A1 · 38 words
Greetings and politeness in Dutch
The words every conversation begins and ends with.
Practise this list
From these 38 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
Much of this list looks familiar: goedemorgen, dank je, tot morgen. The real hurdle is how to address people. Dutch has a familiar and a polite “you”, je/jij and u, but u is used far less than the old-fashioned English “sir” and “madam” would suggest. In the Netherlands you use first names and je with colleagues, shop assistants and often the doctor; u is kept for much older people, offices and formal letters. In Flanders u is a little more common. If you are unsure, begin with u and wait until the other person says je. The second snag is “please”. Alsjeblieft and alstublieft are literally “if it pleases you” and work for asking and for handing something over — but not as the answer to “thank you”, where English says “you’re welcome” and Dutch says graag gedaan. And dag looks like “day” but is both hello and goodbye: Dag! can mean “Hi!” or “Bye!”.
The words
Verb (1)
hetento be calledVerbA1
Strong: heette – geheten. Dutch says “how are you called”, not “what is your name”.
Adjective (4)
primagreat, fineAdjectiveA1
welkomwelcomeAdjectiveA1
To greet guests: Van harte welkom!
aangenaampleased to meet youAdjectiveA1
When being introduced, often with a handshake. More casual: leuk je te ontmoeten.
gezelligcosy, convivial, niceAdjectiveA1
One of the most important Dutch words: anything pleasant in company. English has no single word for it. The g is rough both times.
Exclamation (12)
hallohelloExclamationA1
hoihi (casual)ExclamationA1
Between people on first-name terms. Just as casual: hé.
daghello; goodbye (at any time of day)ExclamationA1
Used both for hello and for goodbye. Said twice, dag dag, it sounds friendly as a goodbye.
goedemorgengood morningExclamationA1
Written as one word, like goedemiddag and goedenavond.
goedemiddaggood afternoon (from noon)ExclamationA1
From about noon until early evening.
goedenavondgood eveningExclamationA1
goedenachtgood nightExclamationA1
Said as a goodbye before going to bed; casually also welterusten.
welterustensleep well, good nightExclamationA1
Literally “well to rest”. Only in the evening, to people who are about to go to bed.
doeibyeExclamationA1
Casual, among friends and family; it rhymes with “phooey”. In Flanders more often salut or daag.
bedanktthanksExclamationA1
Fits both je and u. Really the participle of bedanken.
sorrysorryExclamationA1
Perfectly everyday, even to strangers — the same word as English.
pardonexcuse me; pardon?ExclamationA1
For squeezing past and when you did not catch something. Stressed on the second syllable.
Phrase (16)
tot ziensgoodbyePhraseA1
The polite goodbye in a shop, an office or on the phone.
tot strakssee you laterPhraseA1
When you will see each other again the same day.
tot zosee you in a minutePhraseA1
For the next few minutes; tot straks allows more time.
tot morgensee you tomorrowPhraseA1
hoe gaat het?how are you?PhraseA1
With met je or met u: “how are you”. Casually also alles goed?.
het gaat goedI am finePhraseA1
het gaat welso-so, not badPhraseA1
Watch out: wel does not mean “well” here; the reply is rather subdued.
dank je welthank you very much (informal)PhraseA1
Shorter: dank je. To u: dank u wel.
dank u welthank you very much (formal)PhraseA1
graag gedaanyou’re welcomePhraseA1
The answer to “thank you”. In Flanders you often hear alstublieft or geen dank instead.
alsjeblieftplease (informal); here you arePhraseA1
For asking and for handing something over: Alsjeblieft, je koffie. “Here you are, your coffee.” Short in writing: aub.
alstublieftplease (formal); here you arePhraseA1
The form for u. When you are served you often hear Alstublieft! as the item is handed over.
neem me niet kwalijkexcuse me, I beg your pardonPhraseA1
More polite than sorry; neemt u mij niet kwalijk is more formal still.
leuk je te ontmoetennice to meet youPhraseA1
To u: leuk u te ontmoeten.
waar kom je vandaan?where are you from?PhraseA1
Vandaan comes at the end. The answer uses uit: ik kom uit …
fijne daghave a nice dayPhraseA1
Likewise fijn weekend, fijne avond.
Particle (2)
jayesParticleA1
neenoParticleA1
Also written neen, especially in Flanders.
Noun (de) (3)
de naamnameNoun (de)A1
Plural namen. A first name is de voornaam, a surname de achternaam.
de meneerMr; sir (to a man)Noun (de)A1
As a form of address without an article; plural meneren. Formally written de heer.
de mevrouwMrs, Ms; madam (to a woman)Noun (de)A1
As a form of address without an article, for any adult woman. Plural mevrouwen.
Missing a word? Look it up in the dictionary
This list belongs to Greeting, talking, giving opinions — five lists and 191 words that can also be practised as a whole.