives of several characters whose lives intertwine, depending on the topic.
The only thing I personally dislike is the limited amount of grammar exercises. However, the rest of the exercises are quite various and cover all linguistic areas. Especially helpful are the ones that practice the Dutch pronunciation.
I really like this book as a starter for learning Dutch. The online exercises are also very helpful. If you want to learn Dutch, this is definitely one of the book to use!
Pretty good, there's also online material and additional paid courses at Groningen university. A bunch of exercises are for speaking with a partner, so... not that useful if you're learning solo.