Language & Living

IN THIS SECTION
Language in the Netherlands
Where do I start?
Useful books
Dutch 101
Useful words & phrases
Deciphering road signs 
Advertising words & phrases

Language in the Netherlands

The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch, although the pronunciation varies across the different regions in the country. In total 13 other Dutch regional dialects are spoken. 

As the country has a large immigrant population; 165 different countries are represented here, there are many other languages spoken also. The major ethnic language groups are Moroccan Arabic (30,000), Turkish (192,000) and Indonesian (300,000).

Around 75% of the country speak English in varying degrees, however this is generally limited to the larger cities. The best course to take is to make your greeting and introduction in Dutch, then if not sure about using your fledgling Dutch say "Sprekt u Engels?", which means "Do you speak English?", or alternatively "Ik sprekt geen Nederlands", translated as "I don't speak Nederlands".

Where do I start?

It would be wise to learn some basic phrases and words for your daily life but you will find that you will be able to communicate in English in most places around Rotterdam. When more in depth questions or application processes are involved, it would be best to find a Dutch speaking person to help out with translation or use sign language, spelling and pointing. This is where knowing the alphabet is useful also.

Take the time to learn some basic Dutch language, it will make life less frustrating. You can use this new language in small ways as simple greetings and basic sentences with shopkeepers but more importantly what do all those detour signs say and what does the advertising mean? There are some useful books that would be advisable for you to purchase to help you along. These will certainly help you out on a daily basis, from trying to decipher mail, to grocery shopping, to what to those sales promises and advertising words mean?

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Useful books

“ANWB Phrasebook, Dutch for Travellers”. ISBN 90 18 01786 8 (purchase at tourist info centre)
“Food shoppers guide to Holland”, Ava Henne Koene, Pub: Eburon
"Van Dale, Handwoorden Boek, Engels-Nederlands", Pub: Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht/Antwerpen
"Van Dale, Handwoorden Boek, Nederlands-Engels", Pub: Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht/Antwerpen
"Basis Woorden Boek, Engels N/E/N", Pub: Uitgeverij Het Spectrum, 2002

You can generally find the dictionaries at most large book stores, such as Donner, De Bijenkorf also have a good selection.

There are other books that will give you some clue of the Dutch psyche that make interesting reading when it all gets too much. They give you the "Oh, that's why" moments of clarity and help you feel better about your frustrations.

“The Low Sky, Understanding the Dutch”, Han van der Horst, Pub: Scriptom
“Expat toolkit – Guide to the Dutch Workplace”
“The Undutchables” Colin White & Laurie Boucke, Pub: White & Boucke Publishing Inc.
"Dealing with the Dutch", Jacob Vossestein, Pub: Royal Tropical Institute

Another set of useful reading is finding out about the practical considerations of settling into the country.

"Expat Toolkit - Guide to the Dutch Workplace",
"The Holland Handbook", Stephanie Dijkstra, Pub: Xpat Media 
"Expat Survival Guide" Pub: Expatica
"Inside Information, Guide to living in Holland", C Gelderman-Curtis, R Nyks-Corkum, Pub:Inside Information

You will find most of the above titles at Holland Books and Access and you can purchase directly from their websites; www.hollandbooks.nl and www.access-nl.org. You can even pay online with your credit card. For the employment and business related texts, try asking the HR department at your company, they will also have a range of books to help settle in.

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Dutch 101

Depending on the length of time you plan to live here, you may want to take some lessons in Dutch and there are many courses available in Holland and online.

You can get lessons privately; try posting an ad on Expatica in one of their forums, or more formally with a specialist company. There are also online sites where you can learn at your own speed such as www.unforgettablelanguages.com. "The Expat Survival Guide" contains several names of language courses with specialist companies around the country.

The tables below show some basic things to get you started. It will be very useful to come to grips with the Dutch alphabet, it is very different in pronunciation from the English one. You will find yourself using it frequently to spell out your requests and while you (and they) come to grips with your accent. It is also useful when having to complete the myriad of forms and applications you will come across.

Useful words and phrases

The alphabet:

  • A= short a, ah
  • B= bay
  • C= say
  • D= day
  • E= ay
  • F= ef
  • G= ghay
  • H= hah (soft h)
  • I= ee
  • J= yay
  • K= ka
  • L= el
  • M= em
  • N= en
  • O= oh (short)
  • P= pay
  • R= air
  • S= es
  • T= tay
  • U= ew
  • V= vay (soft v)
  • W= way
  • X= iks
  • Y= ee, long ay
  • Z= zet

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Months:

  • January - Januari
  • February - Februari
  • March - Maart
  • April - April
  • May - Mai
  • June - Juni
  • July - Juli
  • August - Augustus
  • September - September
  • October - Oktober
  • November - November
  • December - December

Days of the week:

  • Monday - Maandag
  • Tuesday - Dinsdag
  • Wednesday - Woensdag
  • Thursday - Donderdag
  • Friday - Vridag
  • Saturday - Zaterdag
  • Sunday - Zondag

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The basics (pronunciation in brackets):

  • Good morning - Goedemorgen (Ghoodemorghen)
  • Good afternoon - Goedemiddag (Ghoodemidagh)
  • Good evening - Goedenavond (Ghoodenahvont)
  • Good night/sleep well - Goedenacht/welterusten (Ghoodenaght/wehlterusten)
  • Welcome - Welkom (wehlkom)
  • Yes - Ja (Yah)
  • No - Nee (Nay)
  • Please - Alstublieft (Alstewbleeft)
  • Thank you - Dank u wel (Dank ew wehl)
  • Fine, thank you - Uitstekend, dank u ( Œstaykent dank ew)
  • No, thank you - Nee, dank u (Nay, dank ew)
  • You’re welcome - Graag gedaan (Ghrahgh ghedahn)
  • Goodbye/see you next time -Tot ziens (Tot zeens)
  • See you later - Tot straks (Tot straks)
  • See you tomorrow - Tot morgen (Tot morghen)
  • Where? - Waar (Wahr)
  • Where is/are? - Waar is/zijn (Wahr is/zaiyn)
  • How? - Hoe (Hoo)
  • How much? - Hoeveel (Hoovayl)
  • How much does it cost? - Hoeveel kost het (Hoovayl kost het)
  • Which? - Welk(e) (Whelk(e))
  • Why? - Waarom (Wahrom)
  • What do you call this? - Hoe heet dit (Hoo hayt dit)
  • What does this mean? - Wat betekent dit (Wat betaykent dit)
  • It’s - Het is (Heht is)
  • Is/are there any? - Is/zijn er (Is/zaiyn her)
  • I would like - Ik wil graag (Ik wil graahgh)
  • Do you have? - Heeft u.. (Heft ew)
  • Do you speak English? - Spreekt u engels (Spraykt ew ehngels)
  • I don’t speak Dutch - Ik spreek geen nederlands (Ik sprayk ghayn nayderlands)
  • I’m English - Ik ben engels (Ik behn ehngels)
  • I’m foreign - Ik ben buitenlander/buitenlandse (Ik behn bœtenlander/bœtenlandse)
  • I cant read this - Dit kan ik niet lezen (Did kan ik neet layzen)
  • How do you pronounce this? - Hoe spreek je dit uit (Hoo sprayk ye dit œ)
  • Could you spell it for me - Kunt u het spellen (Kunt ew heht spehlen)
  • Could you write it down - Kunt u het opshrijven (Kunt ew heht opsghraiyven)

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Deciphering road signs

Driving in Rotterdam can be a bit nerve-wracking but with the right information, your eyes open and lots of chutzpah you will be fine. Everything will be a mystery to you for the first few months, there seems to be a continuous run of roadworks across the Rotterdam region so much so, these next words will be invaluable.

Your first clue that there are roadworks will be gaffer tape over a name on the blue overhead signs, quite sensible really but looks like their five year old got carried away on the cherry picker. If you see this, look for Yellow signs saying any of the following.

  • Omleiding - Diversion or detour
  • Terug - Back
  • Gesloten - Closed
  • Afgesloten - Concluded, generally combined with a date
  • Doorgaand verkeer - Through traffic
  • Nr door verkeer - No through traffic
  • Werk in uitvoering - Road construction
  • Voerboden toegang - No access
  • Geen ingang - No entry
  • Beperkt - Restricted

Other useful traffic and driving related words:

  • File - Tail back, generally with distance supplied
  • File vrij - No tail back
  • Voorsorteren - Get in lane
  • Fiet - Bicycle
  • Fietspad - Bicycle lane
  • Andere Richting - Other routes
  • Knookppunt - Turnoff/exit
  • Afrit -Exit
  • Drempels - Speed bumps

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Advertising words & phrases

  • Op=op - Once it is gone, it's gone; last items
  • Let Op! - Watch this
  • Reclame - Advertisement
  • Korting -Discount
  • Pas voordeel - Take advantage
  • Stuk - Item
  • Per stuk - Per item
  • Laagste prijs - Lowest price
  • Leegverkoop - Clearance sale
  • Uitzoeken - To select
  • Alles moet weg - Everything must go
  • Betalen - To pay
  • Waardebon - Value order/coupon
  • Vanaf - From
  • Gratis - Free