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Dutch for travelers
 25 easy-to-pronounce words

 

Dutch Language
learning difficulty

For most English-speaking travelers, the Dutch language can be difficult to pronounce. One key reason is some letters shared by the Dutch and English languages are pronounced differently.

Quick and easy

I've created a list of 25 Dutch words that are useful to travelers. They express a lot and have easy phonetics.  And it's quicker for a traveler to learn single words to express thoughts than to memorize a slew of phrases.

Give the words and phonetics a try on your next trip to Holland (The Netherlands). Your pronunciations won't be perfect, but close enough for Dutch listeners to appreciate your efforts. They are famously tolerant, especially to travelers. Remember, it's better to slightly mispronounce a word than never use it to communicate with the Dutch you meet.

Greetings

Hello
Hallo  hal-low - or Hoi  (rhymes with toy)

Goodbye
Dag  dahg ("g" is soft)

Bye
Doei  doh-ee  (sounds like "doughy")

Yes/no

Yes
Ja  yah

No
Nee  nay

Being polite

Thank you
Bedankt  buh-dahnkt

Welcome
Welkom  vell-kome

Questions

Who?
Wie?  vee

What?
Wat?  vaht

Why?
Waarom?  vah-room

When?
Wanneer? vah-near

Where?
Waar?  vahr

Which?
Die?  dee

How?
Hoe?  who

How much?
Hoeveel?  who-feel

Numbers

One
Een  Say "ain't"

Two
Twee  tray

Three
Drie  dree

Other useful words

Good
Goed  who't

Here
Hier  Like English, but with an emphatic "h"

There
Daar  dahr

Now
Nu  new

Right
Rechts  rhex'd

Left
Links  links

Cheers!
Proost!  prohst

How to pronounce
oft-mispronounced
Dutch letters

I = "i" in "hit" 
J = Like letter "Y"
O = "aw" in "saw"
R = Slightly rolled it
U ="u" in "hurt"
V = Like letter "F"
W = Like letter "V"

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