Netherlands Languages

◄ Netherlands Homepage Netherlands Language and Languages Most materials used in Dutch research are written in Dutch, but actually two languages are spoken in the Netherlands; in the province of Fryslân (Friesland) the Frisian language (not a dialect!)is spoken. You do not need to speak or read Dutch to do research in records of the Netherlands. However, you will need to know some key words and phrases to understand the records.

Because of the presence of several different religions, including Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Walloon (French Reformed) and Portuguese Jewish, you will find several other languages in Dutch records. These include Latin, German, French, and Portuguese.

Dutch grammar and customs may affect the way names appear in genealogical records. For example, your ancestor’s name may vary between records in Dutch. For help in understanding name variations, see the "Names, Personal" section.

Language Aids
The Family History Library has genealogical word lists for Dutch, French, German, Latin, and Portuguese. The Dutch Word list is found below at the end of this section.

The Family History Library’s separate Germany Research Outline includes an example of the German (Gothic) alphabet in print and handwriting. Also go to Germany Handwriting."

The following books and English–Dutch dictionaries can also aid your research. You can find these and similar material at many research libraries.

Cassell’s English–Dutch Dutch–English Dictionary. 36th ed. New York: Macmillan, 1981. (FHL book 439.31321 Ca272.)

Stierp–Impink, A. C. Practisijns Woordenboekje, of Verzameling van Meest alle de Woorden in de Rechtskunde Gebruikelijk (Lawyer’s Dictionary, or List of Most Words Used in Legal Documents). Alkmaar: A. C. Stierp–Impink, 1985. (FHL book 949.2 P26s.) This legal dictionary, originally created in 1785, identifies words found in court, land, notarial, and guardianship records.

Verdam, J. Middelnederlandsch Handwoordenboek (Middle Dutch Dictionary). ’s-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff, 1964. (FHL book 439.317 V582m; film 1045404 item 2.) This dictionary will help with most archaic words found in documents before 1811.

Additional language aids, including dictionaries of various dialects and time periods, are listed in the Place search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

NETHERLANDS – LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES

NETHERLANDS, [PROVINCE] – LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES

or in the "Subject Search" under:

DUTCH LANGUAGE – DICTIONARIES

Dutch Word List
This list contains Dutch words with their English translations. The words included here are those that you are likely to find in genealogical sources. If the word you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Dutch-English dictionary. (See the "Additional Resources" section below.)

Dutch (like English and German), is a Germanic language derived from Old Saxon. Many of the words resemble English and German words. Latin also sometimes appears in older Dutch records. See the Latin Genealogical Word List. For a time, Dutch records were written in French. See the France Language and Languages.

Dutch is spoken in the Netherlands, northern Belgium, the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean, and Suriname. Flemish, which is spoken in Belgium, is a major dialect (regional variation) of Dutch. It uses words similar to the words on this list. Africaans, which is spoken in South Africa, is an old form (from the 1500's and 1600's) of the Dutch language, mingled with German and English words. Frisian, which is spoken in the Dutch province of Friesland, is a different language from Dutch. The "Additional Resources" section below will tell you how to use the Family History Library Catalog to find dictionaries of the various dialects and related languages.

In addition, Dutch is found in some early records of the United States (mostly in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and Iowa) and in South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Brasil and Taiwan.

LANGUAGE CHARACTERISTICS
Dutch words for nouns (persons, places, and things) are classified as either common or neuter.

Variant Forms of Words

In Dutch, as in English, the forms of some words will vary according to how they are used in a sentence. Who—whose—whom, or marry—marries—married are examples of words in English with variant forms. This word list gives the standard form of each Dutch word. As you read Dutch records, you will need to be aware that some words vary with usage.

The prefix 't is equal to the Dutch word het, which means the. The prefix 's- is a part of many place-names and means des (of the). All prefixes are disregarded in alphabetized lists, except in Flemish records.

The endings of words in a document may differ from what you find in this list. For example, the document may use the word jonger, but you will find it in this word list as jong. In addition, the suffixes -je, -tje,-tien, or -ke are often added to words to indicate "little." These suffixes can also indicate the feminine version of a name. Therefore, the word zoontje means "little" or "young (tje) son (zoon)." The ending -sdr means "daughter of."

Plural forms of Dutch words usually add -en or -s to the singular word. Thus boer (farmer) becomes boeren (farmers), and tafel (table or index) becomes tafels (tables or indexes).

In Dutch, many words are formed by joining two or more words together. Very few of these compound words are included in this list. You will need to look up each part of the word separately. For example, geboortedag is a combination of two words, geboorte(birth) and dag (day).

Alphabetical Order

In the Dutch language, the letter combination ij is considered a single letter. It has the same value as y, and it is usually alphabetized as if it were a y. Some Dutch dictionaries and indexes use the following alphabetical order:

a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, ij (or y), z

Some Dutch dictionaries alphabetize the letter ij under i then j. Just remember, when a name or town starts with the letter IJ, that you capitalize BOTH the I and the J. In the Netherlands the IJ or ij is ONE letter, not 2 and seeing that you can hardly split one letter when you capitalize it, you really have to capitalize the whole letter - IJ not Ij!

This word list follows the standard English alphabetical order. However, when working with alphabetized Dutch records, use the Dutch alphabetical order.

When the Dutch alphabetize names of places or surnames, prefixes such as van der, de, or ter are not considered in the alphabetization.

Example:

ten Brock

van der Graf

's- Gravenhage

van Hijden

de Jong

van Leeuwen

ter Pelkwijk

van IJlst

't Zandt

Spelling

Spelling rules were not standardized in earlier centuries. Writers often failed to dot the ij, so that it looks like a y. The letter y was not used in older records. In Dutch, the following spelling variations are common.

y used for ij

g used for ch

d and t used interchangeably

j and i used interchangeably

Example:

echt spelled as egt

overlijden spelled as overlyden

Arie spelled as Arij

Marietje spelled as Marietie

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
This word list includes only the words most commonly found in genealogical sources. For further help, use a Dutch-English dictionary. Several Dutch-English dictionaries are available at the Family History Library. These are in the European collection. Their call numbers begin with 439.31321.

The following dictionary is available on microfilm for use in Family History Centers:

Dutch-English, English-Dutch Van Goor Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: G. B. Van Goor, 1938. (FHL film 1183584 item 2.)

Additional dictionaries are listed in the Subject search of the Family History Library Catalog under DUTCH LANGUAGE - DICTIONARIES or in the Place search under NETHERLANDS - LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES. These include dictionaries of various dialects and time periods.

KEY WORDS
To find and use specific types of Dutch records, you will need to know some key words in Dutch. This section lists key genealogical terms in English and the Dutch words with the same or similar meanings.

For example, in the first column you will find the English word marriage. In the second column you will find Dutch words with meanings such as marry, marriage, wedding, wedlock, unite, legitimate, joined, and other words used in Dutch records to indicate marriage.

NUMBERS
In some genealogical records, numbers are written out. This is especially true with dates. The following list gives the cardinal (1, 2, 3) and the ordinal (1st, 2nd, 3rd) versions of each number. Days of the month are written in ordinal form.

Cardinal 	 	Ordinal 1 	een 		1st 	eerste 2 	twee 		2nd 	tweede 3 	drie 		3rd 	derde 4 	vie 		4th 	vierde 5 	vijf 		5th 	vijfde 6 	zes 		6th 	zesde 7 	zeven 		7th 	zevende 8 	acht 		8th 	achtste 9 	negen 		9th 	negende 10 	tien 		10th 	tiende 11 	elf 		11th 	elfde 12 	twaalf 		12th 	twaalfde 13 	dertien 	13th 	dertiende 14 	veertien 	14th 	veertiende 15 	vijftien 	15th 	vijftiende 16 	zestien 	16th 	zestiende 17 	zeventien 	17th 	zeventiende 18 	achttien 	18th 	achttiende 19 	negentie 	19th 	negentiende 20 	twintig 	20th 	twintigste 21 	eenentwintig 	21st 	eenentwintigste 22 	tweeëntwintig 	22th 	tweeëntwintigste 23 	drieentwintig 	23th 	drieentwintigste 24 	vierentwintig 	24th 	vierentwintigste 25 	vijfentwintig 	25th 	vijfentwintigste 26 	zesentwintig 	26th 	zesentwintigste 27 	zevenentwintig 	27th 	zevenentwintigste 28 	achtentwintig 	28th 	achtentwintigste 29 	negenentwintig 	29th 	negenentwintigste 30 	dertig 		30th 	dertigste 31 	eenendertig 	31th 	eenendertigste 40 	veertig 	40th 	veertigste 50 	vijftig 	50th 	vijftigste 60 	zestig 		60th 	zestigste 70 	zeventig 	70th 	zevenstigte 80 	tachtig 	80th 	tachtigste 90 	negentig 	90th 	negentigste 100 	honderd 	100th 	honderdste 101 	honderd(en)een 	101st 	honderd(en)eerste 200 	tweehonderd 	200th 	tweehonderdste 1000 	duizend 	1000th 	duizendste

DATES AND TIME
In Dutch records, dates are often written out. For example:

Donderdag, drie en twintig maart in het jaar van onse heer een duizend acht hondert en zesendertig [Thursday, three and twenty March in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and six and thirty].

To understand Dutch dates, use the following lists as well as the preceding "Numbers" section.

Months

English 	Dutch 	       Archaic Form January 	Januari 	 louwmaand February 	Februari 	 sprokkelmaand March 	       Maart 	          lentemaand April 	       April             grasmaand May 	       Mei 	          bloeimaand June 	       Juni 	          zomermaand July 	       Juli 	          hooimaand August 	       Augustus 	  oogstmaand September 	September (7ber) herfstmaand October 	October (8ber) 	 wijnmaand November 	November (9ber)  slachtmaand December 	December (10ber) wintermaand

Days of the Week

English Dutch

Sunday 	Zondag Monday 	Maandag Tuesday 	Dinsdag Wednesday 	Woensdag Thursday 	Donderdag Friday 	Vrijdag Saturday 	Zaterdag

Times of the Day

Dutch birth and death records often indicated the time of day when the birth or death occurred. This is usually written out.

Dutch          	            English des avonds ('s avonds) 	   in the evening des middags ('s middags)       in the afternoon des morgens ('s morgens)       in the morning des nachts ('s nachts) 	   in the night in de namiddag 	           in the mid-afternoon in de voormiddag 	           in the mid-morning

A

 * aan - upon, to
 * aangenomen naam - named, alias, also known as, assumed name, accepted surname
 * angiften - intentions (marriage), declarations
 * aannemen to adopt (a child), to assume, to take on
 * aanneming confirmation
 * aannemingsdag day of confirmation
 * aanstaande next, toward, following, expectant, future, impending
 * aanval stroke, attack
 * aarde earth (buried in), ground
 * aardrijkskundig woordenboek gazetteer
 * acht eight
 * achtenswaardig respectable, honorable
 * achtentwintig twenty-eight
 * achtentwintigste twenty-eighth
 * achterkleindochter great-granddaughter
 * achterkleinzoon great-grandson
 * achternaam surname, last name
 * achtste eighth
 * achttien eighteen
 * achttiende eighteenth
 * adel nobility
 * adellijk noble, titled
 * aderlating bleeding, bloodletting
 * adresboek directory
 * advocaat notary, lawyer
 * afkondigen to post banns
 * afkondigingen proclamations, banns
 * afschrift(en) extract, duplicate record, transcript, certified copy
 * akte certificate, deed, license
 * alhier here, at this place, locally
 * alle all, every
 * alleen alone, single, only
 * altijd, steeds always
 * ambt office, function, post
 * ambtelijk official, professional
 * ambtenaar official, registrar, civil servant, clerk
 * ander(s) other
 * anders genoemd alias, also known as
 * Apostolisch Apostolic
 * April, april April
 * arbeider laborer
 * archief archive
 * archieven archives
 * Augustus, augustus August
 * avond ('s avonds) evening, (in the evening)
 * Avondmaal communion, sacrament

B

 * bad(plaats) resort, spa, bath
 * baker dry nurse
 * bakker baker
 * bedelaar beggar
 * bedrag fee, amount (of money)
 * bedrijf trade, business, concern
 * begraafplaats cemetery
 * begrafenis funeral
 * begraven to bury
 * behoeftigden needy, indigent
 * behoren to belong to
 * beide both
 * bejaard aged
 * bekende acquaintance
 * belasting taxation
 * Belg(isch) Belgian
 * België Belgium
 * bemerking remarks
 * benadering approximation
 * berg mountain
 * beroep trade, occupation
 * beschrijving description
 * beslagnemen to seize
 * besnijdenis circumcision
 * bet-overgrootvader second great-grandfather
 * bet-bet-overgrootvader third great-grandfather
 * betrekking in relation to, relatives
 * betuiging declaration, expression
 * bevolking population
 * bevolkingsregister population register
 * bewaarder guardian, warden
 * bewijs certificate, proof
 * bewijs van overlijden proof of death, death certificate
 * bewijs van trouwen proof of marriage, marriage certificate
 * bidden to pray, to request
 * bijlagen supplemental documents
 * bijna almost, nearly
 * bijnaam surname, nickname
 * bijzit mistress, concubine
 * binnenkant inside
 * biografie biography
 * bisdom diocese
 * bladzijde (blz.) page
 * bloeimaand blossoming month, May
 * boek book
 * boer farmer
 * boerenarbeider cottager, farmhand, worker
 * boerenknecht farm worker
 * bos woods, forest
 * bosbaas forester
 * bosch woods, forest (old spelling of the word)
 * boswachter forester
 * boven above, over, upstairs
 * braaf honest, worthy, good
 * broeder, broer brother
 * brouwer brewer
 * brug bridge
 * bruid bride
 * bruidegom bridegroom
 * buiten(kant) outside
 * buitenechtelijk illegitimate
 * burgemeester mayor
 * burgelijke administralie civil administration
 * burger citizen
 * burgerboek citizenship book
 * burgerlijke ambtenaar civil registrar
 * burgerlijke stand civil registration, civil administration
 * burgerschap citizenship
 * buurman neighbor
 * buurtschap neighborhood

C

 * communicanten members, communicants
 * comparant one who appeared
 * compareerde appeared before
 * confirmatie confirmation

D

 * daar(heen) there
 * dag day
 * dag der begravenis day of the burial, burial day
 * dagelijks daily
 * dagloner day worker, day laborer
 * dagteekening document date
 * dal valley
 * dat that
 * datum date
 * de the
 * December, december December
 * deden done
 * deed did
 * deel volume, part of
 * Deen Dane
 * Deens Danish
 * degenen those
 * Denemarken Denmark
 * derde third
 * dertien thirteen
 * dertiende thirteenth
 * dertig thirty
 * dertigste thirtieth
 * des of the
 * dewelke of which, the which
 * deze this, these
 * diarree diarrhea
 * die those, that
 * dienst service, employment
 * dienstbode servant
 * dienstmeisje servant girl
 * dienstsmeid maid
 * dinsdag Tuesday
 * diocees diocese
 * dit this
 * dochter(tje) (little) daughter
 * doen to do
 * dominee minister
 * donderdag Thursday
 * dood dead
 * dood geboren stillborn
 * doodgraver sexton, grave digger
 * doop baptism, christening
 * doopdag day of baptism
 * doopregister baptismal register
 * Doopsgezinde Mennonite, Baptist
 * doopvader godfather, baptismal sponsor
 * door through, by
 * dopen to baptize
 * dorp village
 * drie three
 * drieëntwintig twenty-three
 * drieëntwintigste twenty-third
 * drupped gout
 * Duits German (language)
 * Duitser German (person)
 * Duitsland Germany
 * duizend thousand
 * duizendste thousandth
 * duplicaat duplicate
 * dysenterie dysentery

E

 * echt marriage
 * echtbreker adulterer
 * echtelieden spouses
 * echtgenoot husband
 * echtgenote wife
 * echtgenoten husband and wife, spouses
 * echtscheiding divorce
 * echtverbintenis marriage
 * edel(man) noble(man)
 * een a, an, one
 * eenendertig thirty-one
 * eenendertigste thirty-first
 * eenentwintig twenty-one
 * eenjarig annual, yearly
 * eerder before, previously, earlier
 * eergisteren day before yesterday
 * eerlijk honest
 *  eerste first
 * eertijds formerly
 * eeuw century
 * ehelieden spouses
 * eigenaar owner, proprietor
 * eigengeërfde yeoman, freeholder
 * eiland, eilant island
 * elf eleven
 * elfde eleventh
 * elk each, every
 * emigrant emigrant
 * emigranten register emigration file
 * emigratie papieren emigration records
 * en and
 * enig only, single
 * erfenis inheritance
 * ervan of it
 * ervoor for it
 * Evangelisch evangelical 

F

 * fabriek factory, mill
 * familie-geschiedenis family history
 * familieleden family members,relatives
 * familielijst family list, group sheet
 * familienaam family name, surname
 * familiewapen familycoat of arms
 * Februari, februari February
 * feestdag feast day, holiday
 * fiches index cards
 * florijn guilder
 * Frankrijk France
 * frans French

G

 * gangbaar current
 * geboorte birth
 * geboorteakte birth certificate
 * geboortebewijs proof of birth,birth certificate
 * geboorteplaats place of birth
 * geboortetijd time of birth
 * geboortig born at, native of
 * geboren born, maiden name, née
 * gedoopt baptized, christened
 * geelzucht jaundice
 * geen no, none, without
 * geestelijke priest, clergyman
 * gegeven given, gave
 * gehucht hamlet
 * gehuwd married
 * geld money
 * gelijk same, alike, similar
 * gemeenschap community, township
 * gemeente town, municipality, parish
 * gemeenteraadslid councilman, town councilor
 * genaamd named
 * genaamt named
 * genealogie genealogy
 * gerechtelijk(e) court, judicial
 * gerechtshof judicial court
 * Gereformeerd(e) Calvinist Reformed
 * gering small
 * gescheiden divorced
 * geschenk deed, gift, present
 * geschiedenis history
 * geslacht sex, gender
 * geslachtsboom pedigree, family tree
 * gestorven died
 * gestorven zonder nageslacht died without issue
 * getrouwd married
 * getuigen witnesses
 * gewesen former
 * gezegend blessed, the deceased
 * gezin immediate family
 * gezindheid religious affiliation
 * gezinslijst family group sheet
 * gezwel, gezwollenheid swelling, tumor
 * gezworene juryman, person under oath
 * gisteren yesterday
 * Godsbeschikking dispensation, God's will
 * godsdienst religion
 * goed good, right, correct
 * graaf count, earl
 * graafschap county, shire
 * graf grave, tomb
 * grasmaand gras month,April
 * grens border (between countries)
 * grensgebied border, region
 * groen green
 * groet greet, greeting
 * grondeigenaren property owners
 * groot large, big, great
 * groothandelaar trader, merchant
 * grootmoeder grandmother
 * grootvader grandfather
 * gulden guilder (unit of money)

H

 * haar, hare hair, her, hers
 * had(den) had
 * half half
 * halfbroeder half brother
 * halfzuster half sister
 * handel trade, occupation
 * handtekening signature
 * handwerksgezel journeyman
 * hebben to have
 * heden today
 * heel all, whole, entire, complete
 * heer master, gentleman, Mr.
 * Heer the Lord
 * heerschappen gentry, lords
 * hem him
 * hen, hun them, their, theirs
 * herbergier innkeeper
 * herder shepherd
 * herfst autumn, fall
 * herfstmaand fall month, September
 * Hernhutter Moravian
 * hertog duke
 * hertogdom duchy
 * hertogin duchess
 * Hervormd(e) Dutch reformed
 * Hessisch Hessian
 * het it, the
 * heuvel hill
 * hij he
 * hoe how
 * hoer harlot, immoral woman
 * hoesten cough
 * hoger upper, higher
 * Hollands Dutch
 * honderd hundred
 * honderdste hundredth
 * hoog high
 * hooimaand hay month, July
 * houtvester forester
 * huidziekte measles
 * huis house
 * huisgezin immediate family
 * huisland home, native country, homeland
 * huisvrouw housewife
 * huizenkant inside, side of a house
 * hun their
 * huwelijksaangiften marriage intention
 * huwelijk marriage
 * huwelijksaf(aan)-kondigingen marriage banns
 * huwelijksbijlagen marriage supplements
 * huwelijksdag day of marriage
 * huwelijksfeest wedding
 * huwen to marry