You see your neighbour in the morning. You walk into a small shop. You meet a new colleague. You leave a friend’s house.
What should you say in Dutch?
You do not need to memorise dozens of expressions. You need to know which greeting fits the moment. In this lesson, you will learn how to greet someone when you arrive, how to say goodbye when you leave, and which expressions sound formal, informal or neutral.
After this lesson, you can:
- greet someone formally or informally;
- choose a greeting for the time of day;
- ask how someone is;
- say goodbye appropriately;
- say when you expect to see someone again.
The safest Dutch greeting
If you are not sure what to say, use hallo.
Hallo is neutral. You can use it with a friend, a neighbour, a colleague, a shop assistant or somebody you are meeting for the first time.
Hallo, Julia.
Hallo, meneer De Vries.
Hallo allemaal. (Hello, everyone.)
You can also use dag as a neutral greeting. Dag can mean both hello and goodbye. The situation makes the meaning clear.
Informal greetings
Use these with friends, family members, children, classmates and colleagues you know well.
| Dutch | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Hoi! | Hi! | A common, friendly greeting |
| Hallo! | Hello! | Neutral and safe in almost every situation |
| Hé! | Hey! | Very informal; use it with someone you know |
| Dag! | Hello! / Bye! | Neutral; the context shows whether you are arriving or leaving |
Hoi, Bram!
Hé, hoe gaat het?
Hallo, fijn je te zien.
Do not use doei when you arrive. Doei means bye and is used when you leave.
Greetings for the time of day
With a stranger, a customer, an older person, a doctor or somebody in a formal setting, you can use a greeting for the time of day.
| Dutch | Meaning | Approximate time |
|---|---|---|
| Goedemorgen | Good morning | From morning until about 12:00 |
| Goedemiddag | Good afternoon | From about 12:00 until about 18:00 |
| Goedenavond | Good evening | From about 18:00 onwards |
The times are useful guides, not strict rules. If it is 17:45, some people may already say goedenavond, while others still say goedemiddag. Nobody is checking the clock.
Goedemorgen, mevrouw.
Goedemiddag, meneer Jansen.
Goedenavond, dokter.
These greetings are polite, but they are not only for formal situations. You can also say goedemorgen to your neighbour, friends or colleagues. It often sounds warm and natural.
Meneer, mevrouw or a first name?
Use meneer for a man and mevrouw for a woman when you want to be polite.
Goedemorgen, meneer.
Goedemiddag, mevrouw.
Hallo, meneer Jansen.
Goedenavond, mevrouw De Vries.
With friends and people who have introduced themselves by their first name, use the first name:
Hoi, Sam.
Hallo, Julia.
In modern Dutch, people often move to first names quickly. If somebody says “Zeg maar Anna”, they are inviting you to call them Anna.
Asking how someone is
After greeting someone you know, you can ask how they are.
| Question | Meaning | Possible answer |
|---|---|---|
| Hoe gaat het? | How are you? | Goed, dank je. En met jou? |
| Hoe is het? | How are things? | Goed! |
| Alles goed? | Everything okay? | Ja, prima. |
| En met jou? | And you? | Ook goed. |
| En met u? | And you? polite | Goed, dank u. |
Use jou/je informally and u politely or formally.
A: Hoi! Hoe gaat het?
B: Goed, dank je. En met jou?
A: Ook goed.
In a shop, at a reception desk or when you pass someone quickly, a greeting is enough. You do not always need to ask Hoe gaat het?
Saying goodbye
The best goodbye depends on the setting and on when you expect to meet again.
Neutral and polite goodbyes
| Dutch | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Tot ziens | Goodbye / See you | Neutral or polite; safe with strangers and in formal situations |
| Dag | Goodbye | Neutral and suitable in many situations |
| Een fijne dag! | Have a nice day! | A friendly goodbye, often used in shops and at work |
| Een fijne avond! | Have a nice evening! | A friendly goodbye in the evening |
Dank u wel. Tot ziens.
Dag, mevrouw.
Een fijne dag nog!
Informal goodbyes
| Dutch | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Doei! | Bye! | Friends, family and informal contacts |
| Doei doei! | Bye-bye! | Warm and very informal |
| Tot later! | See you later! | You expect to meet again later |
| Tot gauw! | See you soon! | You hope to meet again soon |
Doei, Sam!
Tot later!
Bedankt voor de koffie. Tot gauw!
Say when you will meet again
Dutch speakers often use tot + time when saying goodbye.
| Dutch | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Tot zo | See you very soon | You will meet again in a short time |
| Tot straks | See you later | You will meet again later the same day |
| Tot vanmiddag | See you this afternoon | You will meet again that afternoon |
| Tot vanavond | See you this evening | You will meet again that evening |
| Tot morgen | See you tomorrow | You will meet the next day |
| Tot maandag | See you Monday | You will meet on Monday |
| Tot de volgende keer | Until next time | You do not name an exact day |
Back in ten minutes: Tot zo.
Back after lunch: Tot straks.
Back the next morning: Tot morgen.
At the end of a weekly lesson: Tot de volgende keer.
What about goedenacht and welterusten?
Welterusten means sleep well. Say it when somebody is going to bed.
Goedenacht means good night. You may hear it when somebody leaves very late or before sleeping, but it is not the usual evening greeting. When you meet somebody in the evening, say goedenavond, not goedenacht.
| Situation | What to say |
|---|---|
| You arrive at a restaurant at 19:00 | Goedenavond. |
| Your child is going to bed | Welterusten. |
| You leave somebody very late at night | Goedenacht. / Welterusten. |
Which greeting fits the situation?
| Situation | Natural Dutch |
|---|---|
| You see your neighbour at 08:00 | Goedemorgen! |
| You meet a friend | Hoi! / Hé! |
| You enter a small shop | Hallo! / Goedemiddag! |
| You meet a new client at 19:00 | Goedenavond. |
| You leave a shop | Dank u, tot ziens. |
| You leave a friend’s house | Doei! / Tot gauw! |
| You leave work and return tomorrow | Tot morgen! |
| You will meet again in an hour | Tot straks! |
| Someone is going to bed | Welterusten! |
In the Netherlands, people commonly greet others when entering a small shop, a waiting room, an office or another small shared space. A simple hallo, goedemorgen or goedemiddag is enough. When leaving, say dag or tot ziens.
You do not need a perfect sentence. A short greeting shows that you have noticed the other person.
Before you practise
Do not try to memorise every expression at once. Start with four useful choices:
- Hallo when you meet someone;
- Goedemorgen in the morning;
- Doei when you leave someone you know;
- Tot ziens when you want a neutral or polite goodbye.
Then add tot morgen, tot straks and the other expressions when you need them.
Now practise Dutch greetings
Work through the exercises in order. You will begin by recognising the expressions and finish by making complete Dutch sentences yourself.
