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“A van Aap” — A Is for… Song in Dutch for Kids

In “A van Aap” (A Is for…), kids sing key Dutch words like de aap, de beer, de citroen and de dolfijn, going back and forth between English and Dutch, so the meaning is never a mystery. It's a beginner song from Unit 21: ABC & First Sounds, 3:00 long, made for ages 2–8.

  • 🇳🇱 Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unit 21 · Letters en Klanken
  • ⏱ 3:00
  • 🔒 Premium

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“A van Aap” lyrics with English translation

Every line as it's sung, with its meaning beside it. Dutch is shown in teal.

Song lyrics with translation. Dutch lines are shown in teal.
SungMeaning
Ready? Klaar?
Ja!Yes!
Let’s play!Kom, we gaan spelen!
A is for monkey—what do we say?A van aap—wat zeggen we?
A van aap! De aap! Hooray!
Monkey, monkey!De aap, de aap!
De aap, de aap!Monkey, monkey!
B is for bear, big and round!B van beer, groot en rond!
B van beer! De beer is found!
Bear means beer—say it again!
De beer, de beer—our furry friend!
C is for lemon, yellow and bright!C van citroen, geel en fel!
C van citroen! Sour bite!
Lemon, please!De citroen, alsjeblieft!
De citroen, alsjeblieft!Lemon, please!
D is for dolphin, splash and spin!D van dolfijn, spetter en draai!
D van dolfijn! De dolfijn zwemt in!
Dolphin, dolphin!De dolfijn!
De dolfijn!Dolphin, dolphin!
Aap, noot, mies—let’s read and play!
Aap, noot, mies—say it today!
What’s “monkey” in Dutch?
De aap! De aap!The monkey! The monkey!
What’s “bear” in Dutch?
De beer! De beer!The bear! The bear!
English, Dutch, back and forth—Engels, Nederlands, heen en weer—
Learn a little word with every call!Leer bij elke roep een woordje!
E is for duck—quack, quack, quack!E van eend—kwak, kwak, kwak!
E van eend! De eend waddles back!
Duck, please!De eend, alsjeblieft!
De eend, alsjeblieft!Duck, please!
F is for bike, let’s ride around!F van fiets, we fietsen rond!
F van fiets! De fiets—wheels on the ground!
My bike!Mijn fiets!
Mijn fiets!My bike!
G is giraffe, tall as can be!G van giraf, zo lang als maar kan!
G van giraf! De giraf—look and see!
A giraffe!De giraf!
De giraf!A giraffe!
H is for house, where we say “hi!”H van huis, waar we “hoi!” zeggen!
H van huis! Het huis is nearby!
The house!Het huis!
Het huis!The house!
K is for chicken, cluck in the yard!K van kip, tok tok in de tuin!
K van kip! De kip—say it, not hard!
Chicken!De kip!
De kip!Chicken!
V is for fish, swimming along!V van vis, die zwemt maar door!
V van vis! De vis—sing our song!
Z is for sun, warm in the sky!Z van zon, warm aan de hemel!
Z van zon! De zon—hi, hi, hi!
Aap, noot, mies—let’s read and play!
Aap, noot, mies—say it today!
What’s “lemon” in Dutch?
De citroen! De citroen!The lemon! The lemon!
What’s “house” in Dutch?
Het huis! Het huis!The house! The house!
English, Dutch, back and forth—Engels, Nederlands, heen en weer—
Learn a little word with every call!Leer bij elke roep een woordje!
The bike?De fiets!
De fiets!The bike?
The fish?De vis!
De vis!The fish?
The sun?De zon!
De zon!The sun?
De aap, de beer, de eend, de kip—The monkey, the bear, the duck, the chicken—
De dolfijn swims, and off we zip!
Aap, noot, mies—let’s read and play!
Aap, noot, mies—say it today!
Monkey?De aap!
De aap!Monkey?
Bear?De beer!
De beer!Bear?
Lemon?De citroen!
De citroen!Lemon?
House?Het huis!
Het huis!House?
English, Dutch, back and forth—Engels, Nederlands, heen en weer—
Aap, noot, mies—we know them all!
Tot ziens!See you soon!
Bye-bye!Dag dag!

Key Dutch words in this song

The 11 words and phrases this song is built around.

DutchEnglish
de aapmonkey
de beerbear
de citroenlemon
de dolfijndolphin
de eendduck
de fietsbike
de girafgiraffe
het huishouse
de kipchicken
de visfish
de zonsun

How to use this song with your child

  1. 1

    Make “de aap” the word of the day

    This song repeats “de aap” (monkey) on 5 lines. Use it once or twice during the day outside the song, and let your child correct you if you get it wrong.

  2. 2

    Pause between the call and the answer

    The song moves back and forth between English and Dutch. On a second listen, pause after an English line and let your child try the Dutch answer before the song sings it.

  3. 3

    Make it a routine

    At 3:00, play it once a day at the same moment for a week. Make the shape of each vowel with your mouth in a mirror while the song plays.

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