Writing: Informal Messages & Emails
Writing: Informal Messages & Emails
An informal Dutch message has a fixed skeleton: a one-word greeting, a line asking how the reader is, the reason for writing, and a closing formula. The closings are where Dutch is richest — and where a wrong choice reads as either cold or over-familiar.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
Openings: Hoi, Hallo, Beste, Lieve
Hoi Anna, / Beste Anna, / Lieve Anna,
Hi Anna, / Dear Anna, / Dear Anna,
Hoi and Hallo are the everyday informal greetings, with Hoi the more casual of the two. Beste is neutral and works for anyone you are on je terms with, including people you do not know well. Lieve means 'dear' in the affectionate sense and is reserved for friends and family — using it with a stranger is a genuine misstep. The greeting is followed by a comma and the next line usually starts in lower case, unlike the capital English convention.
Closings run from Groetjes to Met vriendelijke groet
Groetjes, / Groeten, / Met vriendelijke groet,
Cheers, / Regards, / Kind regards,
Groetjes — a diminutive plural of 'greetings' — is warm and informal, the default between friends. Groeten is a shade more neutral. Met vriendelijke groet is the standard business closing, often abbreviated to mvg in quick messages, and would sound stiff to a friend. Liefs ('love') is the most affectionate and, like Lieve, belongs only in close relationships.
Keep je throughout, and stay consistent
Hoe gaat het met je? Laat me weten of je kunt komen.
How are you? Let me know whether you can come.
Once you have opened informally, every pronoun stays informal: je, jij, jullie and the possessive jouw. Drifting into u halfway through a message is a common learner error and reads as an odd change of temperature. The useful stock phrases are all built on this: Hoe gaat het met je?, Laat me weten ..., Alvast bedankt, Tot snel.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- English
- Hi
- English
- Dear Anna
- English
- How are you?
- English
- Let me know
- English
- Thanks in advance
- English
- Cheers / Regards
- English
- Kind regards
- English
- Love
- English
- See you soon
- English
- the attachment
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