Dutch words and phrases

If you are traveling to Amsterdam, you should do well with a decent knowledge of English as most of the city's residents speak and understand English well. The Dutch study German and French at school so it's worth a try if you speak either of those languages.

It is often thought that German and Dutch are closely related, much like Swedish and Norwegian are. However, this is not true, Dutch and German are related in the same way that French and Italian are to each other.

It is best to try English first, then German or French. Most people in service speak English because in Amsterdam there are so many tourists. The ultimate is of course if you already know Dutch.

Words and phrases in Dutch

Although most people in Amsterdam speak English very well, it might be a good idea to learn some important phrases in Dutch. Thanking for the food and asking what time it is can be good to know, regardless of where in the world you are going.

If you want to greet someone, you say hello or hoi [Hoj], which both mean hello.

Good to know:

• Goodbye - Day [daach]
• See you later - Tot ziens
• Thank you - Bedankt
• How about you - Hoe gaat het?
• It's nice to meet you - Leuk je te mitteiten
• Please - Please
• Sorry - Pardon
• Closed - Closed
• Where is the restroom? - Waar is het toilet?

Time:

• Now - Now
• Later - Later (laater)
• Before - Voor (for)
• Evening - Evening
• Night - Night

Dishes:

• Pork - Varkensvlees
• Beef - Rundsvlees
• Breakfast - Ontbijt
• Cheese - Kaas
• Juice - Sap

Just fun:

• Customer - Customer

If things go wrong:

• Am I under arrest? - Ben ik gearresteerd?

Swedish-Dutch dictionaries are available for purchase at the Swedish embassy if you did not bring anything from home. On wikitravel.org there is a "phrase book" online.