Dutch Numbers: Complete Guide to Counting in Dutch
Whether you're shopping at a market in Amsterdam or telling someone your age, knowing how to learn Dutch numbers is essential for everyday communication. This comprehensive guide covers all the Dutch words for numbers you'll need, from basic counting to complex expressions.
Essential Numbers Vocabulary
Let's start with the core Dutch words for numbers that every learner needs to master. Dutch numbers follow a logical pattern, though some formations may surprise English speakers.
| Word | Pronunciation | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| nul | nuhl | zero | De temperatuur is nul graden. (The temperature is zero degrees.) |
| een | ayn | one | Ik heb één broer. (I have one brother.) |
| twee | tvay | two | Er zijn twee katten in de tuin. (There are two cats in the garden.) |
| drie | dree | three | Ik wil drie broodjes. (I want three sandwiches.) |
| vier | feer | four | De vergadering is om vier uur. (The meeting is at four o'clock.) |
| vijf | vayf | five | Ik werk vijf dagen per week. (I work five days per week.) |
| zes | zes | six | Er zitten zes eieren in de doos. (There are six eggs in the box.) |
| zeven | ZAY-vun | seven | De week heeft zeven dagen. (The week has seven days.) |
| acht | ahkht | eight | Mijn zoon is acht jaar oud. (My son is eight years old.) |
| negen | NAY-khun | nine | De trein vertrekt om negen uur. (The train leaves at nine o'clock.) |
| tien | teen | ten | Ik heb tien euro. (I have ten euros.) |
| elf | elf | eleven | Het is elf graden buiten. (It's eleven degrees outside.) |
| twaalf | tvahf | twelve | We eten om twaalf uur. (We eat at twelve o'clock.) |
| dertien | DEHR-teen | thirteen | Vrijdag de dertiende is morgen. (Friday the thirteenth is tomorrow.) |
| twintig | TVIN-tikh | twenty | Ik ben twintig jaar oud. (I am twenty years old.) |
| dertig | DEHR-tikh | thirty | Er zijn dertig studenten in de klas. (There are thirty students in the class.) |
| honderd | HON-duhrt | hundred | Het boek kost honderd euro. (The book costs one hundred euros.) |
| duizend | DOW-zunt | thousand | Amsterdam heeft duizenden fietsen. (Amsterdam has thousands of bicycles.) |
Common Phrases with Numbers
Once you learn Dutch numbers, you'll want to use them in everyday expressions. Here are essential phrases that combine numbers with practical situations.
| Word | Pronunciation | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoeveel kost het? | HOO-fayl kost uht | How much does it cost? | Hoeveel kost het? Vijf euro. (How much does it cost? Five euros.) |
| het nummer | hut NUH-mur | the number | Wat is je telefoonnummer? (What is your phone number?) |
| de helft | duh helft | half | Ik wil de helft, alsjeblieft. (I want half, please.) |
| een kwart | un kvart | a quarter | Het is kwart over drie. (It's quarter past three.) |
| anderhalf | AN-dur-half | one and a half | De reis duurt anderhalf uur. (The trip takes one and a half hours.) |
| de eerste | duh AYR-stuh | the first | Dit is mijn eerste keer in Nederland. (This is my first time in the Netherlands.) |
| de tweede | duh TWAY-duh | the second | Neem de tweede straat links. (Take the second street on the left.) |
| een paar | un pahr | a couple/a few | Ik heb een paar vragen. (I have a couple of questions.) |
Usage Notes
When you learn Dutch numbers, there are several important grammatical and cultural points to keep in mind:
- Reverse order for compound numbers: In Dutch, numbers between 21-99 are formed by saying the ones digit first, then the tens. For example, 25 is vijfentwintig (literally "five and twenty"), similar to old English "four and twenty blackbirds."
- The written accent on één: When "one" stands alone as a number (not as the article "a/an"), it's written with an accent: één. This distinguishes it from the article een.
- Decimal notation: The Dutch use a comma where English uses a decimal point: 3,5 (three and a half) instead of 3.5. Conversely, they use periods for thousands: 1.000 means one thousand.
- Time telling: The Dutch tell time using "half" to mean "half before" the next hour. So half drie means 2:30 (half to three), not 3:30!
- Phone numbers: Dutch people typically read phone numbers in pairs: 06-12-34-56-78 would be nul zes, twaalf, vierendertig, zesenvijftig, achtenzeventig.
- Ordinal numbers: Most ordinals add -de or -ste to the cardinal number: vierde (fourth), twintigste (twentieth). Note that eerste (first) and derde (third) are irregular.
Practice Sentences
Put your knowledge of Dutch words for numbers into practice with these example sentences. Try reading them aloud to improve your pronunciation.
- Ik heb drieëntwintig boeken op mijn plank. — I have twenty-three books on my shelf.
- De supermarkt is over vijfhonderd meter aan de rechterkant. — The supermarket is five hundred meters ahead on the right.
- Mijn verjaardag is op de zeventiende mei. — My birthday is on the seventeenth of May.
- We hebben twee en een half uur gewacht. — We waited two and a half hours.
- Er wonen bijna achttien miljoen mensen in Nederland. — Almost eighteen million people live in the Netherlands.
- Het is half acht, tijd voor het avondeten. — It's 7:30, time for dinner.
- Ik zou graag vier kaartjes willen voor de voorstelling van acht uur. — I would like four tickets for the eight o'clock show.
- Dit gebouw heeft vijfendertig verdiepingen. — This building has thirty-five floors.
- De eerste drie antwoorden zijn correct. — The first three answers are correct.
- Mag ik anderhalve kilo appels? — May I have one and a half kilos of apples?
Mastering Dutch numbers takes practice, but once you learn Dutch numbers thoroughly, you'll find countless opportunities to use them in daily conversation. From telling time to shopping to discussing ages and dates, numbers are fundamental to communication in any language.