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Although most Dutch people speak excellent English, any attempt to speak just a few words of Dutch will be very much appreciated. There are several sounds in Dutch that don't appear in English and are very difficult to get your tongue around at first. Don't give up - keep listening and keep practising and you'll soon get there. Below are a few words and basic phrases to get you started.
| English | Dutch | Pronunciation Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Hallo | hullo |
| Good morning | Goedemorgen | hkoo-der mor-hen |
| Good afternoon | Goedemiddag | hkoo-der mid-duk |
| Good day | Goededag | hkoo-der duk |
| Good evening | Goedeavond | hkoo-der ah-vent |
| Good night | Goedenacht | hkoo-der nukt |
| Goodbye | Tot ziens | tot zeens |
| Yes | Ja | yah |
| No | Nee | nay |
| Please / there you go | Alstublieft | uls-too-bleeft |
| Thank you | Dank u | dank u |
| Thank you very much | Dank u wel | dank u val |
| Excuse me | Pardon | par-don |
| Do you speak English? | Spreekt u engels? | spaykt oo eng-els |
| Sorry, I don't speak Dutch | Sorry, ik spreek geen nederlands | sorry, ik sprayk gkane nay-der-lunts |
| I don't understand | Ik begrijp niet | ik ber-gkreyp neet |
| How much is...? | Wat kost...? | vat kost...? |