Dutch Language
Basic Dutch Phrases
In the pronunciations, kh denotes a uvular guttural sound. Meneer, mevrouw and mejuffrouw are all written with a small letter when they precede a name. When typing, de Heer is used instead of meneer and Dhr. is used on envelopes. Mevrouw and mejuffrouw are abbreviated as Mevr. and Mej. In addition, Mw. can be used as an equivalent of the English Ms.
Good Morning Goedemorgen khoo-duh-mawr-ghuh Good Day Goedemiddag khoo-duh-mih-dahkh Good Evening Goedenavond khoo-duh-nah-fohnt Good Night Goedenacht khoo-duh-nahkht Hi / Bye Hoi / Hallo / Daag / Doei hoy / hah-loh / dahk / doo-ee Goodbye Tot ziens toht zeens See you later (in the same day) Tot straks toht straks See you soon Tot zo toht zoh Please Alstublieft / Alsjeblieft ahlst-ew-bleeft / ahl-shuh-bleeft Thank you Dank u wel / Dank je wel dahnk-ew-vehl / dahnk-yuh-vehl Thank you very much Hartelijk bedankt hahr-tuh-lik buh-dahnkt You’re welcome (don’t mention it) Graag gedaan khrahkh khuh-dahn I’m sorry / Excuse me Sorry saw-ree Pardon me (didn’t understand) Pardon, wat zei u? pahr-dohn, vat zay ew Yes / No Ja / Nee yah / nay How are you? (formal) Hoe gaat het met u? hoo khaht ut meht ew How are you? (informal) Hoe gaat het? hoo khaht ut Fine / Very well Goed / Heel goed khoot / hayl khoot So so / Bad Het gaat / Slecht uht khaht / slehkht I’m tired / sick. Ik ben moe / ziek ik ben moo / zeek I’m hungry / thirsty. Ik heb honger / dorst ik heb hohng-ur / dohrst What’s your name? (formal) Hoe heet u? hoo hayt ew What’s your name? (informal) Hoe heet je? hoo hayt yuh My name is (I’m called)… Ik heet… ik hayt… I am… Ik ben… ik ben Nice to meet you. Aangenaam (kennis te maken) ahn-guh-nahm (ken-nis tuh mah-kuh) Mister / Misses / Miss meneer / mevrouw / mejuffrouw muh-nayr / muh-frow / muh-yuh-frow Where are you from? (formal) Waar komt u vandaan? vahr kawmt ew fun-dahn Where are you from? (informal) Waar kom je vandaan? vahr kawn yuh fun-dahn I am from the Netherlands. Ik kom uit Nederland. ik kawm owt nay-der-lant Where do you live? (formal) Waar woont u? vahr vohnt ew Where do you live? (informal) Waar woon je? vahr vohn yuh I live in America. Ik woon in Amerika. ik vohn in ah-meh-ree-kah How old are you? (formal) Hoe oud bent u? hoo owt bent ew How old are you? (informal) Hoe oud ben je? hoo owt ben yuh I am ____ years old. Ik ben … jaar (oud). ik ben … yahr owt Do you speak Dutch? (formal) Spreekt u Nederlands? spraykt ew nay-der-lahnds Do you speak English? informal) Spreek je Engels? sprayk yuh ehng-uhls I [don’t] speak… Ik spreek [geen]… ik sprayk [khayn] I don’t speak … very well. Ik spreek niet zo goed… ik sprayk neet zoh khood I [don’t] understand. Ik begrijp het [niet.] ik buh-khraip ut neet I [don’t] know. Ik weet het [niet.] ik vayt ut [neet] How much is it? Wat kost het? vat kohst ut I’d like… Ik wil graag… ik vil khrahk Cheers! Proost! prohst Have fun! Veel plezier! fayl pleh-zeer Good luck! Veel succes! fayl suk-sehs Be careful! Wees voorzichtig! vays fohr-zikh-tikh That is great / terrible! Dat is geweldig / vreselijk! dat is khuh-vehl-duhkh / fray-zuh-likh I love you. (informal) Ik hou van je. ik how fahn yuh I love you (all). Ik hou van jullie. ik how fahn juh-lee How funny / odd! Wat vreemd! vaht fraymt What a pity! Wat jammer! vaht yah-mer What is this / that? Wat is dit / dat? vut iss dit / dut Dutch Pronunciation
The consonants s, f, h, b, d, z, l, m, n, and ng are pronounced the same way in Dutch as in English. P, t, and k are pronounced without the puff of air (called aspiration.) Sometimes the g is pronounced like zh in words borrowed from French. One last vowel sound is found in various Dutch spellings. It is pronounced like uh, as in along or sofa. For example, this sound is found in de (the), een (a), aardig (nice), and vriendelijk (kind).
Dutch letters English sound ch / g guttural sound, made at back of mouth sch s followed by guttural ch sound w like v before r, otherwise like w but with bottom lip against top teeth v like v, but sometimes closer to f r either rolled or guttural j y as in yes sj sh as in ship tj ch as in chip aa ah as in father, but longer ee ay as in hail, but shorter ie ee as in neat, but shorter oo oh as in boat oe oo as in pool, but shorter eu ur as in hurt, but with lips rounded uu ew, but with lips rounded (sound not found in English) a ah as in father, but shorter e eh as in bed i ih as in bit o aw as in paw, with lips rounded u ir as in dirt, but very short ei / ij between the sounds in “light” and “late” aai combination of aa and ie oei combination of oe and ie ooi combination of oo and ie ou / au like ow, as in house eeuw combination of ee and oe ieuw combination of ie and oe uw combination of uu and oe ui combination of a and uu Dutch Nouns and Gender
All nouns have a gender in Dutch, either common (de words) or neuter (het words). It is hard to guess which gender a noun is, so it is best to memorize the genders when memorizing vocabulary. However, two-thirds of Dutch words are common gender (because the common gender has combined the former feminine and masculine genders.) So it may be easier to memorize which nouns are neuter, and then assign common gender to the rest. All diminutives (words ending in -je) and infinitives used as nouns, as well as colors, metals, compass directions, and all words that end in -um, -aat, -sel, -isme are neuter. Most nouns beginning with ge- and ending with -te are neuter, as are most nouns beginning with ge-, be-, and ver-. Common noun endings include: -aar, -ent, -er, -es, -eur, -heid, -ij, -ing, -teit, -tie.Articles & Demonstratives
Singular “the” Plural “the” Indefinite “a” or “an” The definite article is used more in Dutch than in English. It is always used before the names of the seasons, street names and in an abstract sense. There are some idioms that should be memorized, however: in het Nederlands (in Dutch), in de stad (in town), in het zwart (in black), met de auto (by car), met de tijd (in/with time); op tafel (on the table), in zee (in the sea), op kantoor (at the office), in bad (in the bath), op straat (in the street).
common neuter Singular this that deze die dit dat Plural these those Dutch Subject and Object Pronouns
I ik (‘k) me mij (me) you (singular familiar) jij (je) you jou (je) you (singular formal) u you u he hij him hem (‘m) she zij (ze) her haar (ze) it hij / het it het (‘t) we wij (we) us ons you (plural familiar) jullie you jullie (je) you (plural formal) u you u they zij (ze) them hen (ze) / hun (ze) Unstressed forms (shortened forms used mostly in the spoken language) are in parentheses. There are also unstressed forms of ik (‘k), hij (ie) and het (‘t) but these are not written in the standard language. You will see them in informal writing, however (such as on internet forums or sometimes in film subtitles.)
Direct and indirect object pronouns are the same in Dutch, except for “them.” Hen is used if it is a direct object, and hun is used if it is an indirect object. Generally, indirect objects are preceded by “to” or “from” in English, and direct objects are not preceded by any prepositions. Additionally, these object pronouns are used after prepositions.
An alternative way of showing possession without using the possessive pronouns is to use van + object pronoun. In fact, this is the only way to show possession with the jullie form, as there is no possessive pronoun for it. This construction corresponds to “of + object” and occurs often in sentences with the verb “to be.” Is deze pen van jou? Is this your pen? Die schoenen zijn niet van mij. Those shoes are not mine.
If the noun is not present in the clause, then die or dat + van + object pronoun is used. Mijn huis is klein; dat van hem is erg groot. My house is small; his is very large.
Dutch Verbs To Be & to Have – Zijn and HebbenPresent tense of zijn – to be (zayn)
I am ik ben ik ben we are wij zijn vay zayn you are jij / u bent yay / ew bent you are jullie zijn yew-lee zayn he, she, it is hij, zij, het is hay, zay, ut is they are zij zijn zay zayn Present tense of hebben – to have (heh-buhn)
I have ik heb ik hep we have wij hebben vay heh-buhn you have jij / u hebt yay / ew hept you have jullie hebben yew-lee heh-buhn he, she, it is hij, zij, het heeft hay, zay, ut hayft they have zij hebben zay heh-buhn U heeft rather than u hebt is also possible.
Past tense of zijn – to be (zayn)
I was ik was ik vas we were wij waren vay vah-ruhn you were jij / u was yay / ew vas you were jullie waren yew-lee vah-ruhn he, she, it was hij, zij, het was hay, zay, ut vas they were zij waren zay vah-ruhn Past tense of hebben – to have (heh-buhn)
I had ik had ik haht we had wij hadden vay hah-duhn you had jij / u had yay / ew haht you had jullie hadden yew-lee hah-duhn he, she, it had hij, zij, het had hay, zay, ut haht they had zij hadden zay hah-duhn You must use the subject pronouns; however, I will leave them out of future conjugations since most verbs only have two forms for each conjugation.
Expressions with zijn and hebben: Het/dat is jammer – It’s/that’s a pity jarig zijn – to have a birthday kwijt zijn – to have lost op het punt staan – to be about to van plan zijn – to intend voor elkaar zijn – to be in order honger / dorst hebben – to be hungry / thirsty gelijk hebben – to be right haast hebben – to be in a hurry het hebben over – to talk about het druk hebben – to be busy het koud hebben / warm – to be cold / warm last hebben van – to be bothered by nodig hebben – to need slaap hebben – to be sleepy zin hebben in – to feel likeDutch Useful Words
sometimes soms always altijd never nooit often vaak, dikwijls usually gewoonlijk now nu and en but maar or of very zeer, heel here hier there daar also ook much veel another een ander already al perhaps misschien Dutch Question Words
who wie where waar what wat where to waar… naartoe why waarom where from waar… vandaan when wanneer which welk / welke how hoe Isn’t it?, etc. niet waar? Dutch Numbers
0 nul 1 een 1st eerste 2 twee 2nd tweede 3 drie 3rd drede 4 vier 4th vierde 5 vijf 5th vijfde 6 zes 6th zesde 7 zeven 7th zevende 8 acht 8th achtste 9 negen 9th negende 10 tien 10th tiende 11 elf 11th elfde 12 twaalf 12th twaalfde 13 dertien 13th dertiende 14 veertien 14th veertiende 15 vijftien 15th vijftiende 16 zestien 16th zestiende 17 zeventien 17th zeventiende 18 achttien 18th achttiende 19 negentien 19th negentiende 20 twintig 20th twintigste 21 eenentwintig 21st eenentwintigste 22 tweeëntwintig 22nd tweeëntwintigste 23 drieëntwintig 23rd drieentwintigste 30 dertig 30th dertigste 40 veertig 40th veertigste 50 vijftig 50th vijftigste 60 zestig 60th zestigste 70 zeventig 70th zeventigste 80 tachtig 80th tachtigste 90 negentig 90th negentigste 100 honderd 100th honderdste 101 honderd en een 101st honderd en eerste 110 honderd tien 110th honderd tiende 200 tweehonderd 200th tweehonderdste 1,000 duizend 1,000th duizendste 1,001 duizend en een 1,001st duizend en eerste million een miljoen millionth miljoenste billion een miljard billionth miljardste In the word for twenty-two, the ë is necessary because there are three of the same vowels in a row, and the accent mark shows that the third one needs to be pronounced separately. The use of commas and decimals is reversed in Dutch.
de helft half een keer once een derde one third twee keer twice een kwart one quarter drie keer three time Dutch Days of the Week
Monday maandag Tuesday dinsdag Wednesday woensdag Thursday donderdag Friday vrijdag Saturday zaterdag Sunday zondag day dag morning ochtend afternoon middag evening avond night nacht today vandaag tomorrow morgen tonight deze nacht yesterday gisteren last night (de) afgelopen nacht day after tomorrow overmorgen day before yesterday eergisteren week week last week afgelopen week weekend weekend daily dagelijks weekly wekelijks Dutch Months of the Year
January januari February februari March maart April april May mei June juni July juli August augustus September september October oktober November november December december month maand year jaar last year het afgelopen jaar monthly maandelijks yearly jaarlijks Dutch Seasons and Directions
Winter de winter Spring de lente / het voorjaar Summer de zomer Autumn de herfst / het najaar
Compass/Wind Location/Movement North noord noorden right rechts South zuid zuiden left links East oost oosten straight rechtdoor West west westen Dutch Colors and Shapes
orange oranje square vierkant pink roze circle cirkel purple paars triangle driehoek blue blauw rectangle rechthoek yellow geel oval ovaal red rood box vak black zwart sphere bol brown bruin cube kubus gray grijs pyramid piramide white wit cone kegel green groen cylinder cilinder silver zilver heart hart gold goud star ster beige beige diamond diamant light licht crescent halvemaan dark donker Licht and donker are added to the colors to mean light and dark: lichtbruin – light brown.
Telling Time in Dutch
What time is it? Hoe laat is het? It’s 1:00 Het is een uur. 2:00 Het is twee uur. 3:30 Het is half vier. 5:45 Het is kwart voor zes. 7:03 Het is drie (minuten) over zeven. at 9:30 om half tien noon twaalf uur ‘s middags midnight twaalf uur ‘s nachts / middernacht In the morning ‘s ochtends During the day ‘s middags In the evening ‘s avonds At night ‘s nachts Minuten can be omitted, just as in English.
How to talk about the weather in Dutch
ow’s the weather today? Wat voor weer is het vandaag? It’s cold Het is koud beautiful Het is mooi hot Het is heet clear Het is helder icy Het is ijzig warm Het is warm windy Het is windig cloudy Het is bewolkt hazy Het is mistig muggy Het is drukkend / benauwd humid Het is vochtig foggy Het is mistig It’s snowing Het sneeuwt It’s raining Het regent It’s freezing Het vriest Dutch Family and Pets Vocabulary
In the vocabulary lists, (n) after the noun means that the gender is neuter and the definite article is het (rather than de.)
family familie sister-in-law schoonzuster parents ouders brother-in-law zwager mother moeder / mamma godmother meter father vader / papa godfather peetvader child / children kind / kinderen boy jongen son zoon girl meisje (n) daughter dochter child kind brother broeder / broer man, husband man Sister zuster / zus woman, wife vrouw grandparents grootouder friend (m) vriend grandfather grootvader / opa friend (f) vriendin grandmother grootmoeder / oma adult volwassene grandchildren kleinkinderen relative bloedverwant grandson kleinzoon siblings broers en zusters granddaughter kleindochter twin tweeling niece / cousin (f) nicht birth geboorte nephew / cousin (m) neef death dood uncle oom marriage huwelijk (n) aunt tante divorce echtscheiding stepmother stiefmoeder stepfather stiefvader dog hond stepdaughter stiefdochter cat poes stepson stiefzoon bird vogel stepsister stiefzuster goldfish goudvis stepbrother stiefbroeder gerbil woestijnrat mother-in-law schoonmoeder hamster hamster father-in-law schoonvader ferret fret daughter-in-law schoondochter horse paard son-in-law schoonzoon pony pony Dutch Verbs Know – Kennen and Weten
kennen – to know people singular plural Present: know(s) ken ken kennen ken-nuh Past: knew kende ken-duh kenden ken-duh
weten – to know facts singular plural Present: know(s) weet vayt weten vay-tuh Past: knew wist vist wisten vist-uh How to form plural nouns in Dutch
Most plural nouns are formed by adding either -en or -s. Remember that the definite article is always de before plural nouns.
1. -en (the n is pronounced softly) is added to most nouns, with a few spelling changes
boek – boeken book(s) jas – jassen coat(s) haar – haren hair(s) huis – huizen house(s)
Spelling changes: Words with long vowels (aa, ee, oo, and uu) drop the one vowel when another syllable is added. Words with the short vowels (a, e, i, o and u) double the following consonant to keep the vowels short. The letters f and s occur at the end of words or before consonants, while the letters v and z occur in the middle of words before vowels. (These spelling rules are also used for conjugating verbs, so it’s best to memorize them as soon as possible.)
2. -s is added to nouns ending in the unstressed syllables -el, -em, -en, and -er (and -aar(d), -erd, -ier when referring to people), foreign words and to most nouns ending in an unstressed vowel
tafel – tafels table(s) jongen – jongens boy(s) tante – tantes aunt(s) bakker – bakkers baker(s)
Nouns ending in the vowels -a, -o, and -u add an apostrophe before the s: foto’s, paraplu’s
Irregular forms
3. Some nouns containing a short vowel do not double the following consonant in the plural before -en. The plural vowel is then pronounced as long.
bad – baden bath(s) dag – dagen day(s) spel – spelen game(s) (like the Olympics, smaller games are spellen) glas – glazen glass(es) weg – wegen road(s)
4. A few neuter nouns take the ending -eren (or -deren if the noun ends in -n)
blad – bladeren leaf (leaves) kind – kinderen child(ren) ei – eieren egg(s) been – beenderen bone(s) [Note: been – benen leg(s)] lied – liederen song(s) volk – volkeren nation(s), people
5. Nouns ending in -heid have a plural in -heden.
mogelijkheid – mogelijkheden possibility (possibilities)
6. Some other common irregular plurals are:
stad – steden town(s) schip – schepen ship(s) lid – leden member(s) koe – koeien cow(s)
Dutch Possessives: Adjectives and Pronouns
Singular Plural mijn (m’n) my ons / onze our jouw (je) your (informal) jullie (je) your (informal) uw your (formal) uw your (formal) zijn (z’n) his hun their haar her zijn (z’n) its Ons is used before singular neuter/het nouns, and onze is used elsewhere (before singular common/de nouns, and all plural nouns.) Je, the unstressed form of jouw, is commonly used in spoken and written Dutch, unless the speaker/writer wants to stress the pronoun. In the plural,jullie is the norm, unless jullie has already been used in the sentence, then je is used to avoid the redundancy. The other unstressed forms are not commonly written in the standard language, but are commonly spoken and written in informal communication.
Like in English, Dutch possessive adjectives are used in front of a noun to show possession: mijn boek (my book). There are a few ways to express the -‘s used in English too. -s can be added to proper names and members of the family: Jans boek (John’s book) The preposition vancan be used to mean of: het boek van Jan (the book of John = John’s book) And in more colloquial speech, the unstressed forms in parentheses above (agreeing in gender and number) can be used in place of the -s: Jan z’n boek (John’s book)
To form the possessive pronouns, add -e to the stressed forms (except for jullie) and use the correct article. The only way to show possession with jullie is to use van jou (literally meaning “of you”), although all the others can be used with van too.
de/het mijne, jouwe, uwe, zijne, hare, onze, hunne (mine, yours, yours, his/its, hers, ours, theirs)
Dutch Course 1 Dutch Video Course 2 Dutch Complete 3 Learn Dutch Dutch Essentials
