Learning a little bit of Dutch might be helpful during your time in the Leiden region. We share some tips and tricks, as well as useful words!

Translating Dutch with Google Chrome 

One of the first things that will be useful now that you’ve moved to the Netherlands is (if you’re not a native Dutch speaker) to install Google Chrome  to your laptop, tablet and/or phone.  

Once downloaded, enable the Google Translate extension. 

Using Google Chrome, you can translate many web pages automatically into English, or your chosen language. This also works for a variety of attachments, although for text within photos or images, the text will not translate on a web page.  

When you open a webpage written in another language, you should see a pop-up asking to translate the page. You can customise Google Chrome to always translate the language without asking. 

The Chrome mobile app displays a language bar at the bottom of the screen, within settings, to let you quickly switch between English and the original language. 

You can turn this feature on or off – it is on by default. 

Some Government sites and forms may not allow the text to be translated. You can use Google Translate directly to type in the text to help understand it.  

Google Translate can be downloaded on its own to use on your phone and tablet, or accessed via the Google Translate webpage. Simply type in the text and select your language or allow it to detect the language for you. You can also import documents into Google Translate – a very handy function.  

On the Google Translate App you can also instantly translate using the camera function, as well as importing images with text into the App. Try the different functions for a variety of options to convert to your chosen language.  

Other social media sites also provide translation options – look for ‘translate’ at the bottom of messages to click and convert the text to your preferred language. 

Useful Dutch Terms

English Dutch
Charity Shop/Thrift Store Kringloopwinkel
Dentist Tandarts
Doctor (GP) Huisarts
Estate Agent Makelaar
Firestation Brandweer
Hospital Ziekenhuis
Lawyers (Lawyer) Advocaten (Advocaat)
Moving Company Verhuisbedrijf
Notary Notaris
Pharmacy Apotheek
Plumber Loodgieter
Police Politie
Public Transport Openbaar Vervoer (OV)
Rubbish/Garbage Afval
Veterinary Clinic Dierenkliniek
Person paying for their drinks

Daily Dutch Phrases

 

English Dutch
How are you? (informal) Hoe gaat het?
Thank you. Dank u wel / Dank je wel.
How much is it? Hoeveel kost dit?
A bag please. Een tasje alsjeblieft.
Will you pay by cash or card? Wil je pinnen of contant betalen?
With card please. Pinnen, alsjeblieft.
You are welcome. Graag gedaan.
Anything else? Anders nog iets?
Goodbye! Tot ziens!
See you soon! Tot zo!

 

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