Dutch · A2 (Elementary)
Time in Dutch: Words & Phrases
Quick answer: The most useful Dutch words for time are de week (the week), de maand (the month) and het jaar (the year). The full Dutch time phrase list with example sentences is below.
The essential Dutch vocabulary for time, with example sentences and English translations. This is A2 (Elementary) material — exactly the kind of practical language you need when you're learning Dutch to live, work, or settle abroad.
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Key time vocabulary
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| de week | the week |
| de maand | the month |
| het jaar | the year |
| overmorgen | day after tomorrow |
| eergisteren | day before yesterday |
| het seizoen | the season |
| de afspraak | the appointment |
| de deadline | the deadline |
| op tijd | on time |
| te laat | running late |
Example sentences
Ik werk vijf dagen per week.
I work five days per week.
Volgende maand ga ik op vakantie.
Next month I am going on holiday.
Overmorgen heb ik een afspraak.
The day after tomorrow I have an appointment.
Eergisteren regende het.
The day before yesterday it rained.
Ik heb een afspraak bij de dokter.
I have an appointment at the doctor's.
Ik ben te laat — sorry!
I am late — sorry!
How to actually learn these
Reading a vocabulary list is not the same as being able to use the words when it counts. Research on adult language acquisition consistently shows that vocabulary retained through contextual use — hearing a word, producing it under mild pressure, and being corrected when you get it wrong — transfers to real speech far more effectively than passive list review. The fastest way to make vocabulary like this stick is to practise it in the actual conversations where it comes up: not drills, but a real back-and-forth where you have to retrieve the word and say it aloud. Language Lab turns vocabulary like this into voiced, real-life scenarios with Sonia, a live AI language tutor who holds real conversations, corrects you in context, and remembers the specific words you keep getting wrong across sessions. The vocabulary stops being something you read and becomes something you say — automatically, under pressure, when you actually need it.
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