How to Practise Dutch Small Talk at Work

Workplace small talk has two jobs: acknowledge the person and create an easy route into the task. The Netherlands has regional, organizational, and personal variation, so do not treat one bluntness stereotype as a national script.

Open with the immediate situation

• Goedemorgen, alles goed? — Good morning, everything okay?
• Hoe was je weekend? — How was your weekend?
• Was het druk onderweg? — Was it busy on the way?
• Hoe gaat het met het project? — How is the project going?

Whether je is appropriate depends on the workplace. Follow colleagues' use of names, je, and u, and ask when unsure.

Respond before asking another question

Do not turn the exchange into an interview. Pick one detail from the answer:

Colleague: Ik ben naar Utrecht geweest.
You: Leuk. Was je daar voor het eerst?

Then move into work:

• Zullen we beginnen? — Shall we start?
• Ik wil nog één punt bespreken. — I want to discuss one more point.
• Kun je dit straks even bekijken? — Can you look at this later?

Rehearse the transition

Ask ChickyTutor for Dutch to play a colleague before a meeting. Respond to one personal detail and move into a safe fictional task. ChickyTutor can vary the reply, but it cannot establish your company's etiquette or receive confidential work information. Verify register and natural wording with colleagues, a teacher, or a proficient Dutch speaker.