Translate Dutch to English
Dutch text appears in shipping documents from Rotterdam, emails from Amsterdam agencies, Belgian government forms, product descriptions on Bol.com, and messages from friends and family in the Low Countries. Paste your Dutch text above and the English translation will appear instantly. You can listen to the result or copy it for use elsewhere.
Common Dutch to English translations
| Dutch | English | Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hallo | Hello | heh-LOH | ||
| Goedemorgen | Good morning | good MOR-ning | ||
| Dank u wel | Thank you | thank yoo | ||
| Alstublieft | Please | pleez | ||
| Hoeveel kost dit? | How much is this? | how much iz this | ||
| Waar is het station? | Where is the station? | wehr iz thuh STAY-shun | ||
| Ik begrijp het niet | I do not understand | ay doo not un-der-STAND | ||
| Kunt u mij helpen? | Can you help me? | kan yoo help mee | ||
| Ik wil graag een koffie | I would like a coffee | ay wood lyk uh KAW-fee | ||
| De rekening, alstublieft | The bill, please | thuh bil pleez | ||
| Aangenaam | Nice to meet you | nys too meet yoo | ||
| Tot ziens | Goodbye | good-BY | ||
| Ik heb een dokter nodig | I need a doctor | ay need uh DOK-ter | ||
| Pardon | Excuse me | eks-KYOOZ mee |
Tips for Dutch to English translation
Dutch separable verbs split in half during sentence construction. Opbellen (to call) becomes Ik bel je op (I call you up), with the prefix landing at the end of the clause. When translating to English, these split pieces need to be reunited. If a Dutch sentence has a stray preposition at the end, it likely belongs to a separable verb earlier in the sentence.
Diminutives are everywhere in Dutch. Adding -je, -tje, or -pje to a noun makes it smaller or cuter: huis (house) becomes huisje (little house), boek (book) becomes boekje (booklet). English sometimes has equivalents (“doggy,” “booklet”) but often the diminutive meaning is lost. If a translation seems to miss a nuance of smallness or affection, check for a diminutive suffix in the original.
Dutch er has multiple functions that all translate differently into English. It can mean “there” (er is een probleem = there is a problem), refer to a previously mentioned thing (ik heb er twee = I have two of them), or serve as a grammatical placeholder. Translators sometimes misidentify which er function is being used, leading to odd English phrasing.
The double vowels in Dutch (aa, ee, oo, uu) represent long vowel sounds, while single vowels in closed syllables are short. Man (man) vs. maan (moon), bos (forest) vs. boos (angry). The translator handles meaning correctly, but if you are reading the Dutch text aloud, this vowel length distinction matters for being understood.
About the Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language with about 25 million native speakers, primarily in the Netherlands and the Flanders region of Belgium. It serves as the basis for Afrikaans (spoken in South Africa and Namibia), which evolved from 17th-century Dutch settlers. Dutch is also an official language in Suriname and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten.
The Dutch Golden Age (17th century) made Dutch a language of trade, science, and art across the world. Dutch traders and colonists carried the language to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Brazil, leaving traces in local vocabularies. Today, Dutch remains an important business language within the European Union, and the Netherlands ranks consistently among the top trading nations globally.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Unlimited, no account required, completely free.
Yes. The tool handles both Netherlands Dutch and Belgian (Flemish) Dutch. Written Dutch is standardized across both countries.
Yes. Click the speaker icon next to any phrase.
Both languages evolved from the same West Germanic ancestor. They share hundreds of cognates and similar grammar structures. Dutch is considered the closest major relative of English.
For general comprehension it works well. For sworn translations, notarized documents, or regulatory filings, hire a certified translator.
Dutch has verbs that split into two parts in certain sentence structures. The prefix separates and moves to the end of the clause. This is normal grammar, not a translation error.
This page handles Dutch to English. Visit our English to Dutch translation page for the reverse.
No. Afrikaans is a separate language. While it evolved from Dutch, modern Afrikaans has distinct grammar and vocabulary.
No. Everything is processed in real time and deleted immediately.
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