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Dutch numbers 0–20 and telling the time
Dutch numbers in three short game lessons: count to twenty, say your phone number and age, and ask what time it is. Every number has audio.
half vier means 3:30, not 4:30: in Dutch, half counts towards the next hour. (Wiktionary)
Good to know
half vier = 3:30Dutch counts half towards the next hour: half vier is half past three, not half past four.Source: Wiktionary: half (with numbers: half before the next whole)
één or een?With accents, één means one. Without them, een means a or an.Source: Wiktionary: één
Dutch numbers and time words
All the numbers and time words from the three lessons, with the example conversations. Tap ▶ to hear every number.
Dutch numbers 0 to 10
Nul to tien, and how to give your phone number.
Example conversation
- Wat is je telefoonnummer?What's your phone number?
- Nul zes, twee vier, acht een, negen drie.Zero six, two four, eight one, nine three.
Word list
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| nul | zero |
| één | one |
| twee | two |
| drie | three |
| vier | four |
| vijf | five |
| zes | six |
| zeven | seven |
| acht | eight |
| negen | nine |
| tien | ten |
| het telefoonnummer | phone number |
▶ Practise this as a game: Numbers 0 to 10
Dutch numbers 11 to 20
Elf to twintig, and how to say your age.
Example conversation
- Hoe oud ben je?How old are you?
- Ik ben negentien. En jij?I'm nineteen. And you?
- Ik ben twintig.I'm twenty.
Word list
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| elf | eleven |
| twaalf | twelve |
| dertien | thirteen |
| veertien | fourteen |
| vijftien | fifteen |
| zestien | sixteen |
| zeventien | seventeen |
| achttien | eighteen |
| negentien | nineteen |
| twintig | twenty |
| oud | old |
▶ Practise this as a game: 11 to 20 and your age
Telling the time in Dutch
Hoe laat is het? In the first quarter of the hour you say over (past), in the last quarter voor (to): kwart over drie is 3:15, kwart voor vier is 3:45. (Source: Taaladvies.net – Kloktijden (over / voor))
Example conversation
- Hoe laat is het?What time is it?
- Het is drie uur.It's three o'clock.
- Dank je. Mijn trein gaat om half vier.Thanks. My train leaves at half past three.
- Dan heb je nog tijd!Then you still have time!
Word list
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| het uur | hour, o'clock |
| half | half |
| het kwart | quarter |
| laat | late |
| vandaag | today |
| morgen | tomorrow |
| nu | now |
| de tijd | time |
| de klok | clock |
| om | at (a time) |
▶ Practise this as a game: What time is it?
How to practise Dutch numbers
Say every number out loud while you play: the games read each one to you, so you hear the difference between similar numbers like vier and veertien, or drie and dertien.
Then use Dutch numbers in real life. Listen for the price at the till, and when someone gives you a phone number, repeat it back in pairs, like in the first lesson.
Learn the time phrases as a set: half, kwart over and kwart voor. Once you know that half counts towards the next hour, half vier, half vijf and half zes all make sense.
Frequently asked questions
How do you count to ten in Dutch?
Nul, één, twee, drie, vier, vijf, zes, zeven, acht, negen, tien.
What does half vier mean?
Half vier is 3:30 (half past three). In Dutch, half counts towards the next hour.
How do you ask the time in Dutch?
Hoe laat is het? (What time is it?) The answer is for example Het is drie uur (It's three o'clock).
How do you say your age in Dutch?
Ik ben twintig (I'm twenty). You don't need to add jaar (years).
Related on The Dutch Daily
- Make real progress: tips and tricks to get talking Dutch
- The “English trap”: why expats fail at Dutch and how to fix it
Word meanings checked against Wiktionary. Audio uses your device’s Dutch voice where available.