The 100 most useful Dutch words for beginners

You don't need thousands of words to start speaking Dutch. A small core of very common words appears in almost every sentence you'll hear: pronouns, a handful of verbs, question words and the little words that glue everything together. Learn these 100 and you can already build hundreds of simple sentences.

This isn't an official frequency ranking. It's a practical list of the words that beginners need most, grouped by theme so they're easier to learn. Nouns are listed with their article, because you should always learn the two together (see de or het).

Pronouns (10)

The short forms je, ze and we are what you'll hear most in normal speech. The long forms are for emphasis. For the difference between jij and u, see formal and informal you.

• Ik ben Sarah en dit is mijn broer. — I'm Sarah and this is my brother.
• Komen jullie ook? — Are you (all) coming too?

Verbs (20)

Zijn, hebben, gaan and komen are irregular, so learn their present tense first:

• Ik ben moe. — I'm tired.
• Heb je tijd? — Do you have time?
• We gaan naar huis. — We're going home.
• Ik woon in Amsterdam en ik werk in Utrecht. — I live in Amsterdam and I work in Utrecht.
• Spreekt u Engels? — Do you speak English?

The four modal verbs (kunnen, willen, moeten, mogen) are especially handy, because you can combine them with any other verb: Ik wil koffie drinken. — I want to drink coffee. More in modal verbs.

Question words (8)

• Wat is dat? — What is that?
• Waar is het station? — Where is the station?
• Hoeveel kost dit? — How much does this cost?
• Welke trein gaat naar Den Haag? — Which train goes to The Hague?

Use welk with singular het words (welk huis) and welke with everything else (welke straat, welke huizen). See asking questions.

Small words (20)

These words are short, but they carry a lot of weight.

Two pairs need special attention:

• Niet or geen? Use geen before a noun with een or no article, and niet for everything else: Ik heb geen auto. — I don't have a car. Ik ben niet moe. — I'm not tired. See niet or geen.
• Want or omdat? Both mean "because", but they change word order differently: Ik blijf thuis, want ik ben ziek. — I'm staying home, because I'm ill. Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ziek ben. — I'm staying home because I'm ill.

And two little favourites: nog (Nog een koffie, graag. — Another coffee, please.) and al (Ben je al klaar? — Are you done already?).

Nouns (20)

Watch out: vriend also means "boyfriend", and vriendin means both "female friend" and "girlfriend". Context decides.

• Het kind speelt in de straat. — The child is playing in the street.
• Ik ga met de fiets naar mijn werk. — I cycle to work.
• Het eten is klaar. — The food is ready.

Adjectives (12)

Lekker is used for much more than food: lekker weer (nice weather), lekker slapen (sleep well). Leuk is the all-purpose "nice, fun": Leuk je te ontmoeten! — Nice to meet you!

Before a noun, most adjectives get an -e: een mooie stad, de grote winkel. But not after een with a het word: een groot huis. See adjective endings.

Time words (10)

• Ik heb nu geen tijd. Straks? — I don't have time now. Later?
• Ik fiets altijd naar mijn werk. — I always cycle to work.
• Morgen werk ik niet. — I'm not working tomorrow.

Notice the last example: when a sentence starts with a time word, the verb comes second and the subject moves after it. More in Dutch word order and days and months.

Putting the words together

With only words from this page, you can already say a lot:

• Waar woon je? — Where do you live?
• Ik woon nu in een klein huis in de stad. — I now live in a small house in the city.
• Wanneer ga je naar huis? — When are you going home?
• Ik heb geen geld, maar ik wil wel eten. — I don't have any money, but I do want to eat.
• Mijn vriend werkt vandaag ook. — My friend is working today too.

Tip: Don't learn words as isolated items. Make a short sentence about your own life with each new word and say it out loud. A word you've used once in your own sentence sticks much better than one you've read ten times.

Quick summary

• Start with pronouns, zijn, hebben, gaan, komen and the four modal verbs.
• Learn the eight question words: wat, wie, waar, wanneer, waarom, hoe, welk(e), hoeveel.
• Master the small words, especially niet/geen and want/omdat.
• Always learn nouns with de or het.
• Lekker and leuk are everyday favourites for "nice".
• A time word at the start of the sentence pushes the verb before the subject.

Practise it

Learn the key verbs in Common verbs, practise question words in Questions, and use your first pronouns and verbs in Introducing yourself.