The pattern
Choose one level of formality for both the opening and the closing, and give your reason for writing in the first line.
- Informal (friends, family, close colleagues): Hoi Sanne, or Hallo Sanne, with Groetjes.
- Neutral (most work emails, school, a neighbour): Beste Sanne, or Beste mevrouw Bakker, with Groet or Met vriendelijke groet.
- Formal (the gemeente, a company, a job application): Geachte heer Visser, or Geachte mevrouw Visser, with Met vriendelijke groet. No name? Write Geachte heer/mevrouw, instead. Unsure whether to write heer or mevrouw? Many writers use the full name: Geachte Sam Visser, for example.
- Layout: a comma after the opening, then a new line that starts with a capital letter (unlike German). The examples below put both on one line to save space. After the closing, most people put no comma, just their name on the next line.
- Pronoun: u after Geachte, je after Hoi. After Beste, follow the other person's lead, or use u when in doubt (U or jij).
Examples
| Hoi Emma, Heb je zin om zaterdag bij ons te eten? | Hi Emma, Do you fancy having dinner at our place on Saturday? |
| Beste Carlos, Ik mail je omdat ik een vraag heb over het nieuwe rooster. | Dear Carlos, I'm emailing you because I have a question about the new schedule. |
| Beste mevrouw Bakker, Ik mail u over de ouderavond van dinsdag. | Dear Ms Bakker, I'm emailing you about Tuesday's parents' evening. |
| Geachte mevrouw Mulder, Ik schrijf u omdat mijn parkeervergunning volgende maand verloopt. | Dear Ms Mulder, I'm writing to you because my parking permit expires next month. |
| Geachte heer/mevrouw, Graag wil ik een klacht indienen over de schoonmaak van ons trappenhuis. | Dear Sir or Madam, I would like to make a complaint about the cleaning of our stairwell. |
| Laat even weten of dinsdag je uitkomt. Groetjes | Let me know if Tuesday suits you. Cheers |
| Ik stuur je het verslag morgen. Groet | I'll send you the report tomorrow. Regards |
| Ik hoop dat u mij kunt helpen. Met vriendelijke groet | I hope you can help me. Kind regards |
Why it works this way
The opening sets the distance between you and your reader, and the closing confirms it. Think of a thermostat: Hoi and Groetjes are warm, Beste and Groet are room temperature, Geachte is cool. Met vriendelijke groet fits both cooler settings, which makes it the safe choice when you are unsure. Formal and informal Dutch helps you pick the setting.
The words themselves help. Geachte comes from achten (to respect), so it means something like "respected". Beste literally means "best" but works like English "Dear". Lieve also translates as "dear", yet Dutch keeps it for people you love.
Dutch readers also tend to like emails that get to the point, so in work and formal emails your reason for writing usually comes first, without a long warm-up.
Remember: one email, one temperature. Set it with the opening and keep it until the closing.
### In the exam
The inburgering exam and the NT2 state exam often include a short email. A typical task: Uw buurman, meneer Visser, heeft een pakket voor u aangenomen. Schrijf hem een e-mail. Bedank hem en stel een moment voor om het op te halen.
Beste meneer Visser, is a good opening here, since Geachte would sound stiff for a neighbour. Thank him in your first line (Bedankt dat u mijn pakket hebt aangenomen.), cover every point in the task and end with Met vriendelijke groet and your name.
Watch out
نادرستLieve meneer Jansen,
درستGeachte heer Jansen,
to your landlord, lieve is far too personal
نادرستGeachte heer Daan,
درستGeachte heer Visser,
to Daan Visser: heer and mevrouw go with the surname
نادرستIk hoop dat deze e-mail u goed vindt.
درستIk hoop dat het goed met u gaat.
the English formula does not translate word for word
نادرستMet vriendelijk groet
درستMet vriendelijke groet
groet is a de-word, so the adjective takes -e
Quick check
- You are sending a complaint to your housing association and do not know who will read it. Choose the opening: Hoi, or Lieve meneer, or Geachte heer/mevrouw,
- Your email to your good friend Lotte starts with Hoi Lotte! Choose the matching closing: Groetjes or Met vriendelijke groet.
- Your email opens with Geachte mevrouw Bakker. Fill in one word: Kunt ... mij laten weten wanneer het loket open is?
- Choose omdat or want: Ik schrijf u ... ik volgende maand verhuis.
نمایش پاسخها
- Geachte heer/mevrouw, (formal, and you do not know the reader's name)
- Groetjes (a warm opening needs a warm closing)
- u (Geachte is formal, and kunt goes with u)
- omdat (the verb stands at the end; with want it would be want ik verhuis volgende maand)
Use it today
Write a short email to your landlord, a colleague or a neighbour about something real, such as a broken light or a parcel. Choose the opening first, give your reason in the first line, and check that the closing has the same temperature.