Not all words in a language are equal. Most everyday conversations are made of a few hundred basic words and a handful of set phrases. The A1 level of the civic integration exam (inburgering) tests exactly these words. In this article we have grouped the words you will need most in daily life in the Netherlands by topic and added example sentences to each that will also help you in the exam.

How to study: Work on a single topic per session. Say the words out loud, then build an example sentence. The next day, review the same topic. You can study all these words with audio in the word games.

First a small rule: de or het?

Dutch nouns take one of two definite articles: de and het.

Most words take de: de man, de vrouw, de stad.
About one third take het: het huis, het kind, het werk.
Plurals always take de: het huis → de huizen.
Diminutives ending in -je always take het: het huisje (little house).

So learn every new word together with its article. Memorize het huis, not huis.

1. Greetings and politeness

Dutch	English
Hallo / Hoi	Hello / Hi
Goedemorgen	Good morning
Goedemiddag	Good afternoon
Goedenavond	Good evening
Dag / Doei	Bye
Tot ziens	See you
Dank je wel / Dank u wel	Thank you (informal / formal)
Alsjeblieft / Alstublieft	Please; here you are (informal / formal)
Graag gedaan	You're welcome
Sorry / Pardon	Sorry / Excuse me

Example: Goedemorgen! Een brood, alstublieft. – Good morning! One loaf of bread, please.

Je or u? Je/jij (you, informal) is used among friends, family and young people; u (you, formal) in formal situations, with older people and with people you do not know. Be ready to see u in the exam and at official institutions.

2. Question words

Dutch	English	Example
wat	what	Wat is je naam?
wie	who	Wie is dat?
waar	where	Waar woon je?
waar … vandaan	where from	Waar kom je vandaan?
wanneer	when	Wanneer begint de les?
hoe	how	Hoe gaat het?
hoe laat	what time	Hoe laat is het?
hoeveel	how many / how much	Hoeveel kost dit?
waarom	why	Waarom ben je moe?
welke	which	Welke bus gaat naar het station?

3. Family and people

Dutch	English
de man / de vrouw	man; husband / woman; wife
de partner	partner, spouse
het kind / de kinderen	child / children
de vader / de moeder	father / mother
de ouders	parents
de zoon / de dochter	son / daughter
de broer / de zus	brother / sister
de familie	family, relatives
de buren	neighbors
de vriend / de vriendin	friend; boyfriend / girlfriend

Example: Ik heb twee kinderen: een zoon en een dochter.

4. Home and housing

Dutch	English
het huis	house, home
het appartement / de flat	apartment / flat
de keuken	kitchen
de slaapkamer	bedroom
de woonkamer	living room
de badkamer / de wc	bathroom / toilet
de huur	rent
de verhuurder	landlord
verhuizen	to move house
het afval	waste, garbage

Example: Mijn huis heeft twee slaapkamers en een kleine keuken.

5. Time and days

Dutch	English
vandaag / morgen / gisteren	today / tomorrow / yesterday
de dag / de week / de maand / het jaar	day / week / month / year
’s ochtends / ’s middags / ’s avonds	in the morning / in the afternoon / in the evening
maandag, dinsdag, woensdag	Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
donderdag, vrijdag, zaterdag, zondag	Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
het weekend	weekend
vroeg / laat	early / late
altijd / vaak / soms / nooit	always / often / sometimes / never

Careful: Half vier is not “half past four” but half past three (half an hour before four). In Dutch, “half” refers to the coming hour.

6. Official matters and the municipality

Dutch	English
de gemeente	municipality
de afspraak	appointment
het formulier	form
invullen	to fill in (a form)
het paspoort	passport
het identiteitsbewijs	identity document
het adres	address
de handtekening	signature
aanvragen	to apply for
de brief	letter

Example: Ik wil een afspraak maken bij de gemeente. – I want to make an appointment at the municipality.

These words will be very useful in your first weeks after settling in the Netherlands. See the first 90 days after moving to the Netherlands.

7. Health

Dutch	English
de huisarts	family doctor (GP)
ziek / gezond	ill / healthy
de pijn	pain
de koorts	fever
het medicijn	medicine
de apotheek	pharmacy
het ziekenhuis	hospital
de tandarts	dentist
de zorgverzekering	health insurance

Example: Ik heb pijn in mijn buik. Ik bel de huisarts. – I have a stomachache. I'm calling the family doctor.

8. Shopping and money

Dutch	English
de supermarkt	supermarket
de winkel	shop
boodschappen doen	to do the (grocery) shopping
kopen / betalen	to buy / to pay
duur / goedkoop	expensive / cheap
de prijs	price
de kassa	checkout, cash register
pinnen / de pinpas	to pay by card / debit card
de korting / de aanbieding	discount / special offer
de bon	receipt

Example: Kan ik pinnen? – Can I pay by card?

9. Transport

Dutch	English
de fiets	bicycle
de bus / de trein / de tram	bus / train / tram
het station	station
de halte	stop
de OV-chipkaart	public transport card
inchecken / uitchecken	to check in / check out (tap your card)
links / rechts / rechtdoor	left / right / straight ahead
dichtbij / ver	nearby / far

Example: Welke bus gaat naar het ziekenhuis?

10. Work

Dutch	English
het werk	work
werken	to work
de baan	job, position
de collega	colleague
de baas / de leidinggevende	boss / manager
het salaris	salary
solliciteren	to apply for a job
het contract	contract
parttime / fulltime	part-time / full-time

15 life-saving phrases

These sentences will help you again and again, both in the exam and in daily life:

Ik heet … – My name is …
Ik kom uit Turkije. – I'm from Turkey.
Ik woon in … – I live in …
Ik spreek een beetje Nederlands. – I speak a little Dutch.
Kunt u dat herhalen, alstublieft? – Could you repeat that, please?
Kunt u langzaam praten? – Could you speak slowly?
Ik begrijp het niet. – I don't understand.
Wat betekent dat? – What does that mean?
Hoeveel kost dit? – How much is this?
Ik wil graag … – I would like …
Mag ik …? – May I …? (permission)
Waar is …? – Where is …?
Ik heb een afspraak om tien uur. – I have an appointment at ten o'clock.
Ik voel me niet goed. – I don't feel well.
Tot morgen! – See you tomorrow!

The most effective way to learn words

A little, but every day: 10–15 new words a day is enough; what matters is to review yesterday's words too.
Learn them in a sentence: Instead of de afspraak on its own, learn the sentence Ik heb een afspraak bij de huisarts.
Learn them with audio: Reading and hearing a word at the same time leaves a double trace in your memory.
Make it a game: Flashcards, matching and fill-in-the-blank make reviewing less boring. In our word games, 1000 basic words await you in 6 different games, with audio. You can save the words you do not know and study them separately later.

Frequently asked questions

How many words do I need to know for the exam?

For A1 level, 500–1000 basic words are generally considered enough. The words and phrases in this article make up an important part of that.

If I mix up de and het, will people not understand me?

They will understand you. Saying de huis is a mistake, but your sentence is still understandable. Even so, learning the articles correctly from the start saves you a lot of time later.

Is it a good idea to write down words the way they sound in English?

It can help at the beginning, but do not make it a permanent habit. Dutch sounds cannot be written exactly with English spelling. Instead, listen to the word and repeat it; our pronunciation guide shows you how.

Today's goal: pick one topic, learn 10 words and play a round in the word games.