Dutch 101 – Useful Things to Know About the Dutch

During my time in Amsterdam I got to take a Dutch class and learn some everyday phrases. Since it took me a while to get used to the language and pick up some sayings, I figured I would share my knowledge with you!

Anyway, here’s my collection of important Dutch phrases, words, saying etc. I also added some other aspects of cultural life here, as I feel like language and culture always go hand in hand. So this is not only a quick language guide, but also a Dutch 101, where I tell you about the most important things about life here in the Netherlands.

• achtenachtig prachtige grachten: a Dutch tongue-twister to practice the ‘g’ and ‘ch’ sounds.
• Albert Heijn (AH): The most common chain of grocery stores across the Netherlands.
• Anne Frank Huis: probably the most commonly known point of interest in Amsterdam. No explanation needed.
• biertje: common way of saying ‘beer’.
• Bioscoop: Cinema? Movie theater? Never heard of it! The Dutch like to call this place a bioscoop.
• Bol.com: The Dutch version of Amazon, which offers super fast, next-day shipping throughout the Netherlands.
• Carnival: is celebrated in the bible-belt of the Netherlands, as it is a rather Catholic festivity.
• Den Haag: Amsterdam might be the capital, but Den Haag, or The Hague, is home to all major political and administrative insitutions of the Netherlands.

• Drop: literally the grossest piece of candy (if you can even call it that) the Ntherlands has to offer.
• Etos: a common chain of drugstores. They even sell contact lenses and supplements.
• festje: a party.
• fiets: this is the one word you have to know when coming to Holland. The term bike surely won’t get you far!
• gezellig: word used to describe a social activity.
• Haarlem: a really cute city close to Amsterdam.
• hagelslag: chocolate sprinkles you put on your toast bread.
• heel: very.
• hoor: literally ‘hear’ but kinda used as a filler in almost every sentence.
• hoi: colloquial greeting.
• iets: something
• je/jij: you.
• Kruidvat: a big chain of drugstores offering cheaper products.
• kut: common Dutch swearword.
• Kingsday: is celebrated all over the country on April 27th.
• lul: common Dutch swearword.
• Moco: a museum with a focus on modern art and an exhibit on Banksy.
• Museumkaart: This card grants you access to all major museums in the Netherlands for a whole year at the cost of 64€.

• Negen Straatjes: the shopping streets in Amsterdam.
• OV Chipkaart: the card you have to have in order to use Dutch public transport throughout all of the Netherlands.
• PLLEK: literally one of my favorite cafés in all of Amsterdam. See my brunch here.
• Rotterdam: the second largest city in the Netherlands, which is known for its modern architecture. Read more here.

• Rijksmuseum: the biggest museum of the Netherlands and home to many of Rembrandts masterpieces. Blog post about it here.
• The Student Hotel: my dorm in Amsterdam that I was not too impressed with. You can read about it here.
• tikkie.me: is a payment service that makes it easy to split the bill. It is only available for Dutch bank accounts though.
• tokkie: a trashy person.
• Utrecht: really cute city, about half an hour by train from Amsterdam.

• van Gogh: Dutch painter, famous for impressionistic paintings.
• Willem Alexander: Not only is his birthday the biggest public celebration in the country, but his hair really lives up to the name van Oranje-Nassau.
• Wibautstraat: The street I used to live on, which is surrounded by many nice restaurants.
• Zaandvoort aan Zee: a lovely beach town about 30 minutes by train from Amsterdam.
• Zaanse Schans: tiny, stereotypically Dutch village, which is full of tourists and good for a daytrip. More footage here.

That’s it for now, maybe if I come across more useful things, words or phrases I will add them to this list. If you have any suggestions please let me know!