Handy Dutch phrases
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In Dutch there are two translations for the word ‘you’:
- jij/jou – an informal form (masculine and feminine respectively)
- u – the formal version.
You can pick which one you want to use.
Key Phrases
English Sentence: | Dutch Sentence: |
---|---|
Yes, please | Ja graag |
No, thank you | Nee, dank u/jij |
Sorry! | Sorry! |
You’re welcome | Graag gedaan |
I don’t understand (it/you/that) | Ik begrijp (het/u/jij/dat) niet |
Meeting people:
English Sentence: | Dutch Sentence: |
---|---|
Hello/goodbye | Hallo/dag |
How are you | Hoe gaat het |
Fine, thank you | Goed, dank u/jij |
See you later | Tot ziens |
Asking questions:
English Sentence: | Dutch Sentence: |
---|---|
Do you speak English? | Spreekt u/Spreek jij Engels? |
What’s your name? | Hoe heet u/jij? |
Where are you from? | Waar komt u/kom jij vandaan? |
How much is it? | Hoeveel is het? |
How far is it? | Hoe ver is het? |
Statements about yourself:
English Sentence: | Dutch Sentence: |
---|---|
My name is… | Ik heet … |
I’m English | Ik ben Engels |
I don’t speak English/Dutch | Ik spreek geen Engels/Nederlands |
I live in… | Ik woon in… |
Emergencies:
English Sentence: | Dutch Sentence: |
---|---|
Can you help me, please? | Kunt u/Kan jij mij alstublieft helpen? |
I’m lost | Ik ben de weg kwijt |
Call an ambulance! | Bel een ziekenauto! |
Watch out! | Kijk uit! |
Meeting and Greeting / Handy Dutch phrases
Goede morgen.
Good morning.
Goede avond.
Good afternoon.
Goede nacht.
Good night.
Spreekt u Engels?
Do you speak English?
Spreekt er iemand Engels hier?
Does anyone here speak English?
Ik spreek maar een klein beetje Nederlands.
I only speak a little Dutch.
Ik spreek niet erg goed Nederlands.
I’m not very good at Dutch.
Hoe gaat het?
How are you?
Goed, dank u.
I’m fine, thank you.
Heel leuk u te ontmoeten.
I’m very glad to meet you.
Ik heb al zoveel over u gehoord.
I’ve heard so much about you..
Het was leuk u te zien.
It was nice seeing you.
Het was leuk u te ontmoeten.
It was nice meeting you.
Ik versta het niet.
I don’t understand.
Ik begrijp het heel goed.
I understand perfectly.
Begrijpt u?
Do you understand?
Verstaat u mij?
Do you understand me?
Ik versta u als u langzaam praat.
I understand you if you speak slowly.
Dat is beter.
That’s better.
Wat zei u?
What did you say?
Een prettige dag.
Have a nice day.
pronunciation / Handy Dutch phrases
The pronunciation of some letters and letter combinations is very different to anything English uses. The explanation of some letters might sometimes be lacking, or slightly different to the actual Dutch pronunciation. In those cases there is no English equivalent of the phonetic sound.
The Letters
Letter | Name Pronunciation |
Pronunciation in a word |
---|---|---|
A | Aaah | usually as in cat |
B | bay | like English |
C | say | like English |
D | day | in the middle of a word like dog, at the end as a ‘t’ |
E | ay | a short ‘eh’ sound |
F | ef | like English |
G | (dutch g) -ay | The g in dutch is pronounced so that you make rougly the sound of clearing your throat, it is the same sound as the Scottish loch. |
H | haaah | like English |
I | eee | like English |
J | jay | like English |
K | kaah | like English |
L | el | like English |
M | em | like English |
N | en | like English |
O | oh | usually like the english word awe, but shorter |
P | pay | like English |
Q | koo | kw |
R | er | a rolling r |
S | es | like English |
T | tay | like English |
U | oe | like the e in her |
V | [dutch v]ay | bit between a ‘v’ and a ‘f’ |
W | [dutch w] vay | short ‘v’ |
X | ix | like English |
Y | ee-grec | like English |
IJ | laahnge ay | ai as in train, not quite but nothing is closer… |
Z | zed | like English |
Vowel combinations
Combination | Pronunciation |
---|---|
au | ow |
ai | like the English name for the letter ‘i’ |
aa | aaah |
eu | her |
ei | ai, as in train (see IJ from the letter list – this has the same sound) |
ee | ay |
ie | eee |
ou | ow |
oi | oi |
oe | oo, like in boot |
uu | oo, like in loo, but longer |
ui | oe, like in foe |
Consonant combinations
Combination | Pronunciation |
---|---|
ch | like a dutch g, sound of clearing your throat |
dt | t |
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