Dutch for Beginners: Basic Vocabulary

The following words are indispensable if you want to understand Dutch. They are "building blocks" that are used over and again!

Belangrijke woorden Important words
Een A
Indefinite article, singular (as in English, no article is used for the plural indefinite form). E.g., "een kind" = "a child"; "kinderen" = "children".
Het The
Definite article, singular; used with a limited group of nouns. E.g., "het kind" = "the child".
De The
Definite article, used for the singular form of all other nouns, as well as the plural form of all nouns that can have an article. E.g., het kind, but "de kinderen" = "the children".
En And
Of Or
Omdat Because
Ondanks In spite of
Daarom Therefore
Alle, allemaal All 
Elke Every
Iedereen Everyone
Wie? Who?
Wat? What?
Waar? Where?
Waarom? Why?
Hoe? How?
Ik I
Jij You
U You (polite form, singular or plural)
Hij He
Zij (1) She
Wij We
Jullie You (plural)
Zij (2) They
Mijn My
Jouw Your
Uw Your (polite form, singular or plural)
Zijn His
Haar Her
Ons Our
Jullie Your (plural)
Hun Their
Omhoog Up
Omlaag Down
Links Left
Rechts Right
Binnen Inside
Buiten Outside
Voor (1) In front of
Achter Behind
Naast Next to
Bij Near
Naar Towards
Vanaf Away from; or: Starting at
Eerste First
Laatste Last
Voor (2), or: Voordat Before
Na, or:
Nadat After
Veel Much; many
Weinig Little; few
Meer More
Minder Less
Meest Most
Minst Least
Met With
Zonder Without

Dutch for Beginners: Food
The following words are used to talk about food, eating and drinking in Dutch:

Voedsel (*) Food
Eten To eat; food
Maaltijd Meal
Ontbijt (*) Breakfast
Lunch Lunch
Diner (*), avondeten (*) Dinner
Brood (*) Bread
Kaas Cheese
Boter Butter
Ei (*), eieren Egg, eggs
Mes (*) Knife
Vork Fork
Lepel Spoon
Kopje (*) Cup
Schotel Saucer
Bord (*) Plate
Glas (*) Glass
Thee Tea
Koffie Coffee
Melk Milk
Water (*) Water
Groente Vegetables
Fruit (*) Fruit
Vlees (*) Meat
Sinaasappel Orange
Appel Apple
Peer Pear
Banaan Banana
Aardappel Potato
Sla Lettuce
Salade Salad
Biefstuk Steak
Gehakt (*) Meat loaf
IJs (*) Ice cream
Koken To boil; to cook
Bakken To fry
Braden To roast
In het restaurant In the restaurant
Ober Waiter
Heeft u gereserveerd? Did you make reservations?
Eet smakelijk! Enjoy your meal!
Heeft het gesmaakt? Did you enjoy your meal?
Is alles naar wens? Is everything to your satisfaction?
Kan ik afrekenen? Bill/check please!
Accepteert u credit cards? Do you accept credit cards?
Inclusief BTW VAT ("sales tax") included
Fooi Tip, gratuity
Voorgerecht (*) First course
Hoofdgerecht (*) Main course
Nagerecht (*) Dessert
Wijn(-kaart) Wine (list)
Kort gebakken, "saignant" (French word) Rare
Normaal gebakken Medium rare
Goed doorbakken Well-done

NOTE: The definite article for singular nouns marked (*) is "het" (e.g., "het voedsel" = "the food"); the definite article for all other singular nouns is "de" (e.g., "de maaltijd" = "the meal").

The definite article for plural nouns is always "de".

Auto Car
Boot; schip Boat; ship
Fiets Bicycle
Trein Train
Vliegtuig Airplane
File Traffic jam
Snelweg Freeway
Spitsuur, spits Rush hour, peak hour
Station (Railroad) station
Vliegveld Airport
Enkeltje, enkele reis One-way ticket
Retourtje Round-trip
Autoverzekering Auto insurance
Inhalen To pass, overtake
Kenteken License plate
Kentekenbewijs Registration certificate
Maximumsnelheid Speed limit
Ongeluk Accident
Rijbewijs Driver's license
Voorrang Right of way, priority
Wegenwacht cf. AAA road service
Fietsen To ride a bicycle
Rijden To drive
Varen To sail
Vliegen To fly

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