Learn basic Dutch phrases every beginner should know
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| Alstublieft. |
| langzaam |
| Graag gedaan. |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you'll learn basic Dutch greetings that all beginners must know. |
| Before we start, did you know the Dutch have a 'hidden' way of saying "please" that they use more often than the actual word for "please"? Can you guess what that word is? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| Ja. |
| "yes" |
| [SLOW] Ja. |
| Ja. |
| Instead of the usual ja, the Dutch also often use the English word yes. |
| Tom helps Oscar at an electronics store. |
| Oscar: Vind je dit merk goed? |
| Tom: Ja, ik vind het een goed merk. |
| Nee. |
| "no" |
| [SLOW] Nee. |
| Nee. |
| Even though we often use the English word yes instead of ja, we almost never use the word no instead of nei. |
| Jack mistakes Steve for a student. |
| Jack: Ben je een student hier? |
| Steve: Nee, ik ben gewoon op bezoek. |
| nog een keer |
| "one more time" |
| [SLOW] nog een keer |
| nog een keer |
| An alternative for nog een keer with the same meaning is norgens. |
| Lina asks Anne for clarification. |
| Lina: Sorry, ik heb het niet verstaan. Nog een keer, alsjeblieft. |
| Anne: Ja hoor. |
| langzaam |
| "slowly" |
| [SLOW] langzaam |
| langzaam |
| This word is also handy to know in traffic. |
| If there is road construction somewhere, the signs will say langzaam to indicate that you should drive slowly. |
| Susan needs clarification when asking Richard for directions. |
| Susan: Sorry. Langzaam alstublieft. |
| Richard: Neem de eerste straat links en dan rechts. |
| Pardon. |
| "Excuse me." |
| [SLOW] Pardon. |
| Pardon. |
| Pardon is one example of the many words in Dutch that originate from the French language. |
| Jack expresses interest in an item at a store. |
| Jack: Pardon, hoeveel kost dit? |
| Tom: Het kost 20 euro. Wil je het kopen? |
| Het spijt me. |
| "I'm sorry." |
| [SLOW] Het spijt me. |
| Het spijt me. |
| Het spijt me sounds a bit formal, and so in Dutch we also use sorry. |
| Steve apologizes to Oscar for a misunderstanding. |
| Steve: Het spijt me. Het was een vergissing van mij. |
| Oscar: Het geeft niet. Geen probleem. |
| Dank je wel. |
| "Thank you." |
| [SLOW] Dank je wel. |
| Dank je wel. |
| Instead of dank je wel, you can also say bedanken. |
| Susan thanks Lina for a party invite. |
| Susan: Dank je wel voor de uitnodiging. |
| Lina: Graag gedaan! Ik ben blij dat je kon komen. |
| Graag gedaan. |
| "You are welcome." |
| [SLOW] Graag gedaan. |
| Graag gedaan. |
| Graag gedaan contains some of the trickiest pronunciations in the Dutch language. |
| So if you can say that, you can say anything! |
| Colette provides legal advice to Steve. |
| Steve: Dank u wel voor uw hulp! |
| Colette: Graag gedaan. Ik ben blij dat ik kon helpen. |
| Alstublieft. |
| "Please." |
| [SLOW] Alstublieft. |
| Alstublieft. |
| The informal version of alstublieft is als je blieft. |
| Jack asks Anne for a drink. |
| Jack: Een glas water, alstublieft. |
| Anne: Kijk eens aan, een glas water. |
| Let's review. |
| You'll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in Dutch. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say "yes"? |
| Ja. |
| Ja. |
| And how to say "no"? |
| Nee. |
| Nee. |
| How about "one more time"? |
| nog een keer |
| nog een keer |
| Do you remember how to say "slowly"? |
| langzaam |
| langzaam |
| And how to say "Excuse me."? |
| Pardon. |
| Pardon. |
| What about "I'm sorry."? |
| Het spijt me. |
| Het spijt me. |
| Do you remember how to say "Thank you."? |
| Dank je wel. |
| Dank je wel. |
| Let's try "You are welcome."! |
| Graag gedaan. |
| Graag gedaan. |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "Please."? |
| Alstublieft. |
| Alstublieft. |
| Did you know the Dutch have a 'hidden' way of saying "please" that they use more often than the actual word for "please"? Can you guess what that word is? |
| In Dutch, people often say "even," which translates to "for a moment." It's a handy word that adds a touch of politeness to requests without using "alsjeblieft." |
| For example, instead of "Kun je me alsjeblieft bellen?" which means "Can you call me, please?", you might hear, "Kun je me even bellen?" — a simpler, more casual request. |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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