Basic Vocabulary
The following words are indispensable if you want to understand Dutch. They are “building blocks” that are used over and again!| Belangrijke woorden | Important words |
| Een | A Indefinite article, singular (as in English, no article is used for the plural indefinite form). E.g., “een kind” = “a child”; “kinderen” = “children”. |
| Het | The Definite article, singular; used with a limited group of nouns. E.g., “het kind” = “the child”. |
| De | The Definite article, used for the singular form of all other nouns, as well as the plural form of all nouns that can have an article. E.g., het kind, but “de kinderen” = “the children”. |
| En | And |
| Of | Or |
| Omdat | Because |
| Ondanks | In spite of |
| Daarom | Therefore |
| Alle, allemaal | All |
| Elke | Every |
| Iedereen | Everyone |
| Wie? | Who? |
| Wat? | What? |
| Waar? | Where? |
| Waarom? | Why? |
| Hoe? | How? |
| Ik | I |
| Jij | You |
| U | You (polite form, singular or plural) |
| Hij | He |
| Zij (1) | She |
| Wij | We |
| Jullie | You (plural) |
| Zij (2) | They |
| Mijn | My |
| Jouw | Your |
| Uw | Your (polite form, singular or plural) |
| Zijn | His |
| Haar | Her |
| Ons | Our |
| Jullie | Your (plural) |
| Hun | Their |
| Omhoog | Up |
| Omlaag | Down |
| Links | Left |
| Rechts | Right |
| Binnen | Inside |
| Buiten | Outside |
| Voor (1) | In front of |
| Achter | Behind |
| Naast | Next to |
| Bij | Near |
| Naar | Towards |
| Vanaf | Away from; or: Starting at |
| Eerste | First |
| Laatste | Last |
| Voor (2), or: Voordat | Before |
| Na, or: Nadat | After |
| Veel | Much; many |
| Weinig | Little; few |
| Meer | More |
| Minder | Less |
| Meest | Most |
| Minst | Least |
| Met | With |
| Zonder | Without |