Dutch Greetings: How to Say Hello (and Goodbye)
Hello in Dutch is hallo or, more commonly, hoi. But the Dutch have a greeting for every hour of the day, a whole arsenal of goodbyes, and a ritual answer to ‘hoe gaat het?’. Here’s the full set, with the register rules that textbooks skip.
Start here
You can survive with two words: hoi when you arrive, doei when you leave. Everything below is refinement, and the refinement is what makes you sound local.
Saying hello
| Dutch | English | When |
|---|---|---|
| Hoi! | Hi! | informal, the everyday default |
| Hallo! | Hello! | neutral, works everywhere |
| Hé / hey! | Hey! | casual, among friends |
| Goedemorgen! | Good morning! | until about noon |
| Goedemiddag! | Good afternoon! | noon until about 18:00 |
| Goedenavond! | Good evening! | after 18:00 |
| Dag! | Hello / goodbye | the two-way greeting: works coming and going |
| Mogge! | Morning! | colloquial goedemorgen |
Hoe gaat het? The ritual
After the hello comes the question: hoe gaat het? (how are you?). The ritual answer is goed, en met jou? (good, and you?). The Dutch answer honestly more often than Americans do; a het gaat wel (it’s going okay-ish) is a real signal, not politeness. Other useful answers: prima (fine), druk (busy), lekker weertje, hè? (nice weather, right?) if you’d rather change the subject.
Saying goodbye
| Dutch | English | When |
|---|---|---|
| Doei! | Bye! | informal, the everyday default |
| Doeg! / doei doei! | Bye bye! | extra casual |
| Tot ziens! | Goodbye / see you | neutral-formal, shops and offices |
| Tot zo! | See you in a bit! | seeing them again within hours |
| Tot straks! | See you later today! | same day |
| Tot morgen! | See you tomorrow! | colleagues, classmates |
| Fijne dag nog! | Have a nice day! | friendly close, shops |
| Fijn weekend! | Have a nice weekend! | Friday afternoons, everywhere |
| Groetjes! | Greetings / bye! | casual, also closes texts and mails |
Register: when hoi is wrong
Hoi and doei are fine with almost everyone under retirement age. Switch to goedemorgen/goedemiddag plus u for officials, doctors, and anyone clearly older than you. At the gemeente counter: goedemorgen in, tot ziens out. In a village shop you’ll hear dag mevrouw, dag meneer; feel free to copy it, it’s charming.
Practice the first 10 seconds
Every Dutch conversation starts with the same 10 seconds: greeting, hoe gaat het, answer. Drill exactly that opening until it’s automatic.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
How do you say hello in Dutch?
‘Hallo’ works everywhere; ‘hoi’ is the informal everyday version. For time-specific greetings: ‘goedemorgen’ (morning), ‘goedemiddag’ (afternoon), ‘goedenavond’ (evening).
What does doei mean?
‘Bye!’ It’s the standard informal goodbye, often doubled as ‘doei doei’. The neutral-formal alternative is ‘tot ziens’.
Can dag mean both hello and goodbye?
Yes. ‘Dag!’ works when you arrive and when you leave, which makes it one of the most useful words in Dutch. Tone and a wave do the rest.
How do you answer hoe gaat het?
The standard: ‘Goed, en met jou?’ (good, and you?). Formal version: ‘Goed, en met u?’. Note that Dutch people often answer honestly, so ‘het gaat wel’ genuinely means things are just okay.