How to say 'like' in Dutch (graag, leuk vinden, houden van and more)

English does a lot with one little word. You like swimming, you'd like a coffee, your new job is going well, you look like your mother, and, like, everything is like something. Dutch splits all of this over a whole set of words and phrases. That sounds like more work, but each one is simple, and choosing the right one makes your Dutch sound instantly more natural.

Liking to do something: graag

The most common way to say you like doing something is to add graag to the verb. There is no separate verb for "like"; you just say you do it gladly.

• Ik lees graag. — I like reading.
• We fietsen graag. — We like cycling.
• Ik kook niet graag. — I don't like cooking.
• Speel je graag tennis? — Do you like playing tennis?

Graag comes right after the conjugated verb (and after a pronoun object like het), not before it. So it's Ik zwem graag, never Wrong: Ik graag zwem.

To say what you like more or most, use liever and het liefst:

• Ik drink liever thee. — I prefer tea.
• Ik ga het liefst met de fiets. — I like going by bike best.

And when you'd like something, use graag with willen, or the more polite zou … willen:

• Ik wil graag een kopje koffie. — I'd like a cup of coffee.
• Ik zou graag een tafel willen reserveren. — I'd like to book a table.

Liking things: leuk, lekker, mooi vinden

To give your opinion about something, Dutch uses vinden + an adjective. The adjective tells you which kind of "like" you mean.

Notice the word order: the object comes before the adjective, which goes near the end.

• Vind je het leuk? — Do you like it?
• Ik vind het leuk om te dansen. — I like dancing.

After a meal, you'll also hear smaken: Smaakt het? — Do you like it? / Is it good? The answer: Ja, het smaakt heerlijk! — Yes, it's delicious!

Liking a lot: houden van and gek zijn op

Houden van is "to love" or "to really like". With things and activities it's perfectly normal:

• Ik hou van koffie. — I love coffee.
• Ze houdt van wandelen. — She loves walking.

Both hou and houd are correct after ik; hou is more common in speech.

With people, though, houden van means romantic or family love. Ik hou van je is "I love you". So if you just like your colleague, don't say Ik hou van mijn collega, unless you want to start a very awkward conversation.

For enthusiasm, use gek zijn op (to be crazy about):

• Mijn dochter is gek op paarden. — My daughter is crazy about horses.

Liking people: mogen

To say you like a person, use mogen. It usually comes with wel, which softens it to "I quite like".

• Ik mag hem wel. — I quite like him.
• Ik mag haar niet zo. — I don't really like her.
• Mag je je nieuwe buren? — Do you like your new neighbours?

You can also say Ik vind hem aardig (I think he's nice). Mogen is about liking someone as a person; it never means love. For its other meaning, "may", see Dutch modal verbs.

How do you like it? bevallen

Bevallen is used to ask how someone likes something new: a job, a house, a course. Note that the thing is the subject, and the person is the object.

• Hoe bevalt je nieuwe baan? — How do you like your new job?
• Het bevalt me goed. — I like it a lot.
• Het nieuwe huis is ons goed bevallen. — We really liked the new house.

Fun fact: bevallen also means "to give birth". Ze is gisteren bevallen van een dochter. — She gave birth to a daughter yesterday. The context always makes it clear.

Feeling like it: zin hebben in

"I feel like…" or "I fancy…" is zin hebben in + a noun, or zin hebben om te + a verb:

• Ik heb zin in een ijsje. — I feel like an ice cream.
• Heb je zin om mee te gaan? — Do you feel like coming along?
• Ik heb er geen zin in. — I don't feel like it.

Ik heb er zin in! is also what you say when you're looking forward to something: I'm really looking forward to it!

Like = similar to: zoals, als, lijken op, eruitzien als

When "like" means "in the same way as" or "similar to", you need a completely different set of words.

zoals comes before a clause or a list of examples:

• Zoals ik al zei, kom ik morgen. — Like I said, I'm coming tomorrow.
• Doe het zoals ik. — Do it like me.
• Steden zoals Utrecht en Leiden zijn duur. — Cities like Utrecht and Leiden are expensive.

als compares with a noun or pronoun, very often in the fixed phrase net als (just like):

• Net als jij woon ik in Utrecht. — Like you, I live in Utrecht.
• Ze zingt als een engel. — She sings like an angel.

lijken op means to look like or resemble someone. Don't forget op:

• Je lijkt op je moeder. — You look like your mother.
• Hij lijkt op zijn broer. — He looks like his brother.

eruitzien als describes appearance; eruitzien is a separable verb:

• Het ziet eruit als een kerk. — It looks like a church.
• Hoe ziet hij eruit? — What does he look like?

Without als, you add an adjective: Dat ziet er lekker uit! — That looks tasty!

And the filler "like" in casual English ("he was like, what?")? Young Dutch speakers use zo van: En hij zo van: wat doe jij hier? — And he was like: what are you doing here?

Common mistakes

About liken: you can say Ik heb je foto geliket (I liked your photo) when talking about social media, but for liking things in real life, stick with the options above.

Quick summary

• Like doing: verb + graag: Ik zwem graag. Prefer: liever, het liefst.
• Like things: leuk / lekker / mooi vinden: Ik vind het leuk.
• Love things: houden van, gek zijn op. With people, houden van means love.
• Like people: mogen: Ik mag hem wel.
• How do you like it: Hoe bevalt het?
• Feel like: zin hebben in: Ik heb zin in koffie.
• Similar to: zoals (clause, examples), net als (noun, pronoun), lijken op (resemble), eruitzien als (look like).

Practise it

Talk about what you like doing in Hobbies, give your opinion with vinden in Opinions, and practise lekker vinden in Food.