Gay and lesbian Amsterdam
Gay & Lesbian Switchboard; tel 020/623 6565, www.switchboard.nl (daily 2–10pm). For reviews of gay venues in the city, see the listings sections of each chapter.
Consulates
UK, Koningslaan 44, tel 020/676 4343; USA, Museumplein 19, tel 020/575 5309.
Doctors/dentists
Your hotel or the VVV should be able to provide the address of an English-speaking doctor or dentist if you need one.
Electricity
220v AC – effectively the same as British, although with round two- (or occasionally three-) pin plugs. British equipment will need either an adaptor or a new plug; American requires both a transformer and a new plug.
Emergencies
Police, fire service and ambulance; tel 112
Football
Ajax Amsterdam ArenA stadium,; tel 020/311 1444, www.ajax.nl, metro Bijlmer; Feyenoord Rotterdam Olympiaweg 50, Rotterdam; tel 010/292 3888, www.feyenoord.nl.
Left luggage
Centraal Station (daily 7am–11pm). Small coin-operated lockers cost €3.50, the larger ones €5.50 per 24 hours; left luggage costs €8 per item.
Mosquitoes
These thrive in Holland’s watery environment and are at their worst, as you would expect, near any stagnant or slow-moving stretch of water. Muggenmelk, with DEET, is very powerful: a little smear will keep them well away for a good night’s sleep. Other popular brands include the Autan range. For more sensitive skins, Prrrikweg contains pungent citronella oil. After the event, an antihistamine cream such as Phenergan helps. All these and more are available all over Amsterdam.
Pharmacies
You’ll need an apotheek (usually Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, but may be closed Mon mornings) for minor ailments or to get a prescription filled. A complete list – with many opening hours – can be found in the city’s yellow pages under "Apotheken". Most of the better hotels will be able to assist too.
Police
Headquarters are at Elandsgracht 117 (tel 559 9111).
Tipping
There’s no necessity to tip, but a ten- to fifteen-percent tip is expected by taxi drivers and anticipated by many restaurant waiters.
Yellow pages
The city’s yellow pages are online at www.goudengids.nl.
Language
Dutch
It’s unlikely that you’ll need to speak anything other than English while you’re in Amsterdam; the Dutch have a seemingly natural talent for languages, and your attempts at speaking theirs may be met with some bewilderment – though this can have as much to do with your pronunciation (Dutch is very difficult to get right) as their surprise that you’re making an effort. Outside Amsterdam, people aren’t quite as cosmopolitan, but even so the following Dutch words and phrases should be the most you’ll need to get by. We’ve also included a basic food and drink glossary, though menus are nearly always multilingual, and where they aren’t, ask and one will almost invariably appear.
Pronunciation
Dutch is pronounced much the same as English. However, there are a few Dutch sounds that don’t exist in English, which can be difficult to pronounce without practice.
v like the English f in far
w like the v in vat
j like the initial sound of yellow
ch and g are considerably harder than in English, enunciated much further back in the throat
ng is as in bring
nj as in onion
a is like the English apple
aa like cart
e like let
ee like late
o as in pop
oo in pope
u is like the French tuif preceded by a consonant; it’s like wood if followed by a consonant
uu the French tu
au and ou like how
ei and ij as in fine
oe as in soon
eu is like the diphthong in the French leur
ui is the hardest Dutch diphthong of all, pronounced like howbut much further forward in the mouth, with lips pursed (as if to say "oo")
Words and phrases
Basics and greetings
English
Dutch
yes
ja
no
nee
Please
alstublieft
(no) thank you
(nee) dank u or bedankt
hello
hallo or dag
good morning
goedemorgen
good afternoon
goedemiddag
good evening
goedenavond
goodbye
tot ziens
see you later
tot straks
do you speak English?
spreekt u Engels?
I don’t understand
Ik begrijp het niet
women/men
vrouwen/mannen
children
kinderen
push/pull
duwen/trekken
Getting around
how do I get to… ?
hoe kom ik in… ?
where is… ?
waar is… ?
how far is it to… ?
hoe ver is het naar… ?
when?
wanneer?
far/near
ver/dichtbij
left/right
links/rechts
straight ahead
rechtuit gaan
here/there
hier/daar
Ordering, shopping and money
I want…
Ik wil…
I don’t want…
Ik wil niet… (+verb)
Ik wil geen…(+noun)
how much is… ?
wat kost… ?
post office
postkantoor
stamp(s)
postzegel(s)
money exchange
geldwisselkantoor
cash desk
kassa
good/bad
goed/slecht
big/small
groot/klein
new/old
nieuw/oud
cheap/expensive
goedkoop/duur
hot/cold
heet or warm/koud
with/without
met/zonder
Days of the week
Monday
Maandag
Tuesday
Dinsdag
Wednesday
Woensdag
Thursday
Donderdag
Friday
Vrijdag
Saturday
Zaterdag
Sunday
Zondag
yesterday
gisteren
today
vandaag
tomorrow
morgen
tomorrow morning
morgenochtend
year
jaar
month
maand
week
week
day
dag
Numbers
0
nul
1
een
2
twee
3
drie
4
vier
5
vijf
6
zes
7
zeven
8
acht
9
negen
10
tien
11
elf
12
twaalf
13
dertien
14
veertien
15
vijftien
16
zestien
17
zeventien
18
achttien
19
negentien
20
twintig
21
&
nbsp; een en twintig
22
twee en twintig
30
dertig
40
veertig
50
vijftig
60
zestig
70
zeventig
80
tachtig
90
negentig
100
honderd
101
honderd een
200
twee honderd
201
twee honderd een
500
vijf honderd
1000
duizend
Food and drink terms
Basics
Dutch
English
boter
butter
boterham/broodje
sandwich/roll
brood
bread
dranken
drinks
eieren
eggs
gerst
barley
groenten
vegetables
honing
honey
hoofdgerechten
main courses
kaas
cheese
koud
cold
nagerechten
desserts
peper
pepper
pindakaas
peanut butter
sla/salade
salad
smeerkaas
cheese spread
stokbrood
French bread
suiker
sugar
vis
fish
vlees
meat
voorgerechten
starters/hors d’oeuvres
vruchten
fruit
warm
hot
zout
salt
Snacks
erwtensoep/snert
thick pea soup with bacon or sausage
huzarensalade
potato salad with pickles
Kkoffietafel
a light midday meal of cold meats, cheese, bread and perhaps soup
patates/frites
chips/French fries
soep
soup
uitsmijter
ham or cheese with eggs on bread
Meat and poultry
biefstuk (hollandse)
steak
biefstuk (duitse)
hamburger
eend
duck
fricandeau
roast pork
fricandel
frankfurter-like sausage
gehakt
minced meat
ham
ham
kalfsvlees
veal
kalkoen
turkey
karbonade
chop
kip
chicken
kroket
spiced veal or beef in hash, coated in breadcrumbs
lamsvlees
lamb
lever
liver
rookvlees
smoked beef
spek
bacon
worst
sausages
Fish
forel
trout
garnalen
prawns
haring
herring
haringsalade
herring salad
kabeljauw
cod
makreel
mackerel
mosselen
mussels
oesters
oysters
paling
eel
schelvis
haddock
schol
plaice
tong
sole
zalm
salmon
Vegetables
aardappelen
potatoes
bloemkool
cauliflower
bonen
beans
champignons
mushrooms
erwten
peas
hutspot
mashed potatoes and carrots
knoflook
garlic
komkommer
cucumber
prei
leek
rijst
rice
sla
salad, lettuce
stampot andijvie
mashed potato and endive
stampot boerenkool
mashed potato and cabbage
uien
onions
wortelen
zuurkool
sauerkraut
Cooking terms
belegd
filled or topped, as in belegde broodjes – bread rolls topped with cheese, etc
doorbakken
well-done
gebakken
fried/baked
gebraden
roasted
gegrild
grilled
gekookt
boiled
geraspt
grated
gerookt
smoked
gestoofd
stewed
half doorbakken
medium-done
hollandse saus
hollandaise (a milk and egg sauce)
rood
rare
Indonesian dishes and terms
ajam
chicken
bami
noodles with meat/chicken and vegetables
daging
beef
gado gado
vegetables in peanut sauce
goreng
fried
ikan
fish
katjang
peanut
kroepoek
prawn crackers
loempia
spring rolls
nasi
rice
nasi goreng
fried rice with meat/chicken and vegetables
nasi rames
rijsttafel on a single plate
pedis
hot and spicy
pisang
banana
rijsttafel
collection of different spicy dishes served with plain rice
sambal
hot, chilli-based sauce
satesaus
peanut sauce to accompany meat grilled on skewers
seroendeng
spicy shredded and fried coconut
tauge
bean sprouts
Sweets and desserts
appelgebak
apple tart or cake
drop
Dutch liquorice, available in zoet (sweet) or zout (salted) varieties – the latter an acquired taste
gebak
pastry
IJs
ice cream
koekjes
biscuits
oliebollen
doughnuts
pannekoeken
pancakes
pepernoten
Dutch ginger nuts
poffertjes
small pancakes, fritters
(slag)room
(whipped) cream
speculaas
spice and honey-flavoured biscuit
stroopwafels
waffles
taai-taai
Dutch honey cake
vla
custard
Fruits and nuts
aardbei
strawberry
amandel
almond
appel
apple
appelmoes
apple purée
citroen
lemon
druiven
grape
framboos
raspberry
hazelnoot
hazelnut
kers
cherry
kokosnoot
coconut
peer
pear
perzik
peach
pinda
peanut
pruim
plum/prune
Drinks
bessenjenever
blackcurrant gin