๐ณ๐ฑ A1 Level · Lesson 3 of 10
Dutch Days, Months
& Time
Master the days of the week, all 12 months, the four seasons, and how to tell the time in Dutch — with an interactive clock, calendar, and more!
๐
Time & Calendar in Dutch
Why this lesson is essential
๐
Knowing days, months and time in Dutch is essential for everyday life — making appointments, reading schedules, understanding Dutch news, and chatting with locals. This lesson gives you all the tools you need!
๐ Key things you'll learn
Days of the week
All 7 days — most are similar to English! Maandag, dinsdag...
Months of the year
All 12 months are very close to English — easy to learn!
The four seasons
Lente, zomer, herfst, winter — spring, summer, autumn, winter.
Telling the time
How to say hours, half past, quarter past and quarter to!
๐ฒ
Cultural Note — Dutch punctuality
The Dutch are famous for being very punctual. Arriving on time for appointments and meetings is considered a sign of respect. If you're invited to someone's home at 7pm, they mean exactly 7pm! The Dutch even have a saying: "Op tijd is op tijd" (On time is on time).
๐
Days of the Week
Tap each day to hear it in Dutch
๐ก Good news: Dutch days of the week are very similar to English! They both come from Germanic roots — you'll recognise most of them instantly.
๐
maandag
Monday
ma.
๐ฅ
dinsdag
Tuesday
di.
⚡
woensdag
Wednesday
wo.
⛈️
donderdag
Thursday
do.
๐
vrijdag
Friday
vr.
๐
zaterdag
Saturday
za.
☀️
zondag
Sunday
zo.
๐ Useful day expressions
vandaag
today
FAN-dakh
morgen
tomorrow
MOR-khษn
gisteren
yesterday
KHIS-tษ-rษn
overmorgen
the day after tomorrow
OH-vษr-mor-khษn
het weekend
the weekend
ษt VEY-kend
de week
the week
dษ VEYK
elke dag
every day
EL-kษ DAKH
๐ Grammar: Days with "op"
In Dutch, you use op to say "on" a specific day:
op maandag = on Monday
op vrijdag = on Friday
op het weekend = at the weekend
Example: Ik werk op maandag. = I work on Monday.
๐ญ Dialogue 1 — Making plans
๐ง
Welke dag is het vandaag?
What day is it today?
๐ฉ
Het is woensdag.
It is Wednesday.
๐ง
Heb je vrijdag tijd?
Do you have time on Friday?
๐ฉ
Ja, vrijdag is goed voor mij!
Yes, Friday is good for me!
๐ง
Top! Tot vrijdag dan.
Great! See you Friday then.
๐
Months of the Year
Tap each month to hear it in Dutch
๐ฏ Easy win: Dutch month names are almost identical to English — just with slightly different pronunciation! You already know most of them.
01
januari
January
❄️ winter
02
februari
February
❄️ winter
03
maart
March
๐ฑ spring
04
april
April
๐ฑ spring
05
mei
May
๐ฑ spring
06
juni
June
☀️ summer
07
juli
July
☀️ summer
08
augustus
August
☀️ summer
09
september
September
๐ autumn
10
oktober
October
๐ autumn
11
november
November
๐ autumn
12
december
December
❄️ winter
๐ Grammar: Dates in Dutch
To say a date in Dutch, use this pattern:
de [ordinal] [month]
de eerste januari = the first of January (1 Jan)
de vijftiende maart = the fifteenth of March (15 Mar)
de vijfentwintigste december = the twenty-fifth of December (25 Dec)
To ask the date: Welke datum is het vandaag? = What is today's date?
๐ญ Dialogue 2 — Talking about dates
๐ง
Wanneer is jouw verjaardag?
When is your birthday?
๐ฉ
Mijn verjaardag is op de twintigste mei.
My birthday is on the twentieth of May.
๐ง
Oh, dat is in de lente! En welk jaar ben je geboren?
Oh, that's in spring! And what year were you born?
๐ฉ
In negentien negenennegentig.
In nineteen ninety-nine.
๐ธ
The Four Seasons
Tap a season to hear it in Dutch
๐ธ
de lente
spring
maart · april · mei
☀️
de zomer
summer
juni · juli · augustus
๐
de herfst
autumn / fall
september · oktober · november
❄️
de winter
winter
december · januari · februari
๐ Season sentences
In de lente bloeien de tulpen.
In spring the tulips bloom.
In de zomer is het warm.
In summer it is warm.
In de herfst vallen de bladeren.
In autumn the leaves fall.
In de winter is het koud.
In winter it is cold.
๐
Telling the Time
Interactive clock — drag the sliders!
๐ก To ask the time in Dutch: "Hoe laat is het?" (What time is it?) — literally "How late is it?"
๐ Interactive Clock
3:00
drie uur
Hour:
3
Minutes:
00
๐ Time expressions — Key patterns
3:00
drie uur
three o'clock
3:15
kwart over drie
quarter past three
3:30
half vier
half past three*
3:45
kwart voor vier
quarter to four
3:10
tien over drie
ten past three
3:50
tien voor vier
ten to four
3:20
tien voor half vier
twenty past three*
3:40
tien over half vier
twenty to four*
⚠️ Important! "Half vier" = half past THREE (not four). Dutch uses the next hour as reference. So "half vier" literally means "halfway to four" = 3:30. This trips up many learners!
๐ More time vocabulary
Hoe laat is het?
What time is it?
HOO LAHT IS ษt
Het is... uur.
It is... o'clock.
's ochtends
in the morning (a.m.)
sOKH-tษnts
's middags
in the afternoon (p.m.)
sMI-dakhs
's avonds
in the evening
sAH-vonds
's nachts
at night
sNAKHTS
๐ญ Dialogue 3 — Asking the time
๐ง
Pardon, hoe laat is het?
Excuse me, what time is it?
๐ฉ
Het is kwart over twee.
It is quarter past two.
๐ง
Dank je wel! Ik heb om half drie een afspraak.
Thank you! I have an appointment at half past two.
๐ฉ
Dan moet je opschieten! Succes!
Then you'd better hurry! Good luck!
๐
Interactive Dutch Calendar
Navigate months — all in Dutch!
๐
Did you notice? The Dutch calendar week starts on Monday (maandag), not Sunday — just like most European countries!
๐
Exercise: Match the Pairs
Tap Dutch → then its English meaning
๐ Tap a Dutch word, then its English translation
๐ณ๐ฑ Dutch
maandag
vrijdag
gisteren
de herfst
februari
half drie
๐ฌ๐ง English
Friday
half past two
Monday
February
yesterday
autumn
๐ All pairs matched! +30 XP earned!
✏️
Fill in the Blanks
Type the missing Dutch word
๐ฌ Complete each sentence with the correct Dutch word
1
Monday in Dutch is:
๐ก (mahn-dakh)
2
Welke dag is het
?
๐ก (today)
3
The month of May:
๐ก (short — 3 letters!)
4
In de
is het warm.
๐ก (in summer it is warm)
5
3:30 in Dutch:
๐ก (half to four)
6
Hoe
is het?
๐ก (what time is it?)
7
Wednesday in Dutch:
๐ก (voons-dakh)
8
Ik werk
maandag.
๐ก (I work ON Monday)
๐ฏ
Final Quiz
10 questions — days, months & time!
๐ฏ Lesson 3 Quiz
Days of the week, months, seasons and telling the time
What day is this?
vrijdag
✅ vrijdag = Friday. ๐ TGIF — in Dutch too!
❌ vrijdag = Friday. (vrij = free → freedom day!)
What month is "mei"?
mei
✅ mei = May — the month of tulips and King's Day in the Netherlands! ๐ท
❌ mei = May (the 5th month).
What does "half drie" mean?
half drie
✅ half drie = 2:30! Dutch uses the NEXT hour — halfway TO three = 2:30. This is the trickiest Dutch time rule!
❌ Tricky one! half drie = 2:30 — halfway to three (the next hour).
Which season is "de herfst"?
de herfst
✅ de herfst = autumn. The four seasons: lente (spring), zomer (summer), herfst (autumn), winter!
❌ de herfst = autumn / fall. ๐
How do you say "yesterday" in Dutch?
?
✅ gisteren = yesterday. Vandaag=today, morgen=tomorrow, overmorgen=day after tomorrow.
❌ gisteren = yesterday.
How do you ask "What time is it?"
?
✅ Hoe laat is het? = What time is it? Literally "How late is it?" — a quirky Dutch expression!
❌ Hoe laat is het? = What time is it?
What month is "oktober"?
oktober
✅ oktober = October. Notice how similar Dutch months are to English!
❌ oktober = October (month 10).
What does "kwart over drie" mean?
kwart over drie
✅ kwart over drie = 3:15. Kwart=quarter, over=past. Kwart VOOR drie would be 2:45.
❌ kwart over drie = quarter past three = 3:15.
Which day comes after "dinsdag"?
dinsdag → ?
✅ woensdag! The order: ma, di, wo, do, vr, za, zo.
❌ After dinsdag (Tuesday) comes woensdag (Wednesday).
In Dutch, how do you say "on Monday" (using the correct preposition)?
___ maandag
✅ op maandag = on Monday. In Dutch, use op for days of the week — just like "on" in English!
❌ Use op for days: op maandag, op vrijdag, op zondag.
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๐ Next: Lesson 4 — The Family
Learn family members, possessives and how to talk about your family in Dutch