Dutch is one of the easiest languages to learn especially native-English speakers; besides sentence structure, many words are similar to English. 90% of the Netherlands’ population speaks English at a fluent level, which makes practicing the language a bit difficult when you want to put your new language skills into practice.
Then there are words in Dutch which cannot be directly translated into English, most famously “Gezellig” like “Hygge” in Danish, is that warm cosy/fun/comfortable feeling/atmosphere you may feel when spending time with your friends/family or doing activities.
There are so many excellent schools where you can learn Dutch, also there are groups on Facebook in your city/town where you can meet others wanting to practice your new language, Apps and YouTube videos which you can follow and so on. For now, here are some daily sentences and words which you can already put in practice.
Everyday greetings/manners words
| Hello | Hallo |
| Goede…
morgen middag avond |
Good…
Morning Afternoon Evening |
|
Good-bye |
Doei
Dag Tot ziens |
| Thank you | Dank u
Dank u wel (frm) Bedankt Dank je wel (inf) |
| Please | Alstublieft (frm)
Alsjeblieft (inf) Use either as a way to reply to “thank you” |
| Excuse me | Excuseert u mij |
| Sorry | Het spijt me
Pardon Sorry |
| Have a nice day | Nog een pretigge dag
Een goede dag verder |
Useful Questions
| Do you speak English? | Spreekt u Engels? |
| Where are the toilets? | Kunt u mij helpen? |
| Could you please help me? | Waar is het toilet? |
| Where can I find… | Waar kan ik de … vinden? |
| Could you talk a bit slower? | Kunt u wat langzamer praten? |
| Could you repeat that please? | Kunt u herhalen? |
Food words
You can find the big list of delicious Dutch delicacies here. Here are more common foods/drinks translated.
| Eten & drinken | Food & drink |
| Groente | Vegetables |
| Fruit | Fruit |
| Brood | Bread |
| Kaas | Cheese |
| Melk | Milk |
| Koffie | Coffee |
| Thee | Tea |
| Bier | Beer |
| Wijn | Wine |
| Vlees | Meat |
| Snoep | Sweets |
Weather words
|
Het weer |
The weather |
|
Het weerbericht |
Weather forecast |
| Lekker/Mooi weer | Nice weather |
| Temperatuur | Temperature |
| Thermometer | Themometer |
| Graden | Degrees |
| Zon
Zonneschijn |
Sun
Sunshine |
| Slecht weer | Bad weather |
| Regen | Rain |
| Sneeuw | Snow |
| Hagel | Hail |
| Wind | Wind |
| Wolk | Cloud |
| Donder | Thunder |
| Bliksem | Lightning |
Days of the week
| Monday | Maandag |
| Tuesday | Dinsdag |
| Wednesday | Woensdag |
| Thursday | Donderdag |
| Friday | Vrijdag |
| Saturday | Zaterdag |
| Sunday | Zondag |
Abroad Experience International Recruitment wishes you the best of luck in your settlement!
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