Basic Dutch – Time

In this section, we want to share some basic Dutch phrases related with time, that can help you when you arrive in the Netherlands.

In the southern part of the country, called Randstad (the area between Utrecht, Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam), most people speak English. However, if you happen to live in other parts of the country, you might need to learn the local language to communicate effectively.

The provided pronunciation is written in a way that makes it easier for English speakers to understand.

We don’t aim to teach you the Dutch language on our website, as that’s best done by professionals. Check out our section on language learning for advice on where to study.

BASIC DUTCH – TIME
ENGLISH	DUCTH	PHONETIC SPELLING
Today / Yesterday / Tomorrow	Vandaag / Gisteren / Morgen	Vun-daahg / Gis-tuh-run / Mor-hun
This week	Deze week	Day-zuh week
Last week	Vorige week	Vor-ih-guh week
Next week	Volgende week	Vol-gun-duh week
This morning / afternoon / evening	Vanochtend / Vanmiddag / Vanavond	Van-och-tend / Van-mid-dach / Van-ah-vunt
Soon / Late	Vroeg / Laat	Vrohg / Laht
Later	Later	Laater
Second / Minute	Seconde / Minuut	Su-kon-duh / Mi-nooht
One hour / Half an hour	Een uur / Half uur	Ayn oor / Half oor
Week / Month / Year	Week / Maand / Jaar	Week / Mahnt / Yahr
One o’clock	Een uur precies	Ayn oor pray-see
Ten past one	Tien over een	Teen oh-vur ayn
Quarter past one	Kwart over een	Kwahrt oh-vur ayn
Twenty past one	Twintig over een	Twin-tig oh-vur ayn
Half past one	Half twee	Half tway
Twenty to two o’clock	Twintig voor twee	Twin-tig voor tway
A quarter to two	Kwart voor twee	Kwahrt voor tway
Half past five	Half zes	Half zesjalf ses
Seven o’clock	Precies zeven uur	Pray-seez say-vun oor
13.00	Dertien uur	Der-teen oor
16:30	Zestien uur dertig	Zes-teen oor der-tig
20:10	Twintig uur tien	Tuentij uur tiin
Midnight	Middernacht	Mid-ur-nahcht

Apart from basic Dutch for food, you can see other basic phrases in Dutch on these links on our page: