“So what does a normal day look like for you?” is small talk in any language. To answer it in Dutch, you need the parts of the day, the meal words, and a handful of routine verbs. Here they are, morning to night.
The parts of the day
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| de ochtend / morgen | morning |
| de middag | afternoon |
| de avond | evening |
| de nacht | night |
To say “in the morning/afternoon/evening”, Dutch uses a special little form with ‘s:
- ‘s ochtends (in the morning), ‘s middags (afternoon), ‘s avonds (evening), ‘s nachts (at night).
So ‘s ochtends drink ik koffie (in the mornings I drink coffee). That ‘s is an old genitive leftover, the same one in the days of the week and times. Onze Taal explains the ‘s forms, and Forvo has native recordings of the day-part and meal words.
The meals (and the early dinner)
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| het ontbijt | breakfast |
| de lunch | lunch |
| het avondeten / het diner | dinner |
| het tussendoortje | a snack |
A famous Dutch detail: avondeten is often eaten early, frequently around 18:00. Newcomers used to eating at eight or nine are regularly caught out by a dinner invitation for six. The verb for breakfast is ontbijten.
The routine verbs
Many daily verbs are separable or reflexive, so this is great practice for both:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| opstaan | to get up |
| zich aankleden | to get dressed |
| ontbijten | to have breakfast |
| naar het werk gaan | to go to work |
| thuiskomen | to come home |
| koken | to cook |
| uitrusten | to rest |
| naar bed gaan | to go to bed |
So: Ik sta om zeven uur op (I get up at seven, separable), Ik kleed me aan (I get dressed, reflexive), Ik kom om zes uur thuis (I come home at six).
Describing a whole day
String it together with sequencing words and telling the time:
Ik sta om zeven uur op. Dan ontbijt ik en ga ik naar mijn werk. ’s Middags eet ik een boterham, en ‘s avonds kook ik. Om elf uur ga ik naar bed.
Notice the verb-second word order: when a time word leads, the verb comes next (Dan ontbijt ik). Dutch grammar references cover this inversion.
Where it connects
Daily-routine Dutch is everyday small talk alongside saying where you’re from, describing your home, and getting dressed with the clothing vocabulary. It also drills separable and reflexive verbs in context.
The bottom line
Talk about your day with the day-parts (‘s ochtends, ‘s middags, ‘s avonds), the meals (ontbijt, lunch, avondeten, eaten early!), and the routine verbs (opstaan, zich aankleden, naar het werk gaan, thuiskomen, koken, naar bed gaan). Chain them with eerst, dan, daarna and clock times, and you can describe an ordinary Dutch day to anyone who asks.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that drills daily-routine vocabulary in real sentences, opstaan, ontbijten, naar het werk, avondeten, naar bed, in five-minute situation-based lessons, so you can talk about an ordinary day with anyone.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Dutch words for the parts of the day?
De ochtend (morning), de middag (afternoon), de avond (evening) and de nacht (night). To say ‘in the morning/afternoon/evening’ you use ‘s ochtends, ‘s middags and ‘s avonds, and ‘s nachts for at night. So ‘s ochtends drink ik koffie means ‘in the mornings I drink coffee’. The little ‘s is a leftover of an old genitive and attaches to the time word.
What do the Dutch call breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Het ontbijt is breakfast, de lunch (or de middagpauze for the break) is lunch, and the evening meal is het avondeten or, more formally, het diner. The verb for having breakfast is ontbijten. A famously Dutch detail: dinner (avondeten) is often eaten early, around 18:00 (six o’clock), which surprises many newcomers used to eating later.
How do I describe my daily routine in Dutch?
Use routine verbs, many of them separable or reflexive: Ik sta om zeven uur op (I get up at seven), Ik kleed me aan (I get dressed), Ik ontbijt, Ik ga naar mijn werk, Ik kom om zes uur thuis, Ik kook, en Ik ga om elf uur naar bed. Link them with sequencing words like eerst, dan and daarna to describe a whole day, and use telling-time phrases for the hours.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for everyday conversation?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it drills daily-routine vocabulary in real sentences, opstaan, ontbijten, naar het werk, avondeten, naar bed gaan, plus the day-parts, in five-minute situation-based lessons, so you can talk about an ordinary day naturally with anyone.
