Dutch 101 for au pairs

Are you going to be an au pair in the Netherlands (or in Belgium perhaps) for kids who don’t (or barely) speak English?

Then this post is for you!

You might be worried about dealing with the kids if you don’t understand them and they don’t understand you, right? Indeed that is a valid concern!

English is a widely spoken language in the Netherlands, however unless your kids have the parents speaking English to them, have had au pairs before who spoke English or are older (thus already learning it at school), chances are they don’t speak or understand English too well.

Although there are other ways of communicating and this normally is not a huge barrier, there are times that the language gap can become annoying and stressful – both for you and for the kids! Knowing some basics will help the routine run smoother and most likely help you establish a bond with your kids more easily. 

Even if you start a Dutch language course right away, chances are that what you are learning there won’t be helpful with the kids. That’s why I’ve compiled this list of words, expressions and short phrases more related to children’s world and your routine as an au pair. 

The list is extensive, so focus on what can apply most to your kids and daily life.

Ben jij klaar? Let’s go!

Words with an asterisk* are written the same way, although pronunciation might be different.

Pronouns: 

http://www.learndutch.org/lessons/dutch-personal-pronouns/

Ik – I   

Jij – You 

Zij – She 

Hij – He 

Wij – We 

Jullie – You (Plural)

Zijn – They

Questions: 

http://www.learndutch.org/lessons/interrogative-words-question/

Wat – What

Waar – Where 

Waarom – Why 

Wie – Who 

Hoe – How 

Hoeveel – How Many

Wanneer – When 

Parts Of The House/Furniture:

http://www.learndutch.org/lessons/the-house-in-dutch/

Woonkamer – Living Room 

Slaapkamer – Bedroom 

Badkamer – Bathroom 

Keuken – Kitchen 

Spelkamer – Playroom 

Trap – Stairs 

Tuin – Garden/Yard 

Tafel – Table 

Zetel/bank – Couch 

Stoel – Chair 

Bed*

Kast – Wardrobe/Cupboard

Kolkast – Fridge 

Binnen – In(Side) 

Buiten – Outside 

Boven – Upstairs/Above 

Beneden – Downstairs/Below

Huis/Thuis – House/Home

Playtime: 

http://www.heardutchhere.net/duparks.html

Speelgoed – Toys 

Pop(Tje) – Doll 

Speeltuin – Playground 

Schommel – Swing 

Glijbaan – Slide 

Trampoline*

Fiets – Bike  

Step – Scooter  

Voetbal – Football/Soccer 

Schmink – Make Up, Facial Painting 

Verf – Paint (Substantive)

Tekening – Drawing (Substantive)  

Papier – Paper 

Schaar – Scissors

(Kleur)Potlod – (Coloring)Pencil

 Klei – Play-Doh

Boek – Book  

Muziek/Liedje – Music/Song

Spelen – To Play 

Springen – To Jump

Gooien – To Throw 

Lezen – To Read

Kleuren – To Color

Zingen – To Sing

Dansen – To Dance

Colors: 

http://www.learndutch.org/lessons/colours-in-dutch/

Blauw – Blue 

Groen – Green 

Geel – Yellow 

Zwart – Balck 

Wit – White 

Rose – Pink 

Rood – Red 

Oranje – Orange 

Paars – Purple 

Bruin – Brown 

Animals/Nature: 

http://www.learndutch.org/lessons/animals-in-dutch/

Dier(En) – Animal(s)

Hond – dog 

Kat/Poes – cat  

Konijn – bunny  

Kikker – frog  

Giraffe*  

Olifant - elephant 

Slak – snail 

Slang - snake 

Vlinder – butterfly  

Koe – cow 

Paard – horse  

Vis – fish  

Voegel – bird  

Eend – duck 

Kuiken – chick

Kip – chicken  

Zon – sun  

Wolk – cloud  

Regen – rain  

Boom – tree  

Blad – leaf  

Body: 

http://www.learndutch.org/lessons/body-parts-in-dutch/

Hoofd – head 

Haar – hair 

Buik – belly 

Neus – nose 

Mond – mouth 

Oog – eye 

Oor – ear 

Arm*

Hand* 

Vinger – finger  

Been – leg 

Voet – foot 

Teen – toe 

Knie – knee  

Rug – back 

Bil(Len) – butt 

Plaster – band aid 

Bloed – blood 

Ziek – sick 

Ik heb pijn aan mijn... I have pain on my.. 

Dat doet pijn – That hurts

Clothing:
http://www.learndutch.org/lessons/moods-and-emotions-in-dutch/

Kleding/kleren – clothing/clothes 

Jurk – dress 

Broek – pants 

Rok – skirt 

Handschoenen – gloves 

Sjal – scarf 

Muts – (winter) hat 

Jas – jacket

Trui – sweater  

Schonen – shoes 

Larzen – boots 

Sokken – socks 

Onderbroek – underwear 

Luier – diapers 

"People": 

Moeder – mother 

Vader – father 

Zus – sister 

Broer – brother 

Opa – grandpa 

Oma – grandma 

Juf – teacher 

Vriend – friend 

Oppas – nanny 

Jongen – boy 

Meisje – girl 

Kinderen – children 

Foods/Drinks: 

http://www.learndutch.org/lessons/dutch-food/

http://www.learndutch.org/lessons/fruits-and-vegetables-in-dutch/

Brood – bread 

Kaas – cheese 

Wortel – carrot 

Komkommer – cucumber 

Melk – milk 

Rijst – rice 

Kip – chicken 

Vis – fish 

Vlees – meat 

Spinazie – spinach 

Erwten – peas 

Water*

(Fruit)Sap – juice 

Thee – tea 

Taart – cake 

Snoepje – candy/sweets 

Toetje – dessert 

Groenten – vegetables 

Soep – soup 

Ei – egg 

Koekjes – cookies 

Appel – apple 

Banaan – banana 

Druiven – grapes 

Peer – pear 

Sinaasappel – orange  

Mandarijn – tangerine  

Aardbei – strawberry 

Blauwbes – blueberry 

Board – plate 

Beker – glass 

Lepel – spoon 

Vork – fork 

Mes – knife 

Snijden – to cut 

Stuk – piece 

(Zonder/Met) Schil – (with/without skin) 

Hap/Hapje – a bite, mouthful 

Lekker – tasty, yummy

Eten – to eat 

Drinken – to drink  

Hygiene: 

Tanden Poetsen – to brush 

Tandpasta – toothpaste  

Douche – shower 

Bad – bath/bathtube 

Handdoek – towel 

(Tanden/Haar) Borstel – (tooth/hair) brush  

Wassen – to wash

Drogen – to dry 

Moods: 

http://www.learndutch.org/lessons/moods-and-emotions-in-dutch/

Blij – happy 

Moe – tired 

Bang – afraid, scared 

Boos – angry 

Verdrietig – sad 

Verbs: 

http://www.learndutch.org/lessons/conjugation-of-verbs-in-dutch/

Eten – to eat 

Slapen – to sleep 

Kijken – to watch/to look

Plassen – to pee

Moeten – must 

Willen – to want

Doen – to do

Zijn – to be 

Gaan – to go 

Maken – to make

Zegen – to say 

Opruimen – to organize 

Huilen – to cry 

Roepen – to scream 

Zitten – to sit 

Kommen – to come 

Pakken – to grab/take

Stopen – to stop

Luisteren – to listen 

Other:

Klaar – ready, done

Genoeg – enough 

Goed Zo – good job

Leuk – nice 

Mooi – beautiful, pretty

Met – with 

Maar – but 

Nog – more 

Een Beetje – a bit 

Echt – really 

Naar – to 

Straks – later 

Misschien - maybe

Vuil/Vies – dirty 

Nat – wet 

Honger – hunger

Rustig – calm down, 

Wacht – wait 

Op – finished 

Pas Op – careful, watch out 

Niet Doen – don’t do that

Some phrases/expressions: 

http://www.acapela-group.com/ put the phrases on the “text to speech” tool and get accurate pronunciation 

Luisteren naar mijn – listen to me

Waar ben jij? Kom hier – Where are you? Come here!

Wat zeg je? – What do you say? (when you want the kid to reply please/thank you/sorry etc)

Ik begrijp je niet – I don’t understand you

Ik hou van.. – I love…

Ik vind... leuk – I think… is nice

Alsjeblieft/alstublieft – Please and there you go

Dag/doei/tot straks/tot zo – Bye, goodbye, see you later, see you

Knuffel(tje) – hug (can also be teddy bear)

kus(je) – kiss 

Mag ik...? May I..?

Nee, dat mag niet/ja, dat mag – No, you may not. Yes, you may.

Wat doe jij? – What are doing?

Wat wil jij…? What do you want…? 

Het is tijd voor… school/eten/slapen – It’s time for…
Ben jij klaar? - Are you finished/done?, Are you ready?

J sounds like e/i 

G/ch sounds like you're choking haha

Further tips: 

First of all, no panic! Yes, you’ll go through a rough adaptation phase. But soon enough you and the kids will be understanding each other better. Most au pair go through this and we’re all here to tell the story. I myself didn’t do a Dutch course during my year in the Netherlands and learned a lot just from hearing the parents talking to the kids and also from the kids themselves. Soon enough, the kids also learned English from me and all was smooth.

Luckily, English can be very similar to Dutch. So if you learn some key words and add them in a phrase in English, that will already be very helpful! 

Even if you don’t completely understand what the child is saying, try always to interact with them. They want to feel someone is paying attention! Look for facial expressions, body language to determine if the “story” they are telling is happy, sad, funny etc so you can react accordingly with a “cool”, “awwn”, “leuk”, “wow”, “niet leuk”, “echt?”.

If they want something from you and you really cannot understand, try to distract them with something else. It will work mostly with younger children. With older will be more difficult. Last case, you can try to call the parents (really last case.. otherwise the kid can ask for it all the time!).

It’s very important the parents’ involvement especially in the initial adaptation period, to help create the bond and clear misunderstandings between au pair and children. They must explain to the kids that you don’t speak Dutch, that they have to show you what they want (make a bit of a mimics and guessing game!). Also, always check how the day was. Sometimes, my kids would complain that I “ignored” them (their wishes) when in reality I just didn’t understand what they wanted! Therefore, the parents should always do this follow up to ensure the kids know the au pair is not doing this on purpose. If you feel this is not happening and it can be disturbing your relationship with the kids, sit down to talk to the parents to find the best strategy of how to implement this “communication circle”.

Have google translator app on your phone and download the Dutch (+plus your language of choice) packages so you can use it even if you are offline. 

If you have the chance to take a Dutch course, do it! I know most girls come to the Netherlands wanting to improve their English, and think Dutch is “useless”. Oh, how I regret not taking a Dutch course while in the Netherlands! Now I live in Belgium, where Dutch is also one of the official languages, and I have to learn it anyway. Learning new things is never a waste of time!  

In the beginning, Dutch can seem very harsh. It will grow on you, though! I promise! At some point probably you’ll be using some Dutch words such as leuk, mooi, lekker even when you’re speaking English hahah 

For me, nowadays Dutch sounds natural and comforting! Allow yourself to know the language, it is the country’s official language after all, thus part of the cultural exchange component! 

For those who are still in home country, what are your expectations towards Dutch language? What scares you most?

For those already in the Netherlands, how has your experience been? What are the key words/expressions you think any new comer must learn ASAP?

Do share!

Veel plezier and succes!

Useful websites:
http://www.learndutch.org/
http://www.acapela-group.com/
http://www.heardutchhere.net/