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Dutch: Useful Words and Phrases for Travelers

Good morning Goedemorgen Good afternoon Goedemiddag Good evening Goedenavond Mr. and Sir Meneer Mrs. and Ma'am Mevrouw Miss Juffrouw (old-fashioned) Mr. van Dijk Meneer van Dijk Mrs. Jansen Mevrouw Jansen Miss de Jong Juffrouw de Jong hi, hello hallo My name is ... Ik heet ... My name is ... Mijn naam is ... Hi - I am Marco Hallo, ik ben Marco Hi - my name is Marco Hallo, ik heet Marco My name is Daniel Mijn naam is Daniël I'm from ... Ik kom uit ... >> NEW: 'Dutch' First Names How are you? (polite) Hoe maakt U het? How are you? (informal) Hoe gaat 't? Hoe is 't ermee? Please Alstublieft Thank you (polite) Dank U wel Thank you (informal) Dank je wel Bedankt! You're welcome, My pleasure Graag gedaan No Problem, Don't mention it ('Minimal effort') Kleine moeite Just a moment, please Een momentje, alstublieft Bless you! (Gesundheit!) (what you say when somebody sneezes) Gezondheid! Best wishes Het beste ermee Have fun Veel plezier See you Tot ziens Have a nice day Een prettige dag nog Have a nice weekend Prettig weekend Bon Appetit (Enjoy your meal) Eet smakelijk Have a safe & pleasant trip Goede reis Sleep well, Happy dreams Welterusten I'm sorry Het spijt me - 2 Wishing you a speedy recovery Beterschap question vraag answer antwoord yes ja no nee maybe, perhaps misschien I can't hear what you're saying Ik kan U niet goed verstaan I don't understand what you're saying Ik begrijp niet wat U zegt Could you please say that again? Kunt U dat nog eens zeggen? Would you mind repeating that? Zou U dat nog eens willen zeggen? - 2 In Dutch, we don't say something like '"How are you?" to about everyone we meet, like in America. Just say it to people you already know. Next to Heel goed, dank je 2, other possible answers to "How are you?" are: goed 2 ('good') - redelijk ('reasonably, relatively well') - niet zo goed ('not so good') - belabberd 2 ('pretty bad.') Tot ziens is a the best all-purpose 'goodbye' and 'see you,' but it is a bit formal. With a more specific meaning you could say tot zo 2 ('see you in a moment') - tot straks 2 ('see you later') - tot vanmiddag ('see you this afternoon') - tot vanavond ('see you this evening') or tot maandag ('see you Monday.') For 'goodbye' I can only think of the somewhat informal dag - which is often stretched out to da-ag - or even into a long goodbye dag - da-ag - dag hoor - nou, dag hoor 2. You may hear people say doei or doe-ie but I think it's a bit intimate. Originally from Groningen, but now a generally popular 'goodbye' is hoi or even moi . When I was a teenager, we said things like aju (from French 'adieu') - tabé (from Malay) or de mazzel! (from Hebrew 'mazzal,' luck) but those things went out of fashion. I often say sterkte like 'good luck' with a goodbye. Literally it means [wishing you] 'strength.' Alstublieft is the magic word 'please,' but it's also said when you hand someone something, like 'here you are,' and sometimes it's said in reply to a 'thank you,' in the sense of 'you're welcome, my pleasure.' I have the impression it's uncommon in England and America to say something like "Enjoy your meal" to the other diners at the table, it's the waiter or waitress who says that; but in Holland, to say Eet smakelijk to your fellow diners is very common. goedemorgen goedemiddag goedenavond hear good morning good afternoon good evening goejemorgen môge hear D/J shift mawning tot ziens tot gauw hear (see you) (see you soon) pardon neemt u mij niet kwalijk hear excuse me excuse me (formal) ja nee misschien ben je daar zeker van? natuurlijk! hear yes no maybe are you sure? (of it) of course! alstublieft alsjeblieft dank U wel dank je wel hear please (polite) - also: here you are please (informal) - also: here you are thank you (polite) thank you (informal) dank U wel dank je wel bedankt hear thank you (formal) thank you (informal) thanks (casual) alstublieft alsjeblieft graag heel graag hear - take 2 please - also: here you are please - also: here you are please yes, please! I use 'alstublieft/alsjeblieft' when asking for something; and I say 'graag' in a positive answer to a question: "Twee koffie astublieft." ("Two cups of coffee please.") "Wil je een kopje thee?" - "Heel Graag." ("Would you like a cup of tea?" - "Yes, please.") 'Alstublieft/alsjeblieft' is also said when handing someone something, like "Here you are." ja, graag nee, dank U hear yes, please no, thank you graag gedaan kleine moeite doe geen moeite hear you're welcome, my pleasure (lit. happy to do it) don't mention it (lit. small effort) don't bother (lit. make no effort) hoe maakt U het? hoe gaat 't? hear belabberd hear - 2 how are you?(very formal) how are you?(informal) pretty bad prima uitstekend heel goed goed gaat wel niet zo goed slecht hear couldn't be better excellent very good OK so-so could be better bad meneer (mijnheer) mevrouw juffrouw hear Mr. and Sir Mrs. and Ma'am Miss hallo tot ziens goede reis 't beste d'r mee hear hello see you have a nice trip all the best hartelijk gefeliciteerd veel plezier een prettige dag nog hear congratulations! ('from the heart') have fun! have a nice day! welterusten gezondheid! beterschap! hear - 2 happy dreams bless you! (sneeze) get well! ho! langzaam aan! schiet op! hear - 2 stop! slow down! hurry up! eet smakelijk! proost! op je gezondheid! hear have a nice meal! a toast to your health! >>1 >>2 koffie thee melk slagroom suiker koffie verkeerd hear coffee tea milk whipped cream sugar café au lait brood broodje kaas broodje ham friet pannekoek haring hear bread cheese sandwich ham sandwich French fries pancake herring weiland sloot gracht dijk windmolen hear (meadow) (ditch) (city canal) (dike) (windmill) stad dorp gehucht platteland hear (city, town) (village) (hamlet) (countryside) bos hei polder rivier hear (forest) (heath, moor) (reclaimed land) (river) zee strand duinen meer hear (sea) (beach) (dunes) (lake) water zand golf branding zon hear (water) (sand) (wave) (surf) (sun) fiets trein tram (Engl.) bus auto vliegtuig hear (bicycle) (train) (streetcar) (bus) (car) (airplane) reis vertrek aankomst hear (trip) (departure) (arrival) eten drinken praten hear (to eat) more (to drink) (to talk, to chat) winkelen wandelen fietsen hear (to shop) more (to go for a walk) more (to ride a bicycle) more slaapkamer bed kussen lakens deken dekbed hear (bedroom) (bed) (pillow) (sheets) (blanket) (comforter) >> badkamer W.C. bad douche (Fra.) handdoek hear (bathroom) (toilet) (bath) (shower) (towel) >> zeep shampoo (~Engl.) wasmiddel was hear (soap) (shampoo) (detergent) (laundry) >> Not every Dutch bathroom has a toilet.

Speaking Dutch Food - Numbers, Time and Days Family & Relatives - Birthday NEW: Family Tree Conversation Subjects NEW: Medical Picture Pages Dutch Meals NEWLY REVISED: Learning Dutch? Suggested Method / Strict Lessons Program Personal Pronouns - Verbs Spelling and Pronunciation Word Order (Sentences) On Pronouncing Dutch Vowel Sounds Compared - Consonants Review Problems in Dutch Spelling and Pronunciation Exercises: Pronunciation - Listening A House of Dutch - come on in! Weights and Measures Compared - slow connections version You might also be interested in hearing: Names of Cities, Provinces etc. (with maps) Poems and a Song - Readings from My Short Stories The Lord's Prayer 'Our Father' - Bible texts and Words of Religion Vermeer's World - Rembrandt Old New York - Sailors and Ships of the 17th Century A Mixed Bag of Dutch Names and Words Names and 'Old' Spelling (with Samples) English, Dutch and German Words from a Common Root Hebrew Words in Dutch - The Diary of Anne Frank NEW: Dutch Names from Books NEW: Maps and Names from Operation Market Garden ('The Bridge too Far')

een flesje water

een kopje thee

een kopje koffie

een beker melk

een glas sinaasappelsap - 2

suiker

slagroom - 2

slagroom op de koffie - 2

Useful Phrases

What's your name?

polite: Wat is Uw naam? - hear - 2

informal: Hoe heet je? - hear

What's going on?

Wat is er aan de hand? - hear

I think ... (In my view ..., "According to me ...")

Volgens mij ... - hear

Where is the bathroom?

Waar is de WC? - hear

Often, a sign on that door will say 'Heren' (or old-fashioned 'Heeren') ('Gents') or 'Dames' ('Ladies')

I have a cold.

Ik ben verkouden. - hear

There's always something. (Things never go entirely right.)

't Blijft tobben. - hear

That's good news.

Dat is goed nieuws. - hear

I'm happy to hear that.

Ik ben blij dat te horen. - hear

It cannot be helped [There's nothing to be done about it.]

Er is niks aan te doen. - hear

It doesn't matter.

't Geeft niet. - hear

That takes the cake/biscuit. (Expression of amazement)

Nou breekt m'n klomp. - hear
(Literally: Now that makes my wooden shoe fall apart.)

The best horsemen have their feet on the ground.

De beste stuurlui staan aan wal. - hear (Lit.: The best ship officers are on shore, i.e. it's easy to criticize from a distance, when you're not involved.)

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Prettige Kerstdagen en Een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! - hear - 2

Happy Holidays!

Prettige Feestdagen! - hear - 2

Happy New Year!

Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! - hear - 2 - 3 - New Year's Resolutions

Blessed Easter / Happy Easter!

Zalig Pasen (said by Roman Catholics) / Prettige Paasdagen - hear

Happy birthday! (informal)

Hartelijk gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag! - hear - more Birthday

'gezellig' - pleasant, nice, enjoyable, gregarious, cosy (there is no exact English equivalent for this word.)

gezellig - hear - 2 - 3
A person can be gezellig: een gezellige man - a gregarious guy;
a space can be gezellig: een gezellige kamer - a cosy room;
time spent together can be gezellig: een gezellige avond - an enjoyable evening,
or: een gezellig etentje - an enjoyable dinner party;
also used as an adverb: Gezellig dat je meedoet - It's so nice that you're joining us.

What's the price (for this)?

Hoe duur is dit? (How expensive is this?) - hear
- or: Hoeveel kost dit? (How much does this cost?) - hear
- you could also say: Wat is de prijs? (What's the price?) - hear
(A Dutchman would not often say it like that, but you will be prefectly understood.)

Who's next? (Whose turn is it?)

Wie is er aan de beurt? - hear

What would you like to drink?

Wat wil je drinken? - hear - 2

Would you like something to eat?

Wil je wat eten? - hear

Did you enjoy your meal?

Heb je lekker gegeten? - hear

As a foreigner trying to speak Dutch you'll meet with surprise or incredulity. Why would anyone want to learn Dutch? Dutchmen would rather practice their English with you.

I'm trying to learn Dutch.

Ik probeer Nederlands te leren. - hear

Could you please speak Dutch (to me)?

polite: Zou U alstublieft Nederlands willen spreken? - hear

informal: Zou je alsjeblieft Nederlands willen spreken? - hear

To like, love (or not): - houden van - hear - more
Ik houd van ... - hear - I like, I love .... (fill in any subject)
Now many people in Holland (myself included) usually leave out the D when saying 'ik houd' - feel free to do that too.

The definite article ('the') in Dutch is either 'de' (for 'male' and 'female' words, and for all plurals) or 'het' (for singular, 'neutral' words.) 'Het' is sometimes shortened to "'t." Dimunitives (ending in '-je') are always 'neutral,' but otherwise you'll just have to memorize which are the 'de'- and 'het'-words.
The indefinite article ('a') in Dutch is "een," in writing sometimes shortenened to "'n." For emphasis 'één' (one) is used.

Food - Numbers, Time and Days - The Dutch Family & Relatives

Words and Pictures: Colors and Materials - Bicycling - Chess - Animals - NEW: Tools

Verbs - Personal Pronouns - NEW: Word Order (Sentences)

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Don't be a dief (thief) - dievegge (female thief) - diefstal (theft) - stelen (to steal) - heler (dealer in stolen goods) - hear Dutch - 2