Locale Nl 001

Reference data for the Dutch locale — endonym Nederlands, written in the Latin script, left-to-right (LTR).

Identifiers

• BCP 47 tag: nl-001
• ISO 639-1: nl
• ISO 639-3: nld
• Script: Latn (Latin)
• Region: 001 (World)
• Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

• L1 (native): 25,000,000
• L2 (additional): 5,000,000
• L1+L2 (total): 30,000,000

Regional variants

This is the base/macro locale for Dutch. Region-specific variants in this dataset:

• Locale Nl Be (Dutch (Belgium))
• Locale Nl Nl (Dutch (Netherlands))

Pluralization

CLDR plural categories for this locale: one, other (2 forms).

• one — i = 1 and v = 0 (e.g. 1)
• other — everything else (e.g. 0, 2~16, 100, 1000, …)

See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.

Translating into this locale

Dutch has one written standard maintained by the Nederlandse Taalunie (Dutch Language Union) for the Netherlands and Flanders; usage differs between the two. See Locale Nl Nl and Locale Nl Be.

Translate ideas, not words.

• Dutch uses compound nouns written as one word and verb-final subordinate clauses. Restructure rather than translating word by word; "user account settings" is "instellingen voor het gebruikersaccount" or "accountinstellingen".
• Dutch prefers a plain, direct style. English passive and nominalizations become active verbs.
• Re-express idioms by meaning: "it's a piece of cake" is "het is een fluitje van een cent".

Grammar that trips translators.

• Two genders in agreement (de and het); diminutives in -je are neuter ("het huisje").
• Verb position: second in main clauses, last in subordinate clauses; separable verbs split ("Ik bel je op").
• Compound words are written together ("koffiezetapparaat"); splitting them ("koffie zet apparaat") is a common error.
• Adjective -e ending: added to adjectives before de-words and plurals and before het-words with a definite article ("een groot huis", "het grote huis").
• Perfect tense uses "hebben" or "zijn" plus the past participle.

Register.

• "Je/jij" (informal) and "u" (formal) are the options. Dutch brands, apps, and many public bodies in the Netherlands now use "je"; "u" remains common in banking, healthcare, legal, and conservative contexts, and is more widespread in Flanders. Pick one per product.
• Dutch communication is direct and informal; excessive politeness sounds stiff.

Orthography and typography.

• Spelling follows the Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal (Het Groene Boekje) of the Taalunie.
• Months, days, and languages are lowercase; sentence case for titles. Quotation marks: “…” or ‘…’ are common in Dutch typography.
• Numbers: decimal comma, period or space for thousands; dates "17 oktober 2026"; 24-hour clock; euro formats vary (check CLDR).

Common pitfalls

• Splitting compounds ("gebruikers account").
• False friends: "eventueel" is "possibly", "actueel" is "current", "gemeen" is "mean", "brutaal" is "cheeky", "slim" is "smart", "handig" is "handy".
• Mixing je and u.
• Word-order mistakes in subordinate clauses.
• Overusing English loanwords where a Dutch term exists.

Learn more

• Locale for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
• Unicode Messageformat for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
• Taalunie, Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal (https://woordenlijst.org)
• Microsoft Localization Style Guide, Dutch (https://aka.ms/dutch-styleguide)