Wherever you go in the world, the people you meet always greatly appreciate it if you've done some homework and learned a little of the local lingo. Even if you know only the very basics, you'll be greeted with bigger smiles and doors are sure to open with greater ease. Here's some essential Dutch to make your stay even more fun!
Civilities
| Hello | Hallo |
| Goodbye | Tot ziens |
| Good morning | Goedemorgen |
| Good afternoon | Goedemiddag |
| Good evening | Goedenavond |
| How are you? | Hoe gaat het met u? |
| I'm fine, thank you. | Prima, dank u. |
| Please | Alstublieft |
| Here you go [as in when giving something to someone] | Alstublieft |
| Thank you | Dank u wel |
| Excuse me | Pardon |
| Sorry | Mijn excuses (or simply 'Sorry') |
| Yes/No | Ja/Nee |
| I don't understand | Ik begrijp het niet |
| Do you speak English/German? | Spreekt u Engels/Duits? |
Food & Drink
| ..., please. | ..., alstublieft |
| A cup of coffee | Een kopje koffie |
| Two beers | Twee bier |
| Three chips with mayonaise | Drie patat met mayo |
| Four glasses of dry white wine | Vier glazen droge witte wijn |
| Five ice creams | Vijf ijsjes |
| I'm a vegetarian. | Ik ben vegetariër. |
| Cheers! | Proost! |
| A table for two | Een tafel voor twee |
| Where is the toilet? | Waar is het toilet? |
| Do you serve children's portions? | Serveert u kinderporties? |
| That was delicious! | Het was heerlijk! |
| The bill, please. | De rekening, alstubieft. |
| Do you accept credit cards? | Accepteert u creditcards? |
Shopping
| I'd like to buy a ... | Ik wil graag een ... kopen. |
| I'm just looking. | Ik kijk alleen even rond. |
| How much is it? | Hoeveel kost het? |
| It's too expensive. | Het is te duur. |
| Can you lower the price? | Kunt u iets aan de prijs doen? [However, as the whole world knows, the Dutch drive a hard bargain, so I wish you luck!] |
Emergencies
| Help! | Help! |
| Call a doctor! | Roep een dokter! |
| Call the police! | Bel de politie! |
| I'm sick. | Ik ben ziek. |
| I'm lost. | Ik ben verdwaald. |
Time & Numbers
| What time is it? | Hoe laat is het? |
| It's (six) o'clock. | Het is (zes) uur. |
| Half past (seven). | Half (acht). [!!!] |
| Yesterday | Gisteren |
| Tomorrow | Morgen |
| One | Eén |
| Two | Twee |
| Three | Drie |
| Four | Vier |
| Five | Vijf |
| Six | Zes |
| Seven | Zeven |
| Eight | Acht |
| Nine | Negen |
| Ten | Tien |
| Eleven | Elf |
| Twelve | Twaalf [not a single Dutch word rhymes with 'twaalf'!] |
| Thirteen | Dertien |
| Fourteen | Veertien |
| Fifteen, sixteen... | Vijftien, zestien... |
| Twenty | Twintig |
| Twenty-one, twenty-two... | Eénentwintig, tweeentwintig [Literally one-and-twenty, two-and-twenty...] |
| Thirty | Dertig |
| Forty | Veertig |
| Fifty | Vijftig |
| Sixty | Zestig |
| Seventy | Zeventig |
| Eighty | Tachtig |
| Ninety | Negentig |
| One hundred, two hundred | Honderd, tweehonderd... |
| One hundred and one, one hundred and two... | Honderdéén, honderdtwee... |
| One thousand | Duizend |
| One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two | Duizend achthonderdtweeënzeventig |
| Fifteen hundred | Vijftienhonderd |
| One million | Eén miljoen |
| One billion | Eén miljard |
Getting Around
| Where is ...? | Waar is ...? |
| What's the address? | Wat is het adres? |
| Can you show me ... (on the map)? | Kunt u mij dat (op de kaart) laten zien? |
| When does the next bus (to ...) leave? | Wanneer vertrekt de volgende bus (naar ...)? |
| Train | Trein |
| I want to go to .... | Ik wil naar .... |
| Does it stop at ...? | Stop hij in ...? |
