Your first 100 Dutch words (and how to actually remember them)
6 July 2026 · 5 min read · by Jolien
Here is a secret from the classroom: the first 100 words you learn decide how quickly Dutch starts feeling usable. Choose them well and you are having mini-conversations in week two. Choose badly and you know ten animal names and cannot say hello properly.
Start with survival, not with nouns
Most word lists start with de appel, de banaan, de kat. Sweet, but you cannot build a sentence with fruit. Start instead with the words that hold sentences together:
The glue words ja, nee, en, maar, ook, niet, heel, een beetje — yes, no, and, but, also, not, very, a little.
The survival phrases Hallo! Dank je wel. Alsjeblieft. Sorry. Hoe gaat het? Goed, en met jou? — with these six you survive 80% of first encounters.
The magic sentence Ik ben Nederlands aan het leren — spreek je wat trager, alsjeblieft? "I am learning Dutch — could you speak a bit slower, please?" This sentence turns every Belgian you meet into a free practice partner. People genuinely light up when they hear it.
The power verbs
Ten verbs carry beginner Dutch: zijn (to be), hebben (to have), gaan (to go), doen (to do), willen (to want), kunnen (can), moeten (must), komen (to come), zien (to see), eten (to eat).
Learn ik-forms first: ik ben, ik heb, ik ga, ik wil… You can express a shocking amount with just "I want", "I go" and pointing politely.
How to actually remember them
- Learn in sentences, never in isolation. Not huis = house but Ik ga naar huis — "I'm going home". Your memory stores stories, not spreadsheets.
- Five words a day beats fifty on Sunday. Little and often wins, always.
- Say them out loud. Silent vocabulary is passive vocabulary. Your mouth needs the training as much as your brain.
- Use them the same day. A word used once in a real sentence sticks ten times better than a word reviewed ten times in an app.
Elke dag een druppel wordt een zee. — A drop every day becomes a sea.
Want the full list? My free Beginner Dutch Starter Pack has 100+ essential words with pronunciation — you can grab it on the homepage.