Getallen
Dutch numbers follow very regular patterns. Learn the base numbers 0–19, then a single rule covers all compound numbers up to 999. Beyond that, hundreds and thousands stack predictably.
| Number | Dutch | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | nul | Het is nul graden. It is zero degrees. |
| 1 | één | Ik heb één broer. I have one brother. |
| 2 | twee | Ik heb twee katten. I have two cats. |
| 3 | drie | We hebben drie kinderen. We have three children. |
| 4 | vier | Er zijn vier stoelen. There are four chairs. |
| 5 | vijf | Ik wacht vijf minuten. I wait five minutes. |
| 6 | zes | Hij heeft zes broers. He has six brothers. |
| 7 | zeven | Er zijn zeven dagen. There are seven days. |
| 8 | acht | Het is acht uur. It is eight o'clock. |
| 9 | negen | Ze heeft negen levens. She has nine lives. |
| 10 | tien | Tel tot tien. Count to ten. |
Practice: How do you say 7 in Dutch?
zeven — The numbers 0–10 are all base forms that must be memorised: nul, één, twee, drie, vier, vijf, zes, zeven, acht, negen, tien.
Unlike 20+, the teens (11–19) are not built from a rule — they must be memorised. Notice that 13–19 end in -tien (from "tien").
Practice: How do you say 18 in Dutch?
achttien — 13–19 are formed as [unit] + tien. 18 = acht + tien = achttien.
Practice: How do you say 11 in Dutch?
elf — elf (11) and twaalf (12) are irregular and must be memorised.
For all compound numbers from 21 to 99, put the unit first, then "en" (and), then the ten. This is the opposite of English ("twenty-three" vs "drieëntwintig").
Practice: How do you say 34 in Dutch?
vierendertig — 34 = vier (4) + en + dertig (30) = vierendertig.
Practice: How do you say 78 in Dutch?
achtenzeventig — 78 = acht (8) + en + zeventig (70) = achtenzeventig.
When "twee" (2) is followed by "en", a trema (ë) is added to prevent the two e's from blending into one long vowel. This only affects numbers with twee as the unit.
Practice: How do you write 22 in Dutch?
tweeëntwintig — When twee (2) combines with en, a trema is needed: tweeëntwintig. Without it the double-e would sound wrong.
Hundreds are formed by placing the multiplier directly before "honderd". From 101 upward, the remainder follows directly (no "en" between hundreds and the rest).
Practice: How do you say 700 in Dutch?
zevenhonderd — Hundreds: [n] + honderd. 700 = zeven + honderd = zevenhonderd.
Practice: How do you say 325 in Dutch?
driehonderdvijfentwintig — 325 = driehonderd + 25. 25 = vijf + en + twintig. Combined: driehonderdvijfentwintig.
Thousands follow the same pattern as hundreds. The parts stack from largest to smallest with no "en" between them.
Practice: How do you say 4000 in Dutch?
vierduizend — Thousands: [n] + duizend. 4000 = vier + duizend = vierduizend.
Practice: How do you say 2547 in Dutch?
tweeduizend vijfhonderdzevenenveertig — 2547 = tweeduizend (2000) + vijfhonderd (500) + zevenenveertig (47). Combined: tweeduizend vijfhonderdzevenenveertig.
| Number | Dutch | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | elf | memorise | Er zijn elf spelers. There are eleven players. |
| 12 | twaalf | memorise | Het is twaalf uur. It is twelve o'clock. |
| 23 | drieëntwintig | drie + ën + twintig | Hij is drieëntwintig jaar. He is twenty-three years old. |
| 45 | vijfenveertig | vijf + en + veertig | Ze is vijfenveertig jaar. She is forty-five years old. |
| 87 | zevenentachtig | zeven + en + tachtig | Ze is zevenentachtig jaar. She is eighty-seven years old. |
| 100 | honderd | base | Honderd mensen kwamen. A hundred people came. |
| 465 | vierhonderdvijfenzestig | vierhonderd + 65 | Het kost vierhonderdvijfenzestig euro. It costs 465 euros. |
| 2547 | tweeduizend vijfhonderdzevenenveertig | 2000+500+47 | Het kost tweeduizend vijfhonderdzevenenveertig euro. It costs 2547 euros. |
Practice: How do you say 87 in Dutch?
zevenentachtig — 87 = zeven (7) + en + tachtig (80) = zevenentachtig.
Practice Numbers Quiz with getallen cards
Flashwords uses flashcards, fill-in-the-blank quizzes, and listening exercises to make Dutch stick.
Start learning →