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Learning a basic greeting will likely be one of the first things you pick up as you embark on your Dutch language studies. Regardless of your motivation for studying Dutch, be it travel, work, or interacting with friends or family, a basic greeting is always a useful piece of vocabulary to have on hand. In this article, we will be discussing how to say \u201chello\u201d in Dutch in a variety of scenarios. We will also discuss a few popular greetings, as well as common ways to respond.<\/p>\n
If you are just starting with your language studies, learning how to say \u201chello” in Dutch doesn\u2019t have to be difficult. You can realistically get away with only learning two basic greetings. As you progress, memorizing other phrases will help you express yourself with greater accuracy and nuance. However, in the beginning, the following two greetings will be sufficient to get you through most situations:<\/p>\n
For anyone starting to learn Dutch, I recommend choosing this as your first greeting. It directly translates to \u201chello\u201d and as it\u2019s quite close in pronunciation, I found it very easy to memorize at the beginning of my own language-learning journey. It\u2019s a practical, casual greeting, suitable for most situations when you\u2019re just starting. However, it is most suitable for friends, family, people you know, and younger people.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s worth noting that this phrase can also be used to express frustration, typically in some variation of \u201cja, hallo!<\/em>\u201d When used in this way, the tone is usually impatient and abrupt, so it\u2019s not something you\u2019re likely to stumble into expressing by accident. However, if you spend any extended period in the Netherlands, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll hear it at some point.<\/p>\n Where a little more formality is in order, \u201cgoedendag<\/em>\u201d is another excellent way to say \u201chello\u201d in Dutch. This phrase translates to \u201cgood day\u201d and is a suitable option when speaking to strangers, such as cashiers or wait staff. It\u2019s also a good option when speaking to anyone older than you or people in a position of authority, such as teachers or police.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve mastered the basics, it\u2019s always useful to bolster your vocabulary with a few more phrases. In the beginning, I\u2019d recommend starting with the formal variations as they are the expressions you are most likely to need, especially if you are learning Dutch for travel or if you intend to move to the Netherlands for work or study.<\/p>\n All of the following expressions are time-sensitive, and it\u2019s worth noting that, especially as you interact with older generations, they can be quite particular with the timing of when certain sayings are used. When I was working in customer service and I wasn\u2019t paying close enough attention to the time, it happened more than once that I\u2019d be teased for saying good morning when it was a few minutes past twelve.<\/p>\n Having said that, the Dutch do tend to be quite forgiving when it\u2019s obvious you are still learning and embedding the language.<\/p>\n The phrases listed below are all formal and are suitable to use when greeting cashiers, baristas, work colleagues, strangers, and people with authority, such as teachers or police. However, it\u2019s worth noting that they can also be used around friends and family without sounding too stiff. It just sounds a little more \u201cproper\u201d than the informal variants.<\/p>\n When learning how to say \u201chello\u201d in Dutch, the following phrases will prove to be invaluable additions to your vocabulary.<\/p>\n This expression can be used at any point in the morning, from the point of waking right up until noon.<\/p>\n This expression can be used throughout the middle of the day, from noon to six in the evening.<\/p>\n This expression can be used after six in the evening. It\u2019s worth noting that although the evening technically ends at midnight, you may continue to hear this greeting into the early hours of the morning. The reason for this is that the Dutch expression for \u201cgood night\u201d (\u201cgoedenacht<\/em>\u201d) can\u2019t be used as a greeting.<\/p>\n Although all of the expressions listed above will make excellent additions to your vocabulary, they may feel a little stiff if used around particularly close friends or certain loved ones. In scenarios where you want to engage in a more playful or casual way, here are a few more greetings to try:<\/p>\n \u201cDag<\/em>\u201d is a shortened version of the time-exclusive sayings listed above, and literally translates to \u201cday\u201d. This can be used in all the same ways as \u201challo<\/em>\u201d and although it is a less formal variation of its time-sensitive counterparts, it\u2019s also not so informal that it can\u2019t be used in most situations.<\/p>\n In addition to being a greeting, it\u2019s also worth noting that \u201cdag<\/em>\u201d can be used to say \u201cgoodbye\u201d.<\/p>\n The translation for \u201choi<\/em>\u201d is \u201chi\u201d and it is a slightly less formal greeting than \u201cdag<\/em>\u201d or \u201challo<\/em>\u201d. You can say this to most people, though I wouldn\u2019t recommend it for those in a position of authority, such as a teacher or the police.<\/p>\n When you want to be even more casual, you can say \u201ch\u00e9<\/em>\u201d. It\u2019s important to note that this is only acceptable to use around people you know very well, such as close family members or good friends. Saying this to cashiers, wait staff, or people in a position of authority may cause some offense.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that \u201ch\u00e9<\/em>\u201d also has a few different spellings, such as \u201chey<\/em>\u201d or \u201cheej<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n Another common way to greet people in the Netherlands is to ask \u201chow are you?\u201d Here are some popular variations for this type of greeting:<\/p>\n This saying translates roughly to \u201chow are you doing?\u201d or \u201chow is it going?\u201d and is the most formal variation in the list that follows. It\u2019s the safest option to choose when you don\u2019t know the person you are addressing, and an expression you can use in most environments without sounding too stiff.<\/p>\n In scenarios where you need to be a little more formal, such as when speaking to people in a position of authority, you can adjust this saying to: \u201choe gaat het met u?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n This informal expression literally translates to \u201chow is it?\u201d and is best used around people you know.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that the meaning of this expression depends on context. It can also be used to ask someone\u2019s opinion on something. As an example, if your coworker approaches you over lunch, indicating a book you\u2019re reading, and asks \u201choe is het?<\/em>\u201d, they are asking you what you think of the book. Someone hosting a dinner may also ask this to see what you think of the food that has been served.<\/p>\n The direct translation of this is \u201ceverything good?\u201d or \u201call good?\u201d and is applicable in all the same scenarios it could be used in English.<\/p>\n This is a very popular informal greeting in the Netherlands and is suitable to use around friends, family, and coworkers. If you are going to spend any extended time in the Netherlands, you will likely end up using and hearing this one quite a bit.<\/p>\n When someone addresses you with \u201calles goed?<\/em>\u201d, the standard response is \u201cja hoor<\/em>\u201d which is a casual way of saying \u201cyes\u201d.<\/p>\n In a similar vein to \u201calles goe<\/em>d\u201d, you can also use \u201calles ok\u00e9<\/em>?\u201d which is a slightly more casual variation. The direct translation is \u201ceverything okay?\u201d and is suitable in all the same scenarios you might use this expression in English. It\u2019s best avoided in any setting where a degree of formality is expected, as it might come across as insincere or even a little rude.<\/p>\n This is an intriguing expression that doesn\u2019t have a direct translation into English. If you translate \u201clekker<\/em>\u201d on its own, you will likely get back \u201ctasty\u201d but that\u2019s not an entirely accurate translation. Although \u201clekker<\/em>\u201d can mean \u201ctasty\u201d, it can also mean \u201cpleasant\u201d.<\/p>\n Food can be \u201clekker<\/em>\u201d, but a nice summer walk with friends can also be \u201clekker<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n In a similar vein, by asking someone \u201calles lekker?<\/em>\u201d, you are simply asking them if everything is okay in a very casual way. I would only recommend using this with good friends as it indicates a certain degree of familiarity that may come across as grating, insincere, or even rude if used with someone you aren\u2019t close with.<\/p>\n Of all the expressions on this list, \u201calles kits?<\/em>\u201d is arguably the most casual way of saying \u201chello\u201d in Dutch. When I was growing up, I remember hearing this one all the time while watching TV. There is no direct translation for this saying, but the closest English expression would be, \u201cwhat\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n Most commonly used among young people and teenagers, this is only suitable for use around very close friends. If you use this saying around the wrong people, you may come across as immature or like you\u2019re trying too hard.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re greeted with some variation of \u201chow are you?\u201d in Dutch, it\u2019s best to keep your answer short unless you know the person quite well. Keep an eye on their body language. If the person asking looks like they are interested or in the mood for a chat, then feel free to add more details. Otherwise, here are a few common responses you can use:<\/p>\n<\/a>Goedendag<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>\u201cHello\u201d in Dutch: Formal Greetings<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Goedemorgen<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Goedemiddag<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Goedenavond<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>\u201cHello\u201d in Dutch: Casual Greetings<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Dag<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Hoi<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>H\u00e9<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>\u201cHello\u201d in Dutch: Asking \u201cHow Are You?\u201d in Dutch<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Hoe gaat het?<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Hoe is het?<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Alles goed?<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Alles ok\u00e9?<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Alles lekker?<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Alles kits?<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Responses<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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