Travel phrases

Essential Dutch travel phrases

Pack the words that matter. These are the 34 Dutch phrases that actually come up on a trip, from your first Hoi to calling for help, grouped by situation and written with a simple pronunciation guide, and read aloud at the tap of a button. Chosen the way a Dutch speaker would choose them, which is why the list ends with the phrases you only hear once you are there.

Quick answer

The most useful Dutch travel phrases cover greetings, politeness, directions, food, and emergencies. Learn a handful first: Hoi (hi), Alstublieft (please, and here you are), Dank je wel (thanks), and Waar is het toilet? (where is the toilet?). This free tool groups 34 Dutch phrases by situation, each with a plain-English pronunciation and a play button that reads it aloud. They are the phrases Dutch speakers really use, not an English list translated into Dutch, so the last block is the one a phrasebook never has: what locals say to each other.

Start here

The first 10 Dutch phrases to learn

The ones you need on day one. Tap play, say the phrase back until it sounds close, then say it along with the voice: that is shadowing, the drill interpreters train with.

  1. 1 Hoi Hi HOY The everyday hello; fine in a shop or cafe, not with an official
  2. 2 Goedemiddag Good afternoon khoo-duh-MID-dahkh From noon to about six, then goedenavond; what shop staff greet you with. Goedendag sounds stiff in the Netherlands, normal in Flanders
  3. 3 Goedemorgen Good morning khoo-duh-MOR-khuh Used until about noon; the shop assistant will greet you with it first
  4. 4 Doei Bye DOO-ee The standard casual goodbye; tot ziens is politer, dag suits both
  5. 5 Fijne dag nog! Have a nice rest of the day FAY-nuh DAHKH nokh What the cashier says as you leave; answer Jij ook, or U ook to someone older
  6. 6 Alstublieft Please, and here you are ahl-stew-BLEEFT Also said as you hand something over; alsjeblieft is the informal form with peers
  7. 7 Dank je wel Thanks dahnk yuh VEL Dank u wel to an older person or an official; bedankt works everywhere
  8. 8 Ja / Nee Yes / No YAH / nay
  9. 9 Pardon, mag ik iets vragen? Excuse me, can I ask you something? par-DON makh ik eets VRAH-khuh The polite way to stop someone in the street
  10. 10 Ik begrijp het niet I don't understand ik buh-KHRAYP ut neet
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All 34 phrases, grouped by situation.

Greetings

Hoi Hi HOY The everyday hello; fine in a shop or cafe, not with an official
Goedemiddag Good afternoon khoo-duh-MID-dahkh From noon to about six, then goedenavond; what shop staff greet you with. Goedendag sounds stiff in the Netherlands, normal in Flanders
Goedemorgen Good morning khoo-duh-MOR-khuh Used until about noon; the shop assistant will greet you with it first
Doei Bye DOO-ee The standard casual goodbye; tot ziens is politer, dag suits both
Fijne dag nog! Have a nice rest of the day FAY-nuh DAHKH nokh What the cashier says as you leave; answer Jij ook, or U ook to someone older

Basics

Alstublieft Please, and here you are ahl-stew-BLEEFT Also said as you hand something over; alsjeblieft is the informal form with peers
Dank je wel Thanks dahnk yuh VEL Dank u wel to an older person or an official; bedankt works everywhere
Ja / Nee Yes / No YAH / nay
Pardon, mag ik iets vragen? Excuse me, can I ask you something? par-DON makh ik eets VRAH-khuh The polite way to stop someone in the street
Ik begrijp het niet I don't understand ik buh-KHRAYP ut neet
Spreekt u Engels? Do you speak English? spraykt ew ENG-uls Nearly everyone does, but asking first is still the polite move

Getting around

Waar is het toilet? Where is the toilet? vahr is ut twah-LET Wc (way-SAY) is just as common; free for customers in a cafe, about a euro at a station, card as often as coins
Moet ik hier uitchecken? Do I have to check out here? moot ik heer OWT-chek-uh Tap in and out on every train, tram, metro and bus, with a bank card or OV-chipkaart
Hoe kom ik bij het station? How do I get to the station? hoo kom ik bay ut stah-SHON Ask any passer-by; most will answer in English before you finish
Ga ik zo goed? Am I going the right way? khah ik zoh KHOOT Short way to check a direction with someone on the street
Ik moet er hier uit I need to get off here ik moot er heer OWT Said to get past people standing at a crowded tram door

Eating out

Mag ik de rekening? Could I have the bill? makh ik duh RAY-kuh-ning Mag ik is the normal polite opener; alstublieft on the end if you like
Doe mij maar een koffie I'll have a coffee doo may mahr un KOF-ee Casual but normal way to order; many cafes still put a small koekje on the saucer
Wat kunt u aanraden? What do you recommend? vat kunt ew AHN-rah-duh
Mag ik een glaasje kraanwater? Could I have a glass of tap water? makh ik un KHLAH-shuh KRAHN-vah-tur Whether it is free is up to the cafe: many pour it with a meal, some charge for it
Kunnen we apart betalen? Can we pay separately? KUN-uh vuh ah-PART buh-TAH-luh Never awkward here; otherwise one person pays and sends the rest a Tikkie

Shopping

Hoeveel kost dit? How much is this? hoo-VAYL kost dit
Pinnen? Paying by card? PIN-uh The cashier's one word for card payment; say Pinnen back, many places take no cash
Ik kijk alleen even I'm just browsing ik kayk ah-LAYN AY-vuh The answer when an assistant asks Kan ik u helpen?
Heeft u een tasje? Do you have a bag? hayft ew un TAH-shuh Bags cost money and are never given to you without asking

Emergencies

Help! Help! HELP
Bel een ambulance! Call an ambulance! bel un ahm-bew-LAHN-suh The emergency number is 112, free from any phone
Ik heb een dokter nodig I need a doctor ik hep un DOK-tur NOH-dukh Out of hours ask for the huisartsenpost, the on-call clinic
Ik ben verdwaald I'm lost ik ben vur-DVAHLT

Locals say

Graag gedaan You're welcome khrahkh khuh-DAHN The standard answer to dank je wel; geen dank also works
Eet smakelijk Enjoy your meal ayt SMAH-kuh-luk Said by the waiter and around the table before anyone starts eating
Proost Cheers PROHST Toast with a drink, looking each person in the eye as the glasses touch
Gezellig Cosy, a good time together khuh-ZEL-likh The untranslatable compliment: a warm cafe, good company, a nice evening
Zeg het maar Tell me what you'd like zekh ut MAHR The counter opener in a shop, bakery or bar; just answer with your order

How to get the most from these phrases

Learn by situation, not alphabetically. Your memory files Hoi next to the moment you would use it, so run through the greetings before you fly, the restaurant block on the way to dinner, and the emergency block once so it is there if you ever need it.

The pronunciation guide is written the way an English speaker would read it aloud, with the stressed syllable in capitals. It is a crutch, not the real sound. Press play, listen once, then say the phrase back: the audio fixes the vowels that plain English spelling cannot capture. Once a phrase feels easy, say it together with the voice, a beat behind, the way interpreters drill: our guide to shadowing explains the sequence.

Phrases get you to the country. What gets you fluent is meeting the same words again and again in context, which is exactly what reading does. Once Alstublieft and Dank je wel feel automatic, the next step is a real Dutch sentence, then a page, then a book. That is the whole idea behind reading in Lingo7.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most important Dutch phrases for travel?

Start with greetings and politeness, then the phrases that solve a real problem: asking directions, ordering, paying, and getting help. On this page that is Hoi (hi), Alstublieft (please, and here you are), Dank je wel (thanks), Waar is het toilet? (where is the toilet?), and Help! (help!). Learn those few and you can be polite and safe almost anywhere.

What do Dutch locals say that a phrasebook leaves out?

A phrasebook translates English, so it gives you the Dutch for "hello" and stops. The phrases people there actually trade all day are the ones with no English slot: Graag gedaan (you're welcome), Eet smakelijk (enjoy your meal), Proost (cheers). The "Locals say" block on this page collects 5 of them and says when each one is used, which is usually what turns a correct sentence into a normal one.

What do these Dutch phrases sound like?

Tap the play button next to a phrase and you hear it read aloud, so you can copy the sound instead of guessing it from the spelling. The written pronunciation is a crutch for English eyes, the audio is the real thing. Play Hoi and Dank je wel a few times, say them back, and they come out right when it counts.

How do you say hello and thank you in Dutch?

In Dutch, hi is Hoi (pronounced HOY) and thank you is Dank je wel (dahnk yuh VEL). Add Alstublieft (please, and here you are) and Doei (bye), and you have the words that carry most short exchanges with a shopkeeper, waiter, or stranger.

How do you ask where the toilet is in Dutch?

Ask Waar is het toilet? (pronounced vahr is ut twah-LET), which means "where is the toilet?" in Dutch. If you only catch part of the reply, Ik begrijp het niet (I don't understand) and a smile usually gets it repeated or pointed out. It is one of the few phrases worth memorizing word for word before you go.

Do I need to learn Dutch before traveling?

No, but a dozen Dutch phrases go a long way. Locals warm up fast when you open with Hoi and Dank je wel instead of English. You do not need grammar or fluency for a trip, just the survival set above. For anything past that, the fastest route to real Dutch is reading, which is exactly what Lingo7 is built for.