Essential Dutch phrases

The words that make your first weeks in Amsterdam smoother — with pronunciation you can actually say.

Greetings

Hallo / Goedemorgen
HAH-loh / khoo-de-MOR-khen
Hi / good morning.
Hoe gaat het?
hoo khaat het
How are you?
Dank je wel
dank yuh vel
Thank you (informal; 'dank u wel' is the polite form).
Alsjeblieft
al-shuh-BLEEFT
Please / here you go.

Social

Lekker
LEK-ker
Tasty / nice / great — used for food, weather, naps, everything.
Gezellig
khuh-ZEL-likh
Cosy, convivial togetherness — the untranslatable heart of Dutch life.
Spreekt u Engels?
spraykt oo ENG-uls
Do you speak English? (Almost everyone does.)

Daily life

Hoeveel kost het?
HOO-vayl kost het
How much is it?
Waar is het toilet?
vaar is het twa-LET
Where's the toilet?

Food

Mag ik de rekening?
makh ik duh RAY-kuh-ning
Can I have the bill?
Proost!
prohst
Cheers!

Emergency

Help!
help
Help! — for emergencies.

Actually learn to speak Amsterdam’s language

Globe Quest drills these with spaced repetition and a patient AI tutor you can practice with by voice — a few minutes a day. Free to start.