Dutch comma rules explained, with clear examples

Dutch commas are less strict than English ones and less strict than German ones. Many comma rules in Dutch are really about pauses: if you would naturally pause when reading the sentence aloud, a comma is often right. But there are also a few firm rules, especially around clauses, numbers and emails, and some typical mistakes that English speakers make. This guide gives you both: the firm rules and the "pause principle" for the rest.

The basic principle: commas mark pauses and boundaries

Dutch style guides describe the comma as a sign for a short pause or a boundary in the sentence. That gives you a lot of freedom. Compare:

• Na het eten gingen we wandelen. — After dinner we went for a walk.
• Na het eten, toen iedereen moe was, gingen we wandelen. — After dinner, when everyone was tired, we went for a walk.

The first sentence has no natural pause, so no comma. The second has an inserted clause, so it gets commas on both sides. In general:

• A comma is required where leaving it out would make the sentence hard to read or ambiguous.
• A comma is optional where there's a light pause but the meaning is clear.
• A comma is wrong where it cuts a sentence in illogical places, for example between the subject and its verb.

Main clause and subordinate clause

This is the rule you'll use most. A subordinate clause starts with a word like als, omdat, toen, dat, terwijl, nadat or hoewel and has its verb at the end. See Dutch conjunctions for the full list.

Subordinate clause first: use a comma

When the sentence starts with the subordinate clause, put a comma after it. You'll see that two verbs now meet, the last verb of the subordinate clause and the first verb of the main clause, and the comma separates them.

• Als het regent, blijf ik thuis. — If it rains, I'll stay home.
• Omdat de trein te laat was, kwam ik te laat op mijn werk. — Because the train was late, I was late for work.
• Toen ik thuiskwam, was iedereen al weg. — When I came home, everyone had already left.

Tip: a reliable trick: when two conjugated verbs stand next to each other (regent, blijf), put a comma between them.

Very short sentences sometimes leave it out, but as a learner, always using it is the safe choice.

Main clause first: often no comma

When the main clause comes first, a comma is usually not needed, especially when the subordinate clause is essential to the meaning.

• Ik blijf thuis als het regent. — I'll stay home if it rains.
• Ze is blij dat je komt. — She's happy that you're coming.
• Ik weet niet of hij thuis is. — I don't know whether he's home.

A comma is possible when there's a clear pause, for example before omdat, hoewel or terwijl when the clause adds extra information or a contrast:

• Ik ga morgen fietsen, hoewel het misschien regent. — I'm going cycling tomorrow, although it might rain.

Never before dat in a normal sentence

English speakers rarely make this mistake, but German speakers do: there is no comma before dat when it introduces what someone thinks or says.

• Wrong: Ik denk, dat hij komt.
• Right: Ik denk dat hij komt. — I think he's coming.

Relative clauses: two kinds

A relative clause starting with die, dat or waar… can be essential (it identifies which person or thing) or extra (it just adds information).

• Essential, no commas around it: De man die naast ons woont, is arts. — The man who lives next to us is a doctor.
• Extra information, commas on both sides: Mijn broer, die in Gent woont, komt morgen. — My brother, who lives in Ghent, is coming tomorrow.

Notice the comma after woont in the first example. It's not there because of the relative clause itself but because two verbs meet (woont, is). Many writers put it there to help the reader; it's recommended, not strictly required. In the second example the commas change the meaning: I have one brother, and by the way he lives in Ghent. See relative pronouns for more.

Maar, want, dus, en and of

These coordinating words connect two main clauses.

Two details:

• Dus is also an adverb meaning "so, therefore" inside a sentence. Then there's no comma: We blijven dus binnen. — So we're staying inside. When dus is followed by inversion, as in Het regent, dus blijven we binnen, that's also correct Dutch.
• Before en you can add a comma when the sentence is long or when the second part has a new subject and could be misread: Ik bel mijn moeder, en mijn zus stuurt een kaart. — I'll call my mother, and my sister will send a card.

Lists: no comma before en

In a list, use commas between the items, but normally not before the last en or of. Dutch generally doesn't use the Oxford comma.

• We kopen brood, kaas, melk en eieren. — We're buying bread, cheese, milk and eggs.
• Wil je thee, koffie of water? — Would you like tea, coffee or water?

You can add a comma before en when it prevents confusion, for instance when an item itself contains en: Op het menu staan soep, vis met friet, en appeltaart met slagroom. — On the menu are soup, fish with chips, and apple pie with cream.

With adjectives in a row, use a comma when they're equal and you could put en between them: een lange, koude winter — a long, cold winter.

Inserted phrases, names and interjections

Anything that's "extra" in the middle of a sentence gets commas on both sides:

• Amsterdam, de hoofdstad van Nederland, is erg druk. — Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, is very busy.
• Mijn buurman is, denk ik, op vakantie. — My neighbour is, I think, on holiday.

Use a comma after or around a person you address and after words like ja, nee, nou and o:

• Jan, kom je eten? — Jan, are you coming to eat?
• Ja, dat klopt. — Yes, that's right.
• Nee, dank je. — No, thank you.

Numbers, dates and emails

Decimal comma

This is the one English speakers get wrong most often. Dutch uses a comma for decimals and a dot (or space) for thousands, the opposite of English.

More on this in Dutch addresses and numbers.

Dates and places

In a letter heading, put a comma between the place and the date: Utrecht, 15 oktober 2026. Inside a sentence, a date has no commas: Op 15 oktober 2026 begint de cursus. — The course starts on 15 October 2026.

Emails and letters

Put a comma after the greeting and start the next line with a capital letter:

• Beste Sanne, — Dear Sanne,
• Geachte heer De Vries, — Dear Mr De Vries,

At the end, a comma after the closing formula is optional and often left out: Met vriendelijke groet followed by your name on the next line. See Dutch emails for complete templates.

Common mistakes

• Comma between subject and verb. Wrong: Mijn zus en haar man, wonen in Leiden. Right: Mijn zus en haar man wonen in Leiden. — My sister and her husband live in Leiden.
• Comma before dat. Wrong: Hij zegt, dat het klopt. Right: Hij zegt dat het klopt. — He says it's right.
• Missing comma after a subordinate clause. Wrong: Als je klaar bent kun je even komen. Right: Als je klaar bent, kun je even komen. — When you're done, you can come over.
• Decimal point instead of comma. Wrong: € 4.95 in a Dutch price. Right: € 4,95.
• Oxford comma by habit. Not wrong, but unusual: write rood, wit en blauw, not rood, wit, en blauw.

Quick summary

• Many Dutch commas follow the pause principle: use one where you'd naturally pause, and never where it splits subject and verb.
• Subordinate clause first: use a comma (Als het regent, blijf ik thuis). When two verbs meet, separate them.
• Main clause first: usually no comma, and never before dat.
• Extra-information relative clauses and inserted phrases get commas on both sides.
• Comma before maar, want and clause-linking dus; usually none before en and of.
• No comma before the last en in a list.
• Decimals use a comma (€ 2,50), thousands a dot (10.000).
• Emails: Beste Sanne, and then a capital on the next line.

Practise it

Connect clauses with the right words and commas in Connectors, write a correctly punctuated message in Formal email, and get used to decimal commas and prices in Numbers.