You are at the gemeente desk, the clerk asks for your date of birth, and your brain freezes on the difference between twee and twaalf.
Dutch numbers and dates come up constantly in integration life: registering at the gemeente, booking a huisarts appointment, filling in forms for DUO, and answering questions in the inburgering exam. The good news is that the system is regular and learnable. The bad news is that a few small pronunciation traps cause most of the confusion. This article walks you through numbers 0 to 1000, ordinals, months, dates, times, and the exact phrases you will hear and need to say at the gemeente and in daily Dutch life.
By the end you will know how to say your birth date, your postcode, your phone number, and appointment times without hesitating. You will also know where to practise for the A2 exam and what to check on Mijn Inburgering.
Dutch numbers and dates: the basics you actually need
Dutch numbers follow a clear pattern, but two things surprise English speakers. First, the numbers from 21 to 99 are said with the ones before the tens: eenentwintig (one and twenty), tweeendertig (two and thirty). Second, the word for 2 changes form depending on what it describes: twee when counting, but twee also in most compounds. The tricky part is pronunciation, not grammar.
Here are the core numbers with a rough English sound guide. The ui sound in twee is not like English "two"; it is closer to the vowel in British "bird" but shorter. The g in acht is a soft throat sound, like clearing your throat gently.
- 0 nul (nul)
- 1 een (ain)
- 2 twee (tway)
- 3 drie (dree)
- 4 vier (feer)
- 5 vijf (fife)
- 6 zes (zes)
- 7 zeven (zay-vun)
- 8 acht (acht, with soft g)
- 9 negen (nay-gun)
- 10 tien (teen)
- 11 elf (elf)
- 12 twaalf (twalf)
- 13 dertien (der-teen)
- 14 veertien (fayr-teen)
- 15 vijftien (fife-teen)
- 16 zestien (zes-teen)
- 17 zeventien (zay-vun-teen)
- 18 achttien (acht-teen)
- 19 negentien (nay-gun-teen)
- 20 twintig (twin-tuh, with soft g)
- 21 eenentwintig (ain-un-twin-tuh)
- 30 dertig (der-tuh)
- 40 veertig (fayr-tuh)
- 50 vijftig (fife-tuh)
- 60 zestig (zes-tuh)
- 70 zeventig (zay-vun-tuh)
- 80 tachtig (tach-tuh)
- 90 negentig (nay-gun-tuh)
- 100 honderd (hon-dert)
- 1000 duizend (dow-zunt)
Notice that tig at the end of tens sounds like "tuh" in fast speech. That is normal. Do not try to pronounce the final g too hard; Dutch people often soften it.
Ordinals: first, second, third for dates and floors
Ordinals are used for dates, floors, and rankings. The pattern is simple: add -de to numbers 1 to 19, and -ste to numbers from 20 upward. There are a few irregulars.
- 1st eerste (eer-stuh)
- 2nd tweede (tway-duh)
- 3rd derde (der-duh)
- 4th vierde (feer-duh)
- 5th vijfde (fife-duh)
- 6th zesde (zes-duh)
- 7th zevende (zay-vun-duh)
- 8th achtste (acht-stuh)
- 9th negende (nay-gun-duh)
- 10th tiende (teen-duh)
- 11th elfde (elf-duh)
- 12th twaalfde (twalf-duh)
- 20th twintigste (twin-tuh-stuh)
- 21st eenentwintigste (ain-un-twin-tuh-stuh)
- 100th honderdste (hon-dert-stuh)
When you say a date, you use the ordinal: Ik ben geboren op 8 oktober (I was born on 8 October). The word op is used for dates. For months, you just say the month name after the day number.
Months, days, and seasons
Months are not capitalised in Dutch. Days are not capitalised either. That is a small but important writing rule for forms and exams.
- januari (yaan-uu-aa-ree)
- februari (fay-bruu-aa-ree)
- maart (maart)
- april (aa-pril)
- mei (may)
- juni (yuu-nee)
- juli (yuu-lee)
- augustus (ow-gus-tus)
- september (sep-tem-ber)
- oktober (ok-toe-ber)
- november (no-vem-ber)
- december (day-sem-ber)
Days: maandag, dinsdag, woensdag, donderdag, vrijdag, zaterdag, zondag. Seasons: lente (spring), zomer (summer), herfst (autumn), winter (winter).
When you write a date in a form, the Dutch order is day, month, year: 8 oktober 2024. In numbers, that is 08-10-2024. This trips up people from the US, where 10-08 would mean October 8. In the Netherlands, 10-08 means 10 August. Always check which format a form expects.
Times, postcodes, and phone numbers
Time is said with uur for whole hours and over or voor for minutes. Het is drie uur (it is three o'clock). Het is kwart over drie (quarter past three). Het is tien voor half vier (ten to half four, meaning 3:20). The half system is different from English: half vier means 3:30, not 4:30. That is a classic mistake. Half vier is halfway to four.
Postcodes are said digit by digit, with a pause: 1234 AB is een twee drie vier, aa bee. Phone numbers are also said digit by digit, often in pairs: 06 12 34 56 78 is nul zes, twaalf, vierendertig, zesenvijftig, achtenzeventig. In practice, people mix single digits and pairs. Listen carefully and ask them to repeat: Kunt u dat herhalen?
At the gemeente, you will hear questions like:
- Wat is uw geboortedatum? (What is your date of birth?)
- Wat is uw postcode? (What is your postcode?)
- Wat is uw telefoonnummer? (What is your phone number?)
- Op welk adres woont u? (At which address do you live?)
Answer with the number first, then the street: Ik woon op de Kerkstraat 24. For house numbers with a letter, say the number then the letter: Kerkstraat 24 A is vierentwintig A.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
The biggest mistake is mixing up twee (2) and twaalf (12), or drie (3) and dertig (30). In noisy places like the gemeente or a phone call with the huisarts, this causes real problems. Practise saying them in pairs: twee, twaalf, twee, twaalf. Record yourself and listen.
Another mistake is saying half vier for 4:30. Remember: half vier is 3:30. If you mean 4:30, say half vijf. This is not logical from an English view, but it is the rule.
A third mistake is writing dates in the wrong order. In the Netherlands, 03-04-2025 is 3 April 2025, not March 4. When in doubt, write the month in letters: 3 april 2025.
"I practised my birth date for a week before my gemeente appointment. When the clerk asked, I said it perfectly. Then she asked for my postcode and I said 'twee duizend' instead of 'twee drie vier vijf'. We laughed. Now I always say postcodes digit by digit." , Marta, learner from Poland
How this appears in the inburgering exam
Numbers and dates are part of the inburgering exam at A2 level, especially in KNM (Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij) and Spreken. In KNM, you may see questions about opening hours, appointment times, or dates on official letters. In Spreken, you may need to give your personal details or make an appointment.
The exact number of questions, duration, and pass score are set by DUO and CvTE. Do not rely on blog posts for those details. Check Mijn Inburgering and the official DUO pages for the current rules. What you can rely on is that numbers and dates will appear, so practise them until they are automatic.
For focused practice, see the inburgering A2 overview, the KNM section, and the Spreken page. A mock exam helps you get used to hearing numbers at speed. For general Dutch practice, Dutch Fluency has listening and speaking drills.
Practice checklist for numbers and dates
- Say your full birth date aloud in Dutch, including the month.
- Say your postcode digit by digit, then your phone number in pairs.
- Practise half times: half twee, half drie, half vier, half vijf.
- Write today's date in Dutch in the day-month-year order.
- Listen to a Dutch weather forecast and note the temperatures.
- Book a fake appointment with a friend using a specific time.
- Record yourself saying 2, 12, 20, 30, 3, 13 and check the difference.
- Read a gemeente letter and underline every number and date.
FAQ
How do I say my date of birth in Dutch?
Say Ik ben geboren op followed by the day number, month, and year: Ik ben geboren op 8 oktober 1990. Use the ordinal for the day only when it is the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd: 1 januari, 2 februari, 3 maart. For other days, the number alone is fine.
Why does half vier mean 3:30?
Dutch counts halfway to the next hour. Half vier is halfway to four, so 3:30. This is different from English. To say 4:30, use half vijf.
Do I need to know numbers for the inburgering exam?
Yes. Numbers and dates appear in KNM, Spreken, and daily life. The exact exam format is set by DUO and CvTE, so check Mijn Inburgering for current details.
How do I say my postcode at the gemeente?
Say the four digits one by one, then the two letters: 1234 AB is een twee drie vier, aa bee. Speak slowly and clearly. If the clerk does not understand, repeat it.
What is the difference between twee and twaalf?
Twee is 2, twaalf is 12. The vowel in twee is short and tense; in twaalf it is longer and opens to an a sound. Practise them side by side until the difference is clear.
Numbers and dates are not glamorous, but they are the backbone of bureaucracy and daily appointments. Get them right and the gemeente visit becomes routine instead of stressful. Practise a little every day, and soon you will say your postcode without thinking.
