Being able to talk about time, dates and schedules is essential in Dutch daily life — from making appointments to chatting about the weather. This comprehensive guide covers days of the week, months of the year, seasons, and how to tell the time in Dutch.
Wist je dat?
The Dutch use the 24-hour clock (military time) in formal contexts. 3 PM is "vijftien uur" (15:00). In casual speech, people also use the 12-hour format with ochtend (morning), middag (afternoon) and avond (evening).
📅 Days of the Week
| Dutch | English | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| maandag | Monday | ma. |
| dinsdag | Tuesday | di. |
| woensdag | Wednesday | wo. |
| donderdag | Thursday | do. |
| vrijdag | Friday | vr. |
| zaterdag | Saturday | za. |
| zondag | Sunday | zo. |
📝 Tip: In Dutch calendars, the week typically starts on Monday (maandag), not Sunday as in English.
🗓️ Months of the Year
| Dutch | English | Season |
|---|---|---|
| januari | January | 🌨️ winter |
| februari | February | 🌨️ winter |
| maart | March | 🌸 lente (spring) |
| april | April | 🌸 lente |
| mei | May | 🌸 lente |
| juni | June | ☀️ zomer (summer) |
| juli | July | ☀️ zomer |
| augustus | August | ☀️ zomer |
| september | September | 🍂 herfst (autumn) |
| oktober | October | 🍂 herfst |
| november | November | 🍂 herfst |
| december | December | ❄️ winter |
🌡️ Seasons
| Emoji | Dutch | English | Typical weather |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌸 | de lente / het voorjaar | spring | Mild, 8–15°C |
| ☀️ | de zomer | summer | Warm, 18–25°C |
| 🍂 | de herfst / het najaar | autumn / fall | Cool, 8–15°C |
| ❄️ | de winter | winter | Cold, 0–7°C |
⏰ Telling the Time
Dutch time-telling has a few unique features. Half past the hour is expressed as "half [next hour]" — so 5:30 is half zes (half six), not "half vijf"!
| Time | Dutch | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | drie uur | three hour |
| 3:15 | kwart over drie | quarter past three |
| 3:30 | half vier | half four (⚠️ not half three!) |
| 3:45 | kwart voor vier | quarter to four |
| 3:10 | tien over drie | ten past three |
| 3:20 | tien voor half vier | ten before half four |
📆 Useful Time Expressions
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| gisteren | yesterday |
| vandaag | today |
| morgen | tomorrow |
| overmorgen | the day after tomorrow |
| deze week | this week |
| vorige week | last week |
| volgende week | next week |
| dit jaar | this year |
| vorig jaar | last year |
| volgend jaar | next year |
De vergadering is op donderdag 15 april om half drie.The meeting is on Thursday April 15th at 2:30.
Hoe laat is het? — Het is kwart over vier.What time is it? — It is quarter past four.
✏️ Practice
What time is it in Dutch?
- 7:30 → half acht
- 12:15 → kwart over twaalf
- 9:45 → kwart voor tien
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