Basic Dutch – Time
Telling the time in Dutch
Knowing how to tell the time in Dutch is useful for appointments, public transport, work schedules and everyday conversations in the Netherlands.
In this guide you will find useful words and expressions for talking about days, weeks, hours and times of day, together with an approximate pronunciation designed for English speakers.
Dutch people often express time differently from English speakers. For example, half twee literally means “half to two” and is used for 1:30.
The pronunciation is only intended as a guide. Some Dutch sounds do not have an exact equivalent in English, so use these transcriptions as a first step and then listen to spoken Dutch.
If you want to start with more general expressions, visit our guide to basic Dutch phrases.
| 🇳🇱 Basic Dutch: choose what you want to learn | |
|---|---|
| I WANT TO LEARN… | GUIDE |
| General phrases | Basic Dutch |
| Ordering food and drinks | Food |
| Shopping and asking prices | Shopping |
| Days and months | Days and months |
| Talking to a doctor | At the doctor |
| Staying at a hotel | Hotel |
| Numbers and quantities | Numbers |
Basic words for talking about time in Dutch
These words are useful when talking about days, weeks and different parts of the day. The pronunciation is approximate and intended to make the Dutch words easier for English speakers to read.
| 🕒 Basic Dutch words about time | ||
|---|---|---|
| ENGLISH | DUTCH | APPROXIMATE PRONUNCIATION |
| Today / Yesterday / Tomorrow | Vandaag / Gisteren / Morgen | Vun-daakh / Khis-tuh-run / Mor-khun |
| This week | Deze week | Day-zuh vayk |
| Last week | Vorige week | Voh-ri-khuh vayk |
| Next week | Volgende week | Vol-khun-duh vayk |
| This morning | Vanochtend | Van-ookh-tunt |
| This afternoon | Vanmiddag | Van-mid-dakh |
| This evening | Vanavond | Van-ah-vont |
| Early / Late | Vroeg / Laat | Vrookh / Laht |
| Later | Later | Lah-ter |
| Second / Minute | Seconde / Minuut | Suh-kon-duh / Mee-nuut |
| One hour / Half an hour | Een uur / Een half uur | Ayn uur / Ayn half uur |
| Week / Month / Year | Week / Maand / Jaar | Vayk / Mahnt / Yahr |
| Midnight | Middernacht | Mid-der-nakht |
How to tell the time in Dutch
Dutch time can seem unusual at first because half hours are expressed in relation to the next hour.
For example, half twee means 1:30, because it is understood as halfway to two. Similarly, half zes means 5:30.
Once you understand this pattern, telling the time in Dutch becomes much easier.
| ⏰ Telling the time in Dutch | ||
|---|---|---|
| ENGLISH | DUTCH | APPROXIMATE PRONUNCIATION |
| One o’clock | Een uur | Ayn uur |
| Ten past one | Tien over een | Teen oh-vur ayn |
| Quarter past one | Kwart over een | Kwart oh-vur ayn |
| Twenty past one | Twintig over een | Twin-tukh oh-vur ayn |
| Half past one | Half twee | Half tway |
| Twenty to two | Twintig voor twee | Twin-tukh fohr tway |
| Quarter to two | Kwart voor twee | Kwart fohr tway |
| Half past five | Half zes | Half zes |
| Seven o’clock | Zeven uur | Zay-vun uur |
Using the 24-hour clock in Dutch
The 24-hour clock is widely used in the Netherlands, especially for public transport, appointments, timetables and written schedules.
You may therefore see times such as 13:00, 16:30 or 20:10 written regularly.
| 🕐 The 24-hour clock in Dutch | ||
|---|---|---|
| TIME | DUTCH | APPROXIMATE PRONUNCIATION |
| 13:00 | Dertien uur | Der-teen uur |
| 16:30 | Zestien uur dertig | Zes-teen uur der-tukh |
| 20:10 | Twintig uur tien | Twin-tukh uur teen |
How to learn Dutch time expressions faster
Learn the half-hour system first: understanding that half twee means 1:30 is one of the most important differences between Dutch and English time expressions.
Practise with real schedules: train times, appointments and opening hours are good opportunities to practise reading Dutch times.
Learn the numbers: knowing Dutch numbers makes telling the time much easier. You can use our guide to numbers in Dutch for extra practice.
Listen to native speakers: the approximate pronunciation can help initially, but listening to real Dutch will help you recognise time expressions much faster.
More Dutch vocabulary and phrases
Continue learning with our vocabulary guides for other everyday situations:
Basic Dutch | Food | Shopping | Days and months | At the doctor | Hotel | Numbers
Want to learn Dutch in Rotterdam?
Learning how to tell the time is useful for everyday life, but if you live in the Netherlands and want to improve your Dutch, you can combine regular practice with classes, NT2 courses and conversation activities.
See our guide to where to learn Dutch in Rotterdam for language schools, courses and other ways to practise Dutch.