The very first thing you do in any language is exchange names, origins, and a few basic facts about yourself — and Dutch packs almost all of it into a small, fixed set of question-and-answer pairs. The good news is that once you learn the questions, the answers fall out almost mechanically. The catch is the word order: Dutch is a verb-second language, so as soon as a question word goes first, the verb comes straight after it, and the subject lands in third position. Get that rhythm and the whole topic clicks. This page gives you the core exchanges and drills the answers that English speakers most often build wrong.
Names: Hoe heet je? / Wat is je naam?
There are two standard ways to ask someone's name. The most common in speech is Hoe heet je? — literally "how are you called?" — answered with Ik heet…. The verb heten means "to be called/named," and it has no clean English equivalent; you simply name yourself with it. The alternative Wat is je naam? ("what is your name?") is a touch more formal or used on forms.
Hoe heet je? — Ik heet Sanne.
What's your name? — My name is Sanne. (heten = to be called; answer with 'Ik heet…')
Hoi, ik ben Tom. En jij, hoe heet jij?
Hi, I'm Tom. And you, what's your name? (you can also introduce yourself with 'ik ben' + name)
Wat is je naam? — Mijn naam is Daan de Vries.
What is your name? — My name is Daan de Vries. (slightly more formal; common on forms)
Both Ik heet… and Ik ben… work for introducing yourself. In formal settings, switch je to the polite u: Hoe heet u? or Wat is uw naam?
Where are you from? — Waar kom je vandaan?
This is the question English speakers most often mangle, because Dutch splits the verb. The verb is vandaan komen ("to come from"), and vandaan goes to the end of the question: Waar kom je vandaan? — literally "where do you come from-away?" You cannot say Waar vandaan kom je? or Waar kom je van? The answer uses a different preposition entirely: Ik kom uit… + country or city (uit, "out of," not van).
Waar kom je vandaan? — Ik kom uit Ierland.
Where are you from? — I'm from Ireland. (question: 'vandaan' at the end; answer: 'uit' + country)
Waar komen jullie vandaan? — Wij komen uit Canada.
Where are you (all) from? — We're from Canada. (plural 'komen', 'vandaan' still at the end)
Ik kom oorspronkelijk uit Polen, maar ik woon nu in Utrecht.
I'm originally from Poland, but I live in Utrecht now. ('uit' for origin, 'in' for current place)
Note the two different prepositions doing two different jobs: you come from a place with uit, but you live in a place with in. Mixing them (Ik kom in Polen) is a classic slip.
Where do you live? — Waar woon je?
To ask where someone lives, use Waar woon je? ("where do you live?"), answered with Ik woon in… + city, or Ik woon op… for a street. The verb is wonen ("to live/reside" — for a place of residence, not for being alive).
Waar woon je? — Ik woon in Amsterdam, in de Pijp.
Where do you live? — I live in Amsterdam, in De Pijp. (wonen + in + place)
Woon je in het centrum of buiten de stad?
Do you live in the centre or outside the city? (yes/no question: verb first)
Notice the second example is a yes/no question, so the verb woon comes first; in the wh-question Waar woon je?, the question word comes first and the verb second. That contrast is the heart of Dutch word order.
Age: Hoe oud ben je? / Ik ben … jaar
Age uses zijn ("to be"), exactly like English: Hoe oud ben je? ("how old are you?") and Ik ben … jaar ("I'm … years"). The big difference is that Dutch normally drops "old" in the answer. English keeps "years old"; Dutch just says Ik ben dertig jaar or even shorter Ik ben dertig. Adding oud (Ik ben dertig jaar oud) is grammatical but sounds heavier and slightly formal — natives almost always leave it off in casual speech.
Hoe oud ben je? — Ik ben tweeëndertig.
How old are you? — I'm thirty-two. (the shortest, most natural answer — no 'jaar', no 'oud')
Mijn dochter is vier jaar en mijn zoon is bijna zeven.
My daughter is four and my son is almost seven. ('jaar' optional; 'oud' usually dropped)
Hoe oud bent u? — Ik ben eenenzeventig jaar.
How old are you? — I'm seventy-one. (polite 'u'; 'jaar' kept, 'oud' still dropped)
What do you do? — Wat doe je (voor werk)?
To ask about someone's job, the everyday phrase is Wat doe je? or, to be unambiguous, Wat doe je voor werk? ("what do you do for work?"). The answer is Ik ben + profession, and — this is important — Dutch omits the article: Ik ben leraar ("I am teacher"), not Ik ben een leraar. With professions, nationalities, and religions, the bare noun is the norm.
Wat doe je voor werk? — Ik ben verpleegkundige.
What do you do for work? — I'm a nurse. (no article: 'Ik ben verpleegkundige', not 'een verpleegkundige')
Ik werk als programmeur bij een klein bedrijf.
I work as a programmer at a small company. (alternative: 'werken als' + profession)
Wat studeer je? — Ik studeer rechten in Leiden.
What do you study? — I study law in Leiden. (for students: 'Wat studeer je?')
Phone numbers, addresses, languages
To ask for contact details: Wat is je telefoonnummer? ("what's your phone number?") and Wat is je adres? ("what's your address?"). Phone numbers are read out digit by digit or in pairs, never as one big number. And to check what someone speaks: Spreek je Nederlands? ("do you speak Dutch?"), answered with Ja, een beetje ("yes, a little") or Nee, alleen Engels.
Wat is je telefoonnummer? — Nul zes, twaalf, vierendertig, zesenvijftig, achtenzeventig.
What's your phone number? — Zero six, twelve, thirty-four, fifty-six, seventy-eight. (read in pairs; mobile numbers start 06)
Wat is je adres? — Ik woon op de Kerkstraat 12 in Haarlem.
What's your address? — I live at Kerkstraat 12 in Haarlem. (house number after the street name)
Spreek je Nederlands? — Een beetje, ik ben net begonnen met leren.
Do you speak Dutch? — A little, I've just started learning. (the most useful answer for a beginner)
The word-order engine behind all of this
Every wh-question above follows one template: question word → verb → subject → rest. Waar (where) / hoe (how) / wat (what) takes the front slot, the verb snaps into second position, and the subject (je, jullie, u) follows. This is why it's Waar *woon je? and not *Waar je woont? — English keeps subject-before-verb in questions ("where you live"… no, "where do you live"), but Dutch demands the verb be second, full stop. Internalising this one rule fixes most beginner questions at once.
Hoe heet je broer? — Hij heet Bram.
What's your brother's name? — He's called Bram. (question word + verb 'heet' + subject 'je broer')
Common Mistakes
❌ Waar kom je van?
Incorrect — 'come from' as a question uses the separated 'vandaan' at the end, not a stranded 'van'.
✅ Waar kom je vandaan?
Where are you from?
❌ Ik kom van Spanje.
Incorrect preposition — you come 'uit' (out of) a country, not 'van'.
✅ Ik kom uit Spanje.
I'm from Spain.
❌ Ik heb dertig jaar.
Incorrect — a calque of French/Spanish 'I have thirty years'. Dutch uses 'to be': 'Ik ben dertig (jaar).'
✅ Ik ben dertig jaar.
I'm thirty.
❌ Ik ben een leraar.
Incorrect — with professions Dutch drops the article after 'zijn': just 'Ik ben leraar.'
✅ Ik ben leraar.
I'm a teacher.
❌ Waar je woont?
Incorrect word order — in a Dutch wh-question the verb comes second: question word, then verb, then subject.
✅ Waar woon je?
Where do you live?
Key Takeaways
- Ask a name with Hoe heet je? (answer Ik heet…) or Wat is je naam? (answer Mijn naam is…) — never mix the two.
- Origin: Waar kom je vandaan? with vandaan at the end; answer Ik kom uit… (preposition uit, not van).
- Age uses zijn: Ik ben … (jaar) — drop oud in everyday speech, and don't say Ik heb … jaar.
- Professions take no article: Ik ben verpleegkundige, Ik ben leraar.
- Every wh-question puts the verb second: Waar woon je?, Hoe heet je?, Wat doe je?
Now practice Dutch
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