Dutch Greetings
Dutch is less formal than German, and the polite form is used more sparingly. Hallo covers most situations, and each entry below notes where it does not.
Arriving
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Hallo
HAH-loh
-
Hello
Works almost everywhere, with almost anyone
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Hoi
hoy
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Hi
Casual. Friends, colleagues, shop staff your own age
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Goedemorgen
khoo-yuh-MOR-khuh
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Good morning
Until about noon
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Goedemiddag
khoo-yuh-MID-dakh
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Good afternoon
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Goedenavond
khoo-yuh-NAH-vont
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Good evening
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Welkom
VEL-kom
-
Welcome
Asking how someone is
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Hoe gaat het?
hoo khaht ut
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How's it going?
The everyday one, and it fits both registers
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Hoe gaat het met u?
hoo khaht ut met uu
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How are you?
Formal, using u
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Alles goed?
AH-luhs khoot
-
All good?
Very common and very casual
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Goed, dank je
khoot dank yuh
-
Good, thanks
dank u in the formal version
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Aangenaam
AHN-khuh-nahm
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Pleased to meet you
Leaving
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Doei
doo-ee
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Bye
The everyday goodbye, informal and friendly
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Dag
dakh
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Bye, hello
Works arriving and leaving, slightly neutral
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Tot ziens
tot zeens
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Goodbye
More formal. Leaving a shop or an office
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Tot straks
tot strahks
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See you later today
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Tot morgen
tot MOR-khuh
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See you tomorrow
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Welterusten
vel-tuh-RUS-tuh
-
Sleep well
Only when someone is going to bed
The u and jij rule, and why it is looser here
U is the formal you and jij or je is the informal one. The split exists exactly as it does in German and French.
The difference is how it is used. The Netherlands leans informal, and jij is normal with shop staff, colleagues and strangers your own age. Reaching for u with someone in their twenties can sound stiff rather than polite.
Keep u for people notably older, for officials, and in writing to someone you do not know.
Belgium is more formal than the Netherlands, and u travels further there.
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