The excellent level of English that is spoken everywhere from the shops to on the bus, makes you feel there isn’t an urgency in learning Dutch. If you speak to many Expats here in The Netherlands, most say Dutch is difficult to learn and some will admit to have given up learning. But what really is easy nowadays? So don’t get disheartened and give it a bash.

I have come across these dutch phrases that can help you in everyday situations that you will find yourself in.

1. Alstublieft – This word has a double meaning, the main meaning is please and the Dutch also say it when handing you something. If you have ventured out to the shops you will have already heard the staff say it to you at the tills.

2. Dank je wel – This means thank you, but if you translate it, it literally means thank you indeed. There are many ways to say thank you in Dutch, but dank je wel is most common and my favourite.

3. Mag ik een … alstublieft? – Translation is may I have a … please?  This is a useful one when ordering something at a cafe or restaurant.  I will be honest, I have only recently come across this phrase, but I will certainly be trying this the next time I am out.

4. Wilt u de bon? – Do you want a receipt? You will be asked this often when shopping at the supermarket. For some reason most supermarkets ask you if you want your receipt before printing it off. If you want your receipt you can say ja graag.

5. Lekker and Mooi – Dutch people LOVE these words! Lekker means a lot of things, but is mainly it means tasty, dat is lekker – that is tasty (you might be lucky and catch someone doing the lekker hand sign). You also might even hear a Dutch person saying jij bent lekker which means you are hot!

Mooi means beautiful. You would use mooi if you see an item that you think looks nice like a necklace, piece of clothing or a painting ect. You can use it to compliment someone without being sleazy.

6. Één biertje alstublieft – This one is for the guys, it means one beer please! The sun is shining and you decide to go for a beer at your local bar, now you can ask for a beer in Dutch.

Practise these dutch phrases any opportunity you get, I know for me understanding these simple everyday phrases made it easier settling in to life in The Netherlands.

N x