The Around the World phrasebook
Let's learn traveller's Dutch
Not the school kind — the airport, taxi and dinner-table kind. Every phrase with a say-it-out-loud pronunciation.
Nobody expects you to speak fluent Dutch. But ten words in the right places — and the market seller smiles, the driver drops the price, the waiter brings the good stuff. We've gathered 56 phrases that actually work, sorted by the moment you'll need them: the landing, the taxi, check-in, the table. Each with a pronunciation you can read aloud without cringing.
Phrasebook · 1/7
First words
| What you want to say | Dutch | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | Goedendag | KHU-den-DAG |
| Hello (informal) | Hallo | ha-LO |
| Goodbye | Tot ziens | TOT ZEENS |
| Thank you | Dank je | DANK yeh |
| Please | Alsjeblieft | ALS-yeh-BLEEFT |
| Yes | Ja | YA |
| No | Nee | NEE |
| Sorry | Sorry | SOR-ree |
| I don't understand | Ik begrijp het niet | IK be-KHRAYP het NEET |
| Do you speak English? | Spreekt u Engels? | SPREKT oo ENG-els? |
Phrasebook · 2/7
Courtesy & introductions
| What you want to say | Dutch | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Goedemorgen | KHU-deh-MOR-khen |
| Good evening | Goedenavond | KHU-deh-NAV-ont |
| How are you? | Hoe gaat het? | HU KHAT het? |
| My name is... | Mijn naam is... | MEYN NAM is... |
| Nice to meet you | Leuk je te ontmoeten | LOYK yeh teh ont-MU-ten |
| I am from Israel | Ik kom uit Israël | IK kom aout IS-rah-el |
| See you | Tot ziens | TOT zeens |
Phrasebook · 3/7
At the airport & on the flight
| What you want to say | Dutch | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the gate? | Waar is de gate? | WAAR is de GATE? |
| Is the flight delayed? | Is de vlucht vertraagd? | IS de VLUGT ver-TRAAGT? |
| Boarding pass | Instapkaart | IN-stap-KAART |
| My suitcase didn't arrive | Mijn koffer is niet aangekomen | MEIN KO-fer is NIET AAN-ko-men |
| I have a connecting flight | Ik heb een aansluitende vlucht | IK heb een AAN-slui-ten-de VLUGT |
| Window/aisle seat | Raam-/gangpadstoel | RAAM-/GANG-pad-STOOL |
| Where is passport control? | Waar is de paspoortcontrole? | WAAR is de PAS-poort-kon-TRO-le? |
Phrasebook · 4/7
Hotel & stay
| What you want to say | Dutch | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| I have a reservation | Ik heb een reservering | IK heb en re-zer-VE-ring |
| Check-in | Inchecken | IN-check-en |
| Check-out | Uitchecken | UIT-check-en |
| Is breakfast included? | Is het ontbijt inbegrepen? | IS het ont-BEIT in-be-GRE-pen? |
| Room key | Kamersleutel | KA-mer-SLEU-tel |
| Wi-Fi password | Wi-Fi wachtwoord | WAI-fai WACHT-woord |
| Can I leave my luggage? | Kan ik mijn bagage achterlaten? | KAN ik mein ba-GA-ge ACH-ter-LA-ten? |
| The air conditioner doesn't work | De airconditioning werkt niet | de AIR-kon-di-SHO-ning VERKT neet |
Phrasebook · 5/7
Restaurant & food
| What you want to say | Dutch | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Table for two | Tafel voor twee | TAH-fel for TWEI |
| The menu, please | De menukaart, alstublieft | deh MEH-nu-kaart, al-stu-BLIEFT |
| What do you recommend? | Wat raadt u aan? | VAT raat oo AAN? |
| The bill, please | De rekening, alstublieft | deh REI-ke-ning, al-stu-BLIEFT |
| Tap water | Kraanwater | KRAAN-vah-ter |
| I have a nut allergy | Ik heb een notenallergie | IK heb en NO-ten-al-er-GIE |
| No meat | Geen vlees | KHEIN VLEIS |
| It was excellent | Het was uitstekend | het VAS out-STEK-end |
| Can I pay by card? | Kan ik met een kaart betalen? | KAN ik met en KAART be-TA-len? |
Phrasebook · 6/7
Shopping & money
| What you want to say | Dutch | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | Hoeveel kost het? | HOO-fel KOST het? |
| That's too expensive. | Dat is te duur. | DAT is te DEER. |
| Do you accept credit cards? | Accepteert u creditcards? | ak-sep-TEERT ee KRE-dit-karts? |
| I'm just looking. | Ik kijk alleen maar. | ik KAIK a-LAYN mar. |
| Can I get a receipt? | Kan ik een bon krijgen? | kan ik en BON KRAY-ghen? |
| Where is an ATM? | Waar is een geldautomaat? | waar is en GELD-au-to-maat? |
| A smaller size. | Een kleinere maat. | en KLEI-ne-re maat. |
Phrasebook · 7/7
Emergencies & health
| What you want to say | Dutch | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | Help! | HELP |
| Call a doctor | Bel een dokter | BEL ehn DOK-ter |
| Call the police | Bel de politie | BEL deh po-LEE-tsi-yeh |
| Where is a pharmacy? | Waar is een apotheek? | VAHR is ehn ah-po-TEEK |
| I don't feel well | Ik voel me niet goed | IK fool meh NEET khoot |
| I'm lost | Ik ben verdwaald | IK ben fer-DWAHLD |
| I need a hospital | Ik heb een ziekenhuis nodig | IK heb ehn ZEE-khen-hows NOH-dikh |
| It hurts here | Het doet hier pijn | HET doot HEER peyn |
Q&A
Answers to your questions
How do you say "thank you" in Dutch?
"Dank je" (DANK yeh). It's one of the five words worth knowing by heart before you land.
How much Dutch do I need for a trip?
Not much. Five or six courtesy words (hello, thank you, please, sorry, yes/no) open doors, and another ten to fifteen phrases for fixed situations — a taxi, check-in, the restaurant bill — cover almost any trip. The rest: a camera-translation app.
Can you get by in English where Dutch is spoken?
In city centres, hotels and tourist sites — usually yes, especially with younger people. Outside them — markets, transport, small towns — a few words of the local language make a real difference and are warmly received.
Which countries have Dutch as an official language?
Dutch is a main language in 1 countries: Netherlands.
What's the difference between the formal and casual greeting?
Most languages have a formal "hello" for strangers, service staff and elders, and an everyday version for friends and peers. As a traveller it's always safer to open with the formal one — nobody is offended by too much politeness.
How do you politely ask someone to speak English?
"Spreekt u Engels?" (SPREKT oo ENG-els?) — "do you speak English?". Lead with "excuse me" in the local language and it comes across as respectful.
About this page
Written and checked by the Around the World team. We compare prices across the major providers, cross-check official sources, and update when something changes. We have no stake in any one provider — links are affiliate links, and the price is the same for you.
Sources: Phrasebook: the Around the World team · Language-to-country: Around the World data