Let’s be honest, the Dutch can sometimes be a bit annoying. We’re loud, direct, and don’t often shy away from confrontation. Foreigners who experience this typical Dutch directness may see it as offensive, especially when they’re not used to it.

Is that the case for you? Don’t take it personally, and keep your cool. We promise that you’ll get used to the Dutch directness, and you may even learn to appreciate the loose use of mild Dutch curse words.

However, did the Dutch cross a line? Are you ready to get angry? Then do it well and do it Dutch-style—direct and honest. Learn how to say “angry” in Dutch, and how to use various words and phrases to express your anger in the heat of the moment.

Keep in mind that the Dutch like to use curse words even when they’re not angry. It’s quite common to hear Dutch people use swear words in public places, with friends, around family, and even at work. However, for the sake of this article, we’ll focus on more family-friendly Dutch curse words and Dutch insults. This way, you learn Dutch swear words and phrases that you can use in all situations.

A DutchPod101 guide wouldn’t really be a guide without some tips and tricks on how to annoy the Dutch, and how to make them happy again. This information will give you the tools you need to manage a heated situation in the Netherlands.

Table of Contents

1. How to Annoy the Dutch
2. Angry Orders
3. Angry Questions
4. Angry Blames
5. Describing How You Feel
6. What to Do When You Annoy the Dutch
7. How DutchPod101 Can Help You Learn More Dutch

1. How to Annoy the Dutch

1- Refer to the Netherlands as Holland

Did you know that Holland is not the same as the Netherlands? There’s an important difference: The Netherlands has twelve provinces and Holland makes up only two of those provinces (Zuid-Holland and Noord-Holland). Calling the Netherlands Holland in front of Dutch people from other provinces can get them a bit irritated.

→ You may want to do some more research on the differences between Holland and the Netherlands!

2- Belittle the country

The Netherlands may be a small country, but for the Dutch, that doesn’t make it insignificant. Belittling their country—by not recognizing its value or by being ignorant about its history or culture—may annoy them.

And if you really want to get on their nerves, confuse the Netherlands with Germany. Trust me, you won’t be the first person to do this. The Dutch are often overshadowed by this neighbor, so you might strike a nerve when you confuse the two countries.

3- Talk badly about the (national) football team

The Dutch love football (soccer). It’s a true football nation. The country may not be very nationalistic, but during the European or World Cup, the whole country turns orange. We’re proud of our “Lions” (read here about what lions have to do with Dutch football), and saying something bad about the team is a very bad idea.

4- Don’t respect the bike culture

The Dutch and their bikes are like two peas in a pod; they are inseparable. In the Netherlands, we learn how to bike from a young age, creating a bike culture full of (unwritten) rules and expected behavior.

Getting into dangerous situations because you’re an inexperienced cycler, or are walking on the cycling paths, are perfect ways to annoy the Dutch. You’ll definitely experience and learn Dutch swear words when doing this. Don’t mess up their cycling experience.

→ Knowing more about a country can be a great way to avoid fights and receiving insults in Dutch. Discover more about the Netherlands in this handy DutchPod101 lesson on the Top 5 Things You Need to Know About Dutch Society.

2. Angry Orders

To kick off our list of angry Dutch phrases, here are some angry orders. You’re a bit annoyed and you want the other person to stop doing whatever it is they’re doing. So you give them a first warning by saying:

• Zo is het genoeg! (“That’s enough!” )

Does the other person not know how to stop? Are they taking it too far? Then indicate this with a clear but direct:

• Je gaat te ver! (“You are taking it too far!” )

The verb gaan means “to go” and te ver means “too far.”

Do you want someone to be quiet? Then you can ask them firmly in Dutch to shut up:

• Hou je mond! (“Shut up!” )
• Hou je bek! (“Shut up!” )

The verb houden means “to keep” and mond means “mouth.” So it literally means “Keep your mouth.” Want to say it in a harsher way? Then you can use bek, which is a more profane way to refer to the mouth. It literally means “beak.”

If someone is being aggressive, offensive, or just simply going too far, try to make them stop by firmly saying:

• Stop (ermee)! (“Stop it!” )
• Hou op! (“Stop it!” )

Yes, the first of these two angry orders is the same as in English. It’s the Dutch imperative for the verb stoppen (“to stop” ). That makes it an easy tool for those heated moments with little time to think.

Hou op comes from the separable Dutch verb ophouden, which means “to stop” or “to cease.”

You want them to leave you alone? Sometimes the best thing in a fight is to get that annoying person out of your sight. Let’s give you some tools to achieve this:

• Laat me met rust! (“Leave me alone!” )

This is a clear, but still quite correct, way to ask someone to leave you alone. Laten means “to leave” and met rust literally means “with peace/quiet.”

Maybe this isn’t the time to be polite and you really want this person out of your sight. You can use this harsher angry order:

• Rot op! (“Get lost!” )

Oprotten is a Dutch separable verb that’s hard to translate, but means something like “to bugger off.”

3. Angry Questions

Now for some questions that are perfect for getting across that you’re angry in Dutch.

First things first, these angry questions are ALL rhetorical questions and the Dutch know it (although some angry people may respond to the question with a heated answer).

When expressing their disbelief, Dutch people love to say (with some attitude bordering intimidation):

• Wat?! (“What?!” )

Or, the also very effective:

• Wat zeg je? (“What are you saying?” )

It’s simple and it may not sound very intimidating, but with the right tone and some emphasis on wat, whoever you’re talking to will know that you’re not fooling around. You mean serious business.

• Dus?! (“So what?!” )

Also very effective with the right attitude.

• Neem je me nu in de maling? (“Are you kidding me?” )

In de maling nemen is the Dutch verb for “to kid,” “to deceive,” or “to prank,” so it can also be used in a more playful way. However, the tone will indicate its seriousness.

• Wat is er met jou aan de hand? (“What’s going on with you?” )

It’s difficult to translate aan de hand zijn. It literally means “to be on the hand,” but a better translation would be “Something is going on.”

• Wat ben je in hemelsnaam aan het doen? (“What the hell are you doing?” )

The funny thing about this angry question is that in Dutch, instead of “hell,” they say “heaven’s sake,” or if you want to be more literal, “heaven’s name.” Therefore, it’s not really considered a Dutch profanity, and it can also be used as a joke with the right tone.

• Waar kijk je naar? (“What are you looking at?” )

This is also a quite literal use of the English angry question. Kijken naar means “looking at.”

In the Netherlands, women usually make this remark. It’s a pretty snobby comment that can be made in heated settings, or when you (as a woman) feel uncomfortable because creepy guys are staring at you.

• Dit meen je niet? (“Are you kidding me?” )

Menen means “to mean,” so it would translate to “Do you mean this?” But with a little attitude, it’s a perfect way to express your outrage about something someone says.

This is a soft way of saying “Are you kidding me?” but even softer versions are also available: Maak je een grapje? (“Are you making a joke?”).

With the right amount of attitude, these phrases can express incredulity.

4. Angry Blames

Genoeg is genoeg (“enough is enough”). The other person went too far. Your angry orders and questions couldn’t cool the heated moment and now it’s time to start with some mild Dutch swearing and angry blames. You’re officially angry, and you’ll let the whole world know.

• Wie denk je wel niet dat je bent? (“Who do you think you are?” )

Yes, this is also an angry question, but as it’s more aggressive, it fits better in the angry blames category. You’re accusing the other person of believing that he/she is something that he/she is not.

• Ben je gek geworden? (“Are you crazy?” )

Literally: “Did you become crazy?”

When you use this phrase, you’re blaming the other person for being or acting crazy.

• Wat is er mis met jou? (“What’s wrong with you?” )

This quite literally means “What’s wrong with you?” because mis means “wrong” in Dutch in specific circumstances (such as this angry question). With this angry blame, you assume that something is wrong with the other person.

• Je bent onmogelijk. (“You’re impossible.” )

Is it really impossible to work or live with this person? Then this phrase may come in handy.

• Je luistert niet naar me. (“You’re not listening to me.” )

Luisteren means “to listen.”

• Het is een schande. (“It’s a disgrace.” )
• Dat gaat jou niets aan. (“It’s none of your business.” )

If you want to say this in a harsher way, you can use Het gaat jou geen reet aan. The added reet is a less-polite way to say “butt” in Dutch, similar to “ass.” However, with the right tone and in the right context, you could also say this to friends as a joke.

Do you want to make clear that the other person really has done something wrong? Then you can choose from one of the following phrases:

• Het is jouw schuld. (“It’s your fault.” )

This is a perfect way to blame someone if whatever happened is their fault (at least from your perspective).

• Je hebt het verpest. (“You ruined it.” )

The verb verpesten means “ruin,” and this phrase makes perfectly clear that it’s the other person’s fault.

→ Make sure to visit our vocabulary list about Phrases to Use When You’re Angry, with useful audio recordings to practice your pronunciation of Dutch insults. It’s free on DutchPod101.

→ Would you like to learn Dutch swear words and Dutch insults that are more profane? The Dutch Review has a great article on this!

5. Describing How You Feel

You’ve spread your rage. Now let’s start talking about our feelings. Learn how to say “angry” in Dutch and how to express other feelings. Are you mad? Are you sad? Are you sick and tired of fighting? Let’s express it in Dutch.

When describing emotions in Dutch, the verb zijn (“to be” ) is crucial. So just say ik ben … (“I am …” ) and add the right adjective:

• Teleurgesteld (“disappointed” )
• Boos (“angry” )
• Verdrietig (“sad” )
• Moe (“tired” )
• Uitgeput (“exhausted” )
• Bang (“frightened” )
• Nerveus (“nervous” )
• Geschokt (“shocked” )
• Geïrriteerd (“annoyed” )
• Chagrijnig (“cranky” )

Another way to express your emotions is by saying ik voel me … (“I feel …”):

• Ik voel me gekwetst. (“I feel hurt.” )
• Ik voel me eenzaam. (“I feel lonely.” )
• Ik voel me gefrustreerd. (“I feel frustrated.” )
• Ik voel me verdrietig. (“I feel sad.” )
• Ik voel me ellendig. (“I feel miserable.” )
• Ik voel me somber. (“I feel gloomy.” )
• Ik voel me verward. (“I feel confused.” )

→ Make sure you can express your feelings the way you want to. Visit our Top 21 Words for Negative Emotions vocabulary list with useful audio recordings to practice your pronunciation.

You can also express that you’ve had enough of the fight:

• Ik ben het zat! (“I’m fed up with it!” )

Do you really hate fighting with the other person? Then just say:

• Ik haat het! (“I hate it!” )

Are you in a peacemaking mood? Or are you simply too tired to keep on fighting? Then just say this phrase:

• Ik wil niet meer ruziën. (“I don’t want to fight anymore.” )

“Enough is enough” (genoeg is genoeg). Sometimes it just takes one person to reflect, relax, and bring a (little) peace offering.

→ Did you make up? Are you happy about it? Express it with these Top 20 Words for Positive Emotions.

6. What to Do When You Annoy the Dutch

1- Relax and improve your mood.

Releasing your anger on someone may feel good sometimes, but it’s not the most productive way of expressing your frustration. Would you like to calm down and not let the anger get the best of you?

There are several ways to do this. First of all, relax and let the tension go away by taking a deep breath. Distance yourself from the heated situation, literally or figuratively. Take a walk or go for a run. Listen to some (relaxing) music. Or write your feelings down.

By doing the things above, you can take some time to reframe your thinking. It may even change your point of view. With a bit of space between you and the situation, you may even laugh about the Dutch directness (and rudeness) you experienced.

→ Would you like to improve your Dutch vocabulary and express yourself better? Make sure to visit our vocabulary lists on the Most Useful Pronouns, 50 Most Common Adjectives, and 50 Most Common Nouns.

2- Make the Dutch happy again.

Okay, you’ve angered some Dutchies. Would you like to make up again?

Here the Dutch directness comes in handy, as the Dutch will appreciate you for being straight. Make the Dutch happy again by apologizing in an honest and direct way (without being rude).

Need to break the tension? Make a joke (preferably about yourself). The Dutch will appreciate this, and they can (hopefully) laugh at the situation as well.

Did you go too far and are now in need of a more convincing apology? The Dutch love to receive free food, drinks, or stuff. So buy them a beer, some chocolate, or even flowers. They’ll appreciate the gesture.

→ Do you want to apologize in Dutch? Do it with our vocabulary list on Common Ways to Say Sorry.

7. How DutchPod101 Can Help You Learn More Dutch

In this guide, you’ve learned how to say that you’re angry in the Dutch language and picked up some mild Dutch curse words, Dutch swear words, and Dutch insults. You now know the perfect angry orders, questions, and blames. You also know how to express your feelings. In sum, you’ve learned how to get angry with the Dutch and how to make up again.

What’s your favorite phrase from this list? Let us know in the comments!

Would you like to learn other lessons to boost your Dutch? Visit DutchPod101, as it has plenty of useful and free resources to practice your grammar. You can also learn new words and hear their pronunciation with our vocabulary lists.

Do you want more? DutchPod101 also offers a premium service with personal one-on-one coaching: MyTeacher. Practice your Dutch with your private teacher and receive personalized assignments, feedback, and advice.

Happy Dutch learning!