Greetings and polite phrases
| Dutch | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| hallo | hello | HAH-loh | Hallo, hoe gaat het?Hello, how are you? |
| goedemorgen | good morning | KHOO-duh-mor-khun | Goedemorgen! Heb je goed geslapen?Good morning! Did you sleep well? |
| goedemiddag | good afternoon | KHOO-duh-mih-dahkh | Goedemiddag, mevrouw.Good afternoon, madam. |
| goedenavond | good evening | KHOO-duh-nah-vont | Goedenavond, welkom.Good evening, welcome. |
| goedenacht | good night | KHOO-duh-nakht | Goedenacht, tot morgen.Good night, see you tomorrow. |
| dag | bye / hi | dahkh | Dag! Tot ziens.Bye! See you. |
| tot ziens | goodbye | tot ZEENS | Tot ziens, fijne dag nog.Goodbye, have a nice day. |
| alsjeblieft | please | ahl-shuh-BLEEFT | Een koffie, alsjeblieft.A coffee, please. |
| dank je wel | thank you | dahnk yuh VEL | Dank je wel voor je hulp.Thank you for your help. |
| alstublieft | please (formal) | ahl-stew-BLEEFT | Uw kaartje, alstublieft.Your ticket, please. |
| sorry | sorry | SOR-ree | Sorry, ik ben laat.Sorry, I am late. |
| graag gedaan | you're welcome | khrahkh khuh-DAHN | Graag gedaan, tot de volgende keer.You're welcome, until next time. |
Numbers
| Dutch | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| een | one | ayn | Ik heb een broer.I have one brother. |
| twee | two | tway | Ik wil twee appels.I want two apples. |
| drie | three | dree | Ze heeft drie kinderen.She has three children. |
| vier | four | feer | Het is vier uur.It is four o'clock. |
| vijf | five | fayf | Ik heb vijf euro.I have five euros. |
| zes | six | zes | We zijn met zes mensen.There are six of us. |
| zeven | seven | ZAY-vun | De winkel opent om zeven uur.The shop opens at seven o'clock. |
| acht | eight | ahkht | Het kind is acht jaar oud.The child is eight years old. |
| negen | nine | NAY-khun | De bus komt om negen uur.The bus comes at nine o'clock. |
| tien | ten | teen | Ik tel tot tien.I count to ten. |
| twintig | twenty | TVIN-tukh | Zij is twintig jaar oud.She is twenty years old. |
| honderd | hundred | HON-durt | Het kost honderd euro.It costs a hundred euros. |
Colors
| Dutch | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| rood | red | roht | De appel is rood.The apple is red. |
| blauw | blue | blow | De lucht is blauw.The sky is blue. |
| geel | yellow | khayl | De zon is geel.The sun is yellow. |
| groen | green | khroon | Het gras is groen.The grass is green. |
| oranje | orange | oh-RAHN-yuh | De sinaasappel is oranje.The orange is orange. |
| paars | purple | pahrs | Haar jurk is paars.Her dress is purple. |
| roze | pink | ROH-zuh | Ze houdt van roze.She likes pink. |
| zwart | black | zvart | De kat is zwart.The cat is black. |
| wit | white | vit | De sneeuw is wit.The snow is white. |
| bruin | brown | browyn | Zijn schoenen zijn bruin.His shoes are brown. |
| grijs | grey | khrays | De lucht is grijs vandaag.The sky is grey today. |
Family
| Dutch | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| moeder | mother | MOO-dur | Mijn moeder kookt graag.My mother likes to cook. |
| vader | father | FAH-dur | Mijn vader werkt in de stad.My father works in the city. |
| zus | sister | zus | Mijn zus is ouder dan ik.My sister is older than me. |
| broer | brother | broor | Mijn broer speelt voetbal.My brother plays soccer. |
| dochter | daughter | DOKH-tur | Hun dochter gaat naar school.Their daughter goes to school. |
| zoon | son | zohn | Hun zoon is nog klein.Their son is still small. |
| oma | grandmother | OH-mah | Mijn oma bakt koekjes.My grandmother bakes cookies. |
| opa | grandfather | OH-pah | Mijn opa leest de krant.My grandfather reads the newspaper. |
| man | husband / man | mahn | Haar man werkt hard.Her husband works hard. |
| vrouw | wife / woman | vrow | Zijn vrouw is arts.His wife is a doctor. |
| kind | child | kint | Het kind speelt buiten.The child plays outside. |
| familie | family | fah-MEE-lee | We eten samen met de familie.We eat together with the family. |
Food and drink
| Dutch | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| brood | bread | broht | Ik eet brood met kaas.I eat bread with cheese. |
| kaas | cheese | kahs | Nederlandse kaas is beroemd.Dutch cheese is famous. |
| water | water | VAH-tur | Mag ik een glas water?May I have a glass of water? |
| koffie | coffee | KOF-fee | Ik drink elke ochtend koffie.I drink coffee every morning. |
| thee | tea | tay | Wil je een kopje thee?Would you like a cup of tea? |
| melk | milk | melk | Het kind drinkt melk.The child drinks milk. |
| appel | apple | AH-pul | Ik eet elke dag een appel.I eat an apple every day. |
| vis | fish | vis | We eten vis op vrijdag.We eat fish on Friday. |
| vlees | meat | flays | Hij eet geen vlees.He does not eat meat. |
| groente | vegetables | KHROON-tuh | Groente is goed voor je.Vegetables are good for you. |
| fruit | fruit | frowt | Fruit bevat veel vitamines.Fruit contains many vitamins. |
| bier | beer | beer | Nederlanders drinken graag bier.Dutch people like to drink beer. |
Travel and directions
| Dutch | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| station | station | stah-SHON | Het station is dichtbij.The station is nearby. |
| trein | train | trayn | De trein vertrekt om acht uur.The train departs at eight o'clock. |
| fiets | bicycle | feets | Ik ga met de fiets naar werk.I go to work by bicycle. |
| vliegtuig | airplane | FLEEKH-towkh | Het vliegtuig landt over een uur.The plane lands in an hour. |
| links | left | links | Ga naar links bij de kerk.Go left at the church. |
| rechts | right | rekhts | Het museum is rechts.The museum is on the right. |
| rechtdoor | straight ahead | rekht-DOHR | Loop rechtdoor tot het plein.Walk straight ahead to the square. |
| hotel | hotel | hoh-TEL | Ons hotel ligt in het centrum.Our hotel is in the center. |
| kaartje | ticket | KAHR-chuh | Ik koop een kaartje voor de trein.I buy a ticket for the train. |
| straat | street | straht | Deze straat is erg druk.This street is very busy. |
| stad | city | staht | Amsterdam is een mooie stad.Amsterdam is a beautiful city. |
| vliegveld | airport | FLEEKH-felt | We wachten op het vliegveld.We are waiting at the airport. |
Time and days
| Dutch | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| vandaag | today | vahn-DAHKH | Vandaag is het zonnig.Today it is sunny. |
| morgen | tomorrow | MOR-khun | Morgen ga ik werken.Tomorrow I am going to work. |
| gisteren | yesterday | KHIS-tuh-run | Gisteren was het koud.Yesterday it was cold. |
| week | week | vayk | Volgende week ga ik op reis.Next week I am going on a trip. |
| maandag | Monday | MAHN-dahkh | Maandag begint de school weer.Monday school starts again. |
| dinsdag | Tuesday | DINS-dahkh | Op dinsdag heb ik les.I have class on Tuesday. |
| uur | hour / o'clock | ewr | Het is twee uur.It is two o'clock. |
| minuut | minute | mee-NEWT | Wacht een minuut, alsjeblieft.Wait a minute, please. |
| ochtend | morning | OKH-tunt | Ik loop elke ochtend.I walk every morning. |
| avond | evening | AH-vont | We eten 's avonds samen.We eat together in the evening. |
Common verbs
| Dutch | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| zijn | to be | zayn | Ik ben moe.I am tired. |
| hebben | to have | HEH-bun | Wij hebben een hond.We have a dog. |
| gaan | to go | khahn | Ik ga naar huis.I am going home. |
| doen | to do | doon | Wat doe je vandaag?What are you doing today? |
| zien | to see | zeen | Ik zie een vogel.I see a bird. |
| weten | to know | VAY-tun | Ik weet het antwoord.I know the answer. |
| willen | to want | VIL-un | Ik wil een ijsje.I want an ice cream. |
| kunnen | to be able / can | KUN-un | Kun je me helpen?Can you help me? |
| maken | to make | MAH-kun | Zij maakt het eten.She makes the food. |
| spreken | to speak | SPRAY-kun | Spreekt u Engels?Do you speak English? |
| eten | to eat | AY-tun | We eten om zes uur.We eat at six o'clock. |
| werken | to work | VER-kun | Hij werkt in een kantoor.He works in an office. |
Adjectives
| Dutch | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| groot | big | khroht | Het huis is groot.The house is big. |
| klein | small | klayn | De hond is klein.The dog is small. |
| mooi | beautiful | mohy | Het uitzicht is mooi.The view is beautiful. |
| lelijk | ugly | LAY-luk | Dat gebouw is lelijk.That building is ugly. |
| goed | good | khoot | Het eten is goed.The food is good. |
| slecht | bad | slekht | Het weer is slecht vandaag.The weather is bad today. |
| snel | fast | snel | De auto rijdt snel.The car drives fast. |
| langzaam | slow | LAHNK-zahm | De trein rijdt langzaam.The train is going slowly. |
| warm | warm / hot | varm | De soep is warm.The soup is hot. |
| koud | cold | kowt | Het water is koud.The water is cold. |
Question words
| Dutch | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| wie | who | vee | Wie is dat?Who is that? |
| wat | what | vat | Wat wil je eten?What do you want to eat? |
| waar | where | vahr | Waar woon je?Where do you live? |
| wanneer | when | vah-NAYR | Wanneer kom je aan?When do you arrive? |
| waarom | why | VAH-rom | Waarom huil je?Why are you crying? |
| hoe | how | hoo | Hoe gaat het met je?How are you? |
| hoeveel | how much / how many | hoo-VAYL | Hoeveel kost dit?How much does this cost? |
| welke | which | VEL-kuh | Welke kleur vind je mooi?Which color do you like? |
Study tips for Dutch
- The Dutch g and ch are throaty sounds made at the back of the throat, similar to gently clearing your throat; practice with words like goedemorgen and acht.
- The diphthong ui, as in huis, has no real English equivalent, so listen closely to native speakers rather than guessing from the spelling.
- Nouns are either de-words or het-words with no reliable rule, so memorize the article together with each new noun rather than separately.
- Dutch counts compound numbers with units before tens, so twenty-one is eenentwintig; practice numbers aloud in this order.
- Learn short whole phrases like Hoe gaat het? and Tot ziens as chunks first, since word order shifts in questions and after connectors.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say hello in Dutch?
Hello in Dutch is hallo, and a more casual greeting among friends is dag or hoi.
Is Dutch grammar similar to English?
Dutch and English share many roots and some word order, but Dutch has grammatical gender for nouns marked by de and het, plus verb-second word order in main clauses, which takes practice.
How many words do I need to know as a beginner?
Around 100 to 150 high-frequency words, like the ones in this list, are enough to handle basic greetings, numbers, food and travel situations.
What script is Dutch written in?
Dutch uses the Latin alphabet, the same one used for English, with a few extra letter combinations like ij, ui and eu.