Sports vocabulary reflects Dutch national passions. Football: voetbal, het veld (pitch), de goal (goal), scoren (to score), de keeper (goalkeeper), de aanvaller (striker), de verdediger (defender), het elftal (eleven/team), de competitie (league), de beker (cup). Cycling: het wielrennen (road cycling), de wielrenner (cyclist), de ronde (stage race). Ice skating: schaatsen, de schaatser, de elfstedentocht (famous 200km skating tour).
General sports vocabulary: sporten (to do sport), trainen (to train), de wedstrijd (match/competition), winnen (to win), verliezen (to lose), gelijkspelen (to draw), het team (team), de coach (coach), de speler (player), de scheidsrechter (referee), de tribune (stands), het stadion (stadium), het kampioenschap (championship).
Sports you might participate in: zwemmen (swimming), tennissen (tennis), hardlopen (running), fietsen (cycling), roeien (rowing — very popular in the Netherlands), korfbal (korfball — a uniquely Dutch mixed-gender team sport), hockey (field hockey — Dutch teams are consistently among the world’s best). Discussing sport is one of the most reliable conversation topics with Dutch people, making this vocabulary immediately socially useful.