Time and Dates in Dutch

Telling the time and talking about dates is essential from your very first conversations in Dutch. Whether you are making an appointment, catching a train, or planning dinner, you need to know how the Dutch express time — and it works quite differently from English.

The biggest surprise for English speakers is that Dutch tells time relative to the next hour for the half hour. Half drie does not mean "half past three" — it means "half (towards) three," which is 2:30. This single difference causes more confusion than almost any other feature of Dutch, so it is worth mastering early.

Dates in Dutch follow the day-month-year format, and days and months are not capitalized. This article builds on your knowledge of Cardinal Numbers and shows you how to use them in everyday time expressions.

Formation / How It Works

Telling the Time — Full and Half Hours

Time	Dutch	Literally
1:00	een uur	one hour
2:00	twee uur	two hours
2:30	half drie	half three (= halfway to 3)
5:30	half zes	half six (= halfway to 6)
12:00	twaalf uur / 's middags twaalf uur	twelve o'clock / noon

Quarter Hours

Time	Dutch	Literally
2:15	kwart over twee	quarter past two
2:45	kwart voor drie	quarter before three

Minutes

For times within 15 minutes of the hour, Dutch uses over (past) and voor (before). For times around the half hour, Dutch references half:

Time	Dutch	Strategy
2:05	vijf over twee	5 past the hour
2:10	tien over twee	10 past the hour
2:20	tien voor half drie	10 before half three
2:25	vijf voor half drie	5 before half three
2:35	vijf over half drie	5 past half three
2:40	tien over half drie	10 past half three
2:50	tien voor drie	10 before the next hour
2:55	vijf voor drie	5 before the next hour

Asking the Time

Dutch	English
Hoe laat is het?	What time is it?
Het is drie uur.	It is three o'clock.
Om hoe laat?	At what time?
Om half vijf.	At half past four (4:30).

Days of the Week

Days are not capitalized in Dutch:

Dutch	English
maandag	Monday
dinsdag	Tuesday
woensdag	Wednesday
donderdag	Thursday
vrijdag	Friday
zaterdag	Saturday
zondag	Sunday

Months of the Year

Months are also not capitalized:

Dutch	English	Dutch	English
januari	January	juli	July
februari	February	augustus	August
maart	March	september	September
april	April	oktober	October
mei	May	november	November
juni	June	december	December

Date Format

Dutch uses day-month-year and ordinal numbers for the day:

Dutch	English
5 januari 2024	January 5, 2024
de vijfde januari	the fifth of January
21 maart	March 21st
Vandaag is het 3 april.	Today is April 3rd.

Examples in Context

Dutch	English	Note
Het is kwart over negen.	It is quarter past nine.	9:15
De trein vertrekt om half acht.	The train departs at 7:30.	half acht = 7:30
We eten om zes uur.	We eat at six o'clock.	Full hour
Ik heb een afspraak om tien voor drie.	I have an appointment at ten to three.	2:50
Mijn verjaardag is op vijf mei.	My birthday is on May fifth.	Date with "op"
Op maandag werk ik niet.	On Monday I do not work.	Day of the week
Het is tien over half vier.	It is 3:40.	Relative to half hour
De winkel is open van negen tot vijf.	The shop is open from nine to five.	Time range
Welke dag is het vandaag?	What day is it today?	Asking the day
Het feest is op zaterdag 15 juni.	The party is on Saturday June 15th.	Day + date

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
half drie for 3:30	half drie = 2:30	"Half drie" means halfway to three
op Maandag (capitalized)	op maandag	Days and months are not capitalized in Dutch
in 5 Januari	op 5 januari	Use "op" for specific dates, not "in"
het is drie en half	het is half vier	Half hours reference the next hour
twaalf maart 2024 without "op"	op twaalf maart 2024	Use "op" when specifying an event date

Practice Tips

• Drill the half-hour shift. Pick random half hours and say them in Dutch. Remind yourself: half vijf = 4:30, half een = 12:30. Test yourself until this becomes automatic.
• Read Dutch timetables. Train and bus schedules are great practice for both 24-hour time and the Dutch spoken-time system. Try converting the digital time (14:30) into spoken Dutch (half drie).

Related Concepts

• Cardinal Numbers
• Frequency Adverbs
• Time Adverbs