Real conversation isn't a string of perfect sentences — it's stitched together with little opener phrases, hesitation sounds, and turn-taking moves. Dutch has its own set of these stopwoordjes ("filler words"), and learning them does two things at once: it lets you open a conversation smoothly, and it buys you thinking time without falling silent. A learner who never uses nou, dus, or eh sounds oddly robotic — every sentence arrives fully formed, with no human hesitation. The flip side: lean on them too hard and you sound vague and unsure. This page gives you the starters, the fillers, and the turn-taking phrases, with guidance on getting the dose right.
Opening a conversation or a new point
Before you launch into something, Dutch speakers flag that they're about to speak. These openers are short and signal "here comes a question / a thought / a new topic."
Mag ik wat vragen? ("May I ask something?") politely opens a question to a stranger or in a formal setting.
Mag ik wat vragen? Weet u hoe laat de winkel opengaat?
May I ask something? Do you know what time the shop opens? (polite opener to a stranger, 'u')
Weet je wat? ("You know what?") flags that you've had an idea or are about to suggest something — informal and friendly.
Weet je wat? Laten we gewoon pizza bestellen.
You know what? Let's just order pizza. (informal opener introducing a suggestion)
Trouwens … ("by the way …") drops in an aside or changes the subject. It can open a sentence or sit mid-sentence.
Trouwens, heb je Lisa nog gesproken?
By the way, have you spoken to Lisa? (topic-shift opener)
Zeg, mag ik je iets vragen?
Say, can I ask you something? ('Zeg' as an attention-getter before a question, informal)
The everyday fillers (stopwoordjes)
These are the sounds and words that fill the gaps. Each has a job; using the right one in the right spot is what makes speech sound native.
- eh — the basic hesitation sound (English "uh/um"). Buys a moment while you find a word.
- nou — "well", easing into a reply or a slight pushback ("well, …").
- dus — "so", signalling a conclusion or picking up a thread.
- zeg maar — "like / sort of / let's say", softening or approximating; the most over-used Dutch filler.
- weet je (wel) — "you know", checking the listener is with you.
- eigenlijk — "actually", flagging a mild correction or a considered view.
- ofzo — "or something", vagueness at the end of a list or estimate.
- enzo — "and so on / and stuff", trailing off a list.
Eh… ik weet het eigenlijk niet zo goed.
Uh… I don't actually really know. ('eh' buys time; 'eigenlijk' softens the admission)
Nou, dat valt eigenlijk wel mee.
Well, that's actually not so bad. ('nou' eases into a mild correction)
Dus we spreken af om acht uur, zeg maar.
So we'll meet at eight, sort of. ('dus' draws a conclusion; 'zeg maar' softens the commitment)
Het was een soort museum, weet je wel, met allemaal oude spullen enzo.
It was a kind of museum, you know, with loads of old stuff and so on. ('weet je wel' checks the listener; 'enzo' trails the list)
We gaan rond zeven uur eten ofzo.
We'll eat around seven or so. ('ofzo' adds vagueness to an estimate)
"Zeg maar" — handle with care
Zeg maar deserves its own warning. It means roughly "let's say / sort of / like" and Dutch speakers genuinely overuse it — it's the national verbal tic, the Dutch equivalent of English "like". A couple per conversation is natural; one per clause is a habit to avoid.
Het is, zeg maar, een grotere versie van het oude model.
It's, sort of, a bigger version of the old model. (one well-placed 'zeg maar' approximating a description)
Turn-taking: holding and claiming the floor
These phrases manage whose turn it is to speak — pausing, asking to jump in, or holding your place.
Wacht even ("wait a moment") pauses the conversation while you think or check something.
Wacht even, ik moet hier even over nadenken.
Hold on, I need to think about this for a sec. (pausing to think; 'even' = for a moment)
Mag ik even? ("May I [say something]?") politely claims a turn when someone else is talking.
Sorry, mag ik even? Ik wil hier ook iets over zeggen.
Sorry, may I jump in? I'd like to say something about this too. (claiming a turn politely)
After a digression, Waar was ik? ("Where was I?") gets you back on track.
Waar was ik? O ja, het feest van zaterdag.
Where was I? Oh right, Saturday's party. (returning to the thread after an aside)
A note on transfer from English
English fillers don't translate. Dropping an English "um", "like", or "you know" into Dutch speech immediately marks you as a non-native — and you know in particular has a clean Dutch equivalent (weet je wel) that you should reach for instead. Likewise, English "so" at the start of an answer maps to nou or dus, not a borrowed "so". Swapping in the Dutch fillers is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and more like a person.
Nou, ik denk dat het wel goed komt.
Well, I think it'll be fine. (Dutch 'nou', not an English 'well/so')
Common Mistakes
❌ Um, I don't know, like, it was nice, you know?
Transfer error — English fillers in Dutch speech. Use the Dutch ones: 'Eh, ik weet niet, het was wel leuk, weet je wel?'
✅ Eh, ik weet niet, het was wel leuk, weet je wel?
Uh, I don't know, it was nice, you know?
❌ Het is zeg maar een soort zeg maar groot zeg maar gebouw.
Overuse — 'zeg maar' once per clause sounds vague. Keep one: 'Het is zeg maar een soort groot gebouw.'
✅ Het is zeg maar een soort groot gebouw.
It's sort of a kind of big building.
❌ Ik weet hoe laat de winkel opengaat? (abrupt, to a stranger)
Too abrupt — open a question to a stranger with a starter: 'Mag ik wat vragen? Weet u hoe laat…'
✅ Mag ik wat vragen? Weet u hoe laat de winkel opengaat?
May I ask something? Do you know what time the shop opens?
❌ So, wat ga je dit weekend doen?
Transfer error — don't borrow English 'so'. Use 'Nou,' or 'Dus,': 'Nou, wat ga je dit weekend doen?'
✅ Nou, wat ga je dit weekend doen?
So, what are you doing this weekend?
❌ Wacht, ik wil iets zeggen! (cutting in flatly)
Blunt — soften the interruption with 'even' and an apology: 'Sorry, mag ik even?'
✅ Sorry, mag ik even? Ik wil ook iets zeggen.
Sorry, may I jump in? I'd like to say something too.
Now practice Dutch
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Start learning Dutch→Related Topics
- Dutch Modal Particles: OverviewB1 — An orientation to the famous 'flavouring' particles (modale partikels) — maar, even, eens, nou, toch, wel, hoor, dan and friends — short words that add tone and attitude rather than meaning, sit in the middle field, and make Dutch sound native.
- Small-Talk Phrases and Social FormulasA2 — The fixed social phrases that keep everyday Dutch interactions running: greeting and answering 'Hoe gaat het?', 'Lang niet gezien!', passing on regards with 'Doe de groeten aan…', and the cluster of one-word well-wishes that English splits differently — 'Sterkte!' (strength/good luck through hardship), 'Succes!' (good luck for a challenge), 'Beterschap!' (get well), 'Gefeliciteerd!' and 'Gecondoleerd'.
- Expressing Emotion and ReactionsB1 — The fixed Dutch formulas for reacting in conversation — Wat leuk! / Wat erg!, surprise checks like Echt waar? and Meen je dat?, the interjections Goh, Joh, Oei, Bah and Hè hè, and sympathy formulas like Wat naar voor je and Sterkte — with notes on Dutch directness and the Wat een / Wat split.
- Exclamative ConstructionsB1 — The Dutch ways to exclaim — Wat een mooie dag! with a noun, Wat mooi! with a bare adjective, Wat is het koud! with a full clause, the formal Hoe …! and the emphatic Wat … toch! — built around the one rule learners always get wrong: 'wat een' before a noun, plain 'wat' before an adjective.
- Telephone ConventionsA2 — How the Dutch actually answer, open, and close a phone call: the 'Met …' convention, asking for someone with 'Kan ik … spreken', putting people through with 'doorverbinden', taking and leaving messages, and the fixed sign-off formulas — all marked for register.