Dutch texting abbreviations: ff, idd, wss and more

You join a Dutch group chat, and suddenly the messages look like a secret code: ff wachten, idd, wss morgen. Don't worry, it's not a new language. Dutch people shorten common words in chats, just like English speakers write "btw" or "idk". Once you know about fifteen abbreviations, most WhatsApp messages become easy to read.

One important warning first: everything in this post is informal. Use it with friends, family and close colleagues in chats. Don't use it in emails to your landlord, your teacher or the gemeente. For those, see our guide to writing emails in Dutch.

The most common abbreviations

These are the ones you'll see every day.

A few of them deserve a closer look.

ff is probably the most famous one. It comes from the way even sounds when you say it fast. Even makes a request softer and friendlier, so you'll see ff everywhere:

• Ik bel je ff. — I'll give you a quick call.
• Kun je ff wachten? — Can you wait a moment?
• Ff checken: morgen om acht? — Just checking: tomorrow at eight?

idd is a quick way to agree:

• Idd, het was echt gezellig! — Exactly, it was really fun!

wss and mss both show uncertainty, but wss (probably) is more sure than mss (maybe):

• Ik kom wss wat later. — I'll probably be a bit late.
• Mss morgen? — Maybe tomorrow?

gwn is used just like the spoken word gewoon, which often means "just" or "simply":

• Doe gwn normaal. — Just act normal.
• Ik blijf gwn thuis vanavond. — I'm just staying home tonight.

vgm introduces an opinion or a guess:

• Vgm is de winkel vandaag dicht. — I think the shop is closed today.

Notice the word order: vgm counts as the first position, so the verb comes straight after it. Chat Dutch still follows normal word order.

Saying hello, thanks and goodbye

Doei is the typical informal goodbye in speech and chats. You can stretch it out for fun: doeiii.

Mvg is a bit different from the rest: you see it mostly at the end of short work emails or messages, not in chats between friends. It still looks informal, so don't use it in a first email to someone you don't know.

English in Dutch chats

Dutch people, especially younger ones, mix plenty of English into their messages. You'll see lol, omg, thx, sorry, nvm (never mind) and btw (by the way) in Dutch chats all the time:

• Lol, echt waar? — Lol, really?
• Nvm, ik heb het al gevonden. — Never mind, I've already found it.
• Btw, heb jij de sleutel? — By the way, do you have the key?

This doesn't mean you can write half your message in English, but these short words are completely normal.

Leaving words out

Chat Dutch doesn't only shorten words; it also drops them. The most common one to disappear is ik, especially at the start of a message:

• Kom zo! — (I'm) coming in a moment!
• Ben er over tien minuten. — (I'll) be there in ten minutes.
• Weet ik niet. — Dunno.
• Heb geen zin. — (I) don't feel like it.

You'll also see the spoken short forms written down, like 'k for ik and 't for het:

• 'k Weet het niet. — I don't know.
• Hoe is 't? — How's it going?

And people tend to use the unstressed je instead of jij, because it's shorter and sounds more natural: Kom je ook? — Are you coming too? Read more about this in our post on formal and informal 'you'.

Hè, toch and other chat words

Dutch chats are full of small words that make a message sound like speech.

• hè / he — "isn't it?", "right?". It asks for agreement. The official spelling is hè, but many people type he. Lekker weer, hè? — Nice weather, isn't it?
• toch — "right?". Je komt toch ook? — You're coming too, right?
• haha, hahaha — the Dutch way to laugh in text.
• jaa, neee — extra letters add emotion: jaaa! sounds excited.
• echt — "really". Echt? — Really? Echt leuk! — Really nice!

These words connect to the bigger topic of modal particles, which make spoken Dutch sound natural.

A real-looking chat

Here is a short WhatsApp chat between two friends, with the full forms.

Emma: Hoi! Heb je zin om zaterdag ff te lunchen?

Tom: Ja, leuk! Wss kan ik pas om één uur.

Emma: Prima. Vgm is dat nieuwe café bij het station leuk.

Tom: Idd, dat heb ik ook gehoord. Ik reserveer zsm.

Emma: Top, thx! Doei xx

In full: Heb je zin om zaterdag even te lunchen? — Do you feel like having lunch on Saturday? Ja, leuk! Waarschijnlijk kan ik pas om één uur. — Yes, nice! I can probably only make it at one. Prima. Volgens mij is dat nieuwe café bij het station leuk. — Fine. I think that new café near the station is nice. Inderdaad, dat heb ik ook gehoord. Ik reserveer zo snel mogelijk. — Indeed, I've heard that too. I'll book as soon as possible. Top, bedankt! Doei. — Great, thanks! Bye.

Tip: Abbreviations are easier to read than to use. Start by recognising them, and only use them yourself when the other person does. If you're not sure, just write the full word: nobody will think it's strange.

Quick summary

• Common chat abbreviations: ff (even), idd (inderdaad), wss (waarschijnlijk), mss (misschien), gwn (gewoon), vgm (volgens mij), wrm (waarom), iig (in ieder geval), zsm (zo snel mogelijk).
• Saying goodbye: doei, tot zo, groetjes, xx.
• English words like lol, thx, nvm and btw are very common.
• People often leave out ik: Kom zo!
• Hè and toch ask for agreement.
• All of this is informal: don't use it in formal emails.

Practise it

Practise informal messages and phone language in On the phone, make plans with friends in Invitations & plans, and chat about your free time in Last weekend.