🇳🇱 A1 Level · Lesson 1 of 10
Dutch Greetings &
Introductions
Learn to say hello, introduce yourself, and hold your very first Dutch conversation — with audio, exercises & a quiz!
🌍
Welcome to Dutch!
Quick intro to the language
🇳🇱 Dutch (Nederlands) is spoken by over 24 million people in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname. It’s a West Germanic language — closely related to English and German!
🔑 Key facts about Dutch
Word Order
Verb comes in 2nd position — similar to English!
Articles
de and het both mean “the” — memorise which each noun uses.
Pronunciation
A few tricky sounds: guttural g, the vowel ui, and ij/ei.
Verbs
Present tense is simple — easier than French or German!
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Cultural Note — Gezelligheid
Dutch people have a concept called gezelligheid (khuh-ZEL-ikh-hite) — a feeling of cosiness and togetherness. Expect direct, friendly communication — the Dutch value honesty and warmth!
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Pronunciation Guide
Tap each card to hear the sound
💡 Good news: Dutch spelling is very consistent! Once you learn the rules, you can read almost anything aloud. Tap the cards to hear each sound.
G / CH
Guttural — from the back of the throat, like a soft throat-clear
goed → [khoot]
▶ tap to hear
UI
Unique Dutch vowel — start like “uh”, glide toward “ee”
huis → [hœys]
▶ tap to hear
IJ / EI
Sounds like “ay” in “say” — both spellings same sound
zijn → [zayn]
▶ tap to hear
OE
Exactly like “oo” in English “boot”
goed → [khoot]
▶ tap to hear
AA
Long open “a” — like “a” in “father” held longer
naam → [naːm]
▶ tap to hear
EE
Closed “e” — like “ay” but steady, no glide
nee → [neː]
▶ tap to hear
UU
Like French “u” — round lips while saying “ee”
muur → [myːr]
▶ tap to hear
W
Between English “v” and “w” — lips lightly together
wat → [vat]
▶ tap to hear
👋
Greetings
Hello, good evening, goodbye…
Goedemorgen
Good morning
KHU-də-MOR-khənMorning
Goedemiddag
Good afternoon
KHU-də-MI-dakhAfternoon
Goedenavond
Good evening
KHU-dən-AH-vondEvening
Hallo
Hello
HA-loAny time
Hoi
Hi (very casual)
HOYInformal
Dag
Hello / Bye
DAKHAny time
Tot ziens
Goodbye
TOT ZEENSFormal
Tot straks
See you later
TOT STRAKSInformal
Tot morgen
See you tomorrow
TOT MOR-khənEvening
Goedenacht
Good night
KHU-dən-AKHTBedtime
🎭 Dialogue 1 — Running into a neighbour
👨
Goedemorgen!
Good morning!
👩
Goedemorgen! Hoe gaat het?
Good morning! How are you?
HOO KHAT ət
👨
Het gaat goed, dank je. En met jou?
I’m doing well, thank you. And you?
👩
Ook goed! Tot ziens!
Also good! Goodbye!
👨
Tot ziens! Dag!
Goodbye! Take care!
🙋
Introducing Yourself
Name, origin, where you live
In Dutch: “Ik heet…” = My name is… · “Mijn naam is…” = My name is… — both are correct!
Ik heet…
My name is… / I am called…
IK HEYT
Mijn naam is…
My name is…
MAYN NAHM IS
Ik kom uit…
I come from…
IK KOM ŒYT
Ik woon in…
I live in…
IK VOHN IN
Ik ben … jaar oud
I am … years old
IK BEN YAHR OWT
Aangenaam!
Nice to meet you!
AHN-khə-NAHM
Waar kom jij vandaan?
Where are you from?
VAHR KOM YAY FAN-dahn
🎭 Dialogue 2 — First meeting
👨
Hallo! Ik heet Thomas. En jij?
Hello! My name is Thomas. And you?
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Hoi! Mijn naam is Sara. Aangenaam!
Hi! My name is Sara. Nice to meet you!
👨
Waar kom jij vandaan?
Where are you from?
👩
Ik kom uit Algerije. En jij?
I come from Algeria. And you?
👨
Ik kom uit Nederland. Ik woon in Amsterdam.
I come from the Netherlands. I live in Amsterdam.
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Grammar: Pronouns & “To Be”
Personal pronouns + zijn conjugation
👤 Personal Pronouns
1st sing.
Ik
I
2nd sing.
Jij / Je
You
3rd M
Hij
He
3rd F
Zij / Ze
She
Polite
U
You (formal)
1st pl.
Wij / We
We
2nd pl.
Jullie
You (all)
3rd pl.
Zij / Ze
They
💡 Tip: Short forms (je, ze, we) = casual speech. Long forms (jij, zij, wij) = emphasis.
⚡ Verb: Zijn (To Be) — Present Tense
Ik ben
I am
Ik ben student.
Jij / Je bent
You are
Jij bent vriendelijk.
U bent / is
You are (formal)
U bent de leraar.
Hij / Zij is
He / She is
Hij is Nederlands.
Wij / We zijn
We are
We zijn vrienden.
Jullie zijn
You (all) are
Jullie zijn welkom!
Zij / Ze zijn
They are
Ze zijn thuis.
🃏
Flashcard Review
Tap to flip — mark what you know!
🇳🇱 Dutch — tap to reveal
Goedemorgen
What does this mean?
🇬🇧 English
Good morning
before noon
Card 1 / 12
✅ Known: 0·🔄 Review: 0
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Exercise: Match the Pairs
Tap Dutch → then its English meaning
🇳🇱 Dutch
Hallo
Dank je
Tot ziens
Aangenaam
Goedenacht
Ik heet…
🇬🇧 English
Thank you
Good night
Hello
My name is…
Goodbye
Nice to meet you
🎉 All pairs matched! +30 XP earned!
✏️
Fill in the Blanks
Type the missing Dutch word
💬 Complete each Dutch sentence
1
Het gaat
💡 (doing well)
2
Ik
Sophie.
💡 (my name is)
3
Ik kom
Algerije.
💡 (I come from)
4
Goede
!
💡 (morning greeting)
5
Hij
student.
💡 (to be — he/she)
6
Ik woon
Amsterdam.
💡 (I live ___ Amsterdam)
🎯
Final Quiz
10 questions — test everything you’ve learned!
🎯 Lesson 1 Quiz
Choose the best answer for each question
What does this mean?
Goedemorgen
✅ Goedemorgen = Good morning. Use it before noon!
❌ Goedemorgen = Good morning (before noon).
How do you say in Dutch:
“My name is…”
✅ Ik heet… = My name is. You can also say Mijn naam is…
❌ Correct: Ik heet… means “My name is…”
Which pronoun means “we”?
?
✅ Wij / We = we. We is the casual everyday form.
❌ Wij / We = we in Dutch.
What does this mean?
Aangenaam!
✅ Aangenaam = Nice to meet you! Use it when meeting someone for the first time.
❌ Aangenaam = Nice to meet you!
Complete: “Ik ___ student.”
(I am a student.)
✅ With Ik, gebruik ben → Ik ben student. Just like “I am” in English!
❌ With Ik, you say ben → Ik ben student.
What does “Tot straks” mean?
Tot straks
✅ Tot straks = See you later (very soon). Tot morgen = see you tomorrow.
❌ Tot straks = See you later (in a little while).
How do you ask “Where are you from?”
?
✅ Waar kom jij vandaan? = Where are you from? (Waar = where, vandaan = from)
❌ Correct: Waar kom jij vandaan?
Which form of “zijn” goes with “Zij” (she)?
Zij ___
✅ Zij is = She is. Same as hij is (he is).
❌ With Zij, use is → Zij is vriendelijk.
Most informal way to say “hi”?
?
✅ Hoi is very casual — like “hey!” between friends. Hallo is more neutral.
❌ Hoi is the most casual, informal greeting.
Translate into English:
Ik woon in Amsterdam.
✅ Ik woon in = I live in. For “I come from” → Ik kom uit Amsterdam.
❌ Wonen = to live. Ik woon in = I live in.
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Bonus Vocabulary
Essential everyday expressions
Ja
Yes
YAH
Nee
No
NEY
Alsjeblieft
Please (informal)
ALS-yə-BLEEFT
Alstublieft
Please (formal)
ALS-too-BLEEFT
Dank je wel
Thank you very much
DANK yə VEL
Geen dank
You’re welcome
KHEYN DANK
Sorry / Pardon
Sorry / Excuse me
SO-ri / PAR-don
Spreekt u Nederlands?
Do you speak Dutch?
SPREYKT oo NEY-dər-lands
🚀 Next: Lesson 2 — Numbers & Colours
Learn to count 1–100 and name colours in Dutch
