Calendar dates and holidays

Introduction to Calendar Dates and Holidays in Dutch

This lesson helps you learn how to express dates, days, and holidays in Dutch at an A1 beginner level. You will learn useful words and phrases to talk about appointments, holidays, and special days like Christmas and New Year's Eve. Understanding these basics will help you navigate everyday conversations about time, schedule events, and discuss celebrations.

Key Concepts and Vocabulary

Talking About Days and Dates

The lesson focuses on formulating calendar dates, including the day of the week, the day of the month, and the year. For example:

• "Op maandag 3 april heb ik een afspraak in mijn agenda." (On Monday, April 3, I have an appointment in my agenda.)
• "Welke datum is het vandaag? Het is donderdag 12 juli." (What is the date today? It is Thursday, July 12.)

Common time expressions include de datum (the date), de kalender (the calendar), de week (the week), and het weekend (the weekend).

Talking About Holidays

You will find important vocabulary for popular Dutch holidays and celebrations, such as:

• Kerstmis – Christmas
• Nieuwjaar – New Year's
• Pasen – Easter
• Pinksteren – Pentecost

Example sentences include:

• "Kerstmis is op 25 december; dat is een belangrijke feestdag in Nederland." (Christmas is on December 25; that is an important holiday in the Netherlands.)
• "Op 31 december 2023 vier ik oud en nieuw met mijn familie." (On December 31, 2023, I celebrate New Year's Eve with my family.)

Useful Phrases and Expressions

• "Ik plan een afspraak op maandag 3 april." (I schedule an appointment on Monday, April 3.)
• "Wanneer is het feest?" (When is the party?)
• "Het feest is op vrijdag 12 mei." (The party is on Friday, May 12.)
• "De vakantie begint op 5 juli 2025." (The holiday starts on July 5, 2025.)

Verb Focus: "Plannen" (To Plan)

The verb plannen (to plan) is important when speaking about scheduling appointments or events. Here is its present tense conjugation:

• ik plan
• jij plant
• hij/zij/het plant
• wij plannen
• jullie plannen
• zij plannen

Example: "Wij plannen een feest op 5 juli 2025." (We are planning a party on July 5, 2025.)

Comparing Dutch and English Date Expressions

In Dutch, the preposition op is used when mentioning specific days and dates, similar to "on" in English, as in "op maandag 3 april" (on Monday, April 3). Dutch places the day before the date within the sentence structure. Unlike English, Dutch always uses cardinal numbers for dates (e.g., 3 april) rather than ordinal forms (3rd of April).

For holidays, Dutch often adds the word de feestdag (the holiday), while English usually just uses the holiday name. For example, "Kerstmis is op 25 december" directly translates as "Christmas is on December 25," keeping the focus on the date of the event.

Summary

This lesson equips you with practical vocabulary and phrases for discussing dates, days of the week, and Dutch holidays. Learning how to use time expressions naturally and conjugate common verbs like plannen prepares you to schedule appointments, talk about holidays, and plan events confidently in Dutch.