Everybody loves to receive compliments. Compliments make people feel special and, most importantly, good about themselves. And the Dutch are no exception. They might be more selective about giving compliments, but that just makes the compliments even more special. When you receive Dutch compliments, you know it’s really worth something.

Compliments are an indispensable part of any conversation—they’re the perfect way to connect with people. So if you’re in the Netherlands and you’d like to get to know someone, it would be great to learn how to give compliments in Dutch. It will make you come across as sympathetic and interested. Dutch people may be quite reserved at first, but compliments can be the perfect way to open them up. However, do it the Dutch way and go easy on the compliments: in the Netherlands, less is more.

Would you like to know how to compliment and flirt in Dutch? Then dive into this Dutch Compliments Guide with the top Dutch compliments and useful Dutch complimenting phrases.

Table of Contents

1. General Compliments
2. Dutch Compliments on Someone’s Looks
3. Dutch Compliments on Someone’s Work
4. Dutch Compliments on Someone’s Skills
5. Dutch Compliments on Someone’s Character
6. What to Do After Receiving Compliments
7. Tips & Tricks on How to Flirt in Dutch
8. How DutchPod101 Can Help You Learn More Dutch

1. General Compliments

Let’s start with the more general compliments. You can use these in a wide variety of situations: encouraging someone, flirting in Dutch, or complimenting a chef on his or her dish.

You get the idea. These general Dutch compliments are multifunctional:

• Dat is leuk! (“That’s nice!”)
• Dat is geweldig! (“That’s amazing!”)
• Dat is super! (“That’s amazing!” – Literally, it means: “That’s super!”)
• Super! (“Sweet!” – Literally, it means the same as in English: “Super!”)

2. Dutch Compliments on Someone’s Looks

The Dutch people like to give and receive compliments on looks. This can be done in a more flirty setting, but it’s also very common between colleagues, friends, and family members. The level of flirtyness depends on the intensity of the compliment, and the setting.

Let’s get superficial and learn how to compliment someone on their good looks.

The first structure is: Je ziet er … uit (“You are looking …”). In the blank, you can add the adjective that you want to use. This sentence structure can be used negatively (Je ziet er slecht uit or “You are looking bad”), and positively:

• Je ziet er goed uit. (“You are looking good.”)
• Je ziet er mooi uit. (“You are looking beautiful.”)
• Je ziet er prachtig uit. (“You are looking amazing.”)

The second structure for these compliments in Dutch is: Je bent … (“You are …”). This structure can also be used negatively (Je bent lelijk or “You are ugly”) as well as positively:

• Je bent mooi. (“You are beautiful”)
• Je bent knap. (“You are handsome.”)

Let’s have a look at some more-specific compliments in Dutch on someone’s look:

• Je hebt een prachtige glimlach. (“You have a beautiful smile.”)
• Je hebt mooie ogen. (“You have beautiful eyes.”)
• Je hebt geweldig haar. (“You have great hair.”)
• Je hebt mooie handen. (“You have nice hands.”)

As you can see, these compliments have the je hebt … (“you have …”) structure. You can add the adjective and noun that you would like to use.

→ Be original in your compliments and find some other Body Parts in Dutch to compliment.

Let’s get even more specific:

• Die jas staat je goed. (“That jacket looks nice on you.”)
• Wat een leuke schoenen. (“Great shoes.” – It literally means “What a great shoes.”)
• Je hebt een goede smaak. (“You have good taste.”)
• Ik vind je shirt leuk. (“I like your shirt.”)

As you can imagine, all of these nouns and adjectives can be changed depending on what you want to compliment.

3. Dutch Compliments on Someone’s Work

It’s very common in work settings in the Netherlands to give people praise when it’s deserved.

Let’s first have a look at the more general work compliments:

• Prima prestatie! (“Good job!” – Literally, it means “Good achievement!”)
• Goed gedaan! (“Well done!”)
• Goed werk! (“Great work!”)
• Goed bezig! (“Doing well!”)
• Gefeliciteerd! (“Congratulations!”)

Let’s continue and have a look at some more-specific work compliments in Dutch:

• Je cv is indrukwekkend. (“Your resume is impressive.”)
• Ik weet dat het een lastig project was maar je optreden overtreft al mijn verwachtingen. (“I know that it was a tough project, but your performance exceeded my expectations.”)
• Je presentatie was erg goed. (“Your presentation was very good.”)
• De manier waarop je dat probleem aanpakte was geweldig. (“The way you approached that problem was amazing.”)

4. Dutch Compliments on Someone’s Skills

A job well done can also be complimented in other (non-work) settings, like at home, in school, in art class, etc. In these settings, the general compliments we went over in the last section can also be used.

Would you like to learn how to compliment a specific skill in a social context? Then have a look at these Dutch compliments:

1- Cooking

• Je bent een geweldige kok! (“You are a great cook!”)
• Ik hou van je kookkunst. (“I love your cooking.”)

2- Photography

• Je neemt geweldige foto’s! (“You take great shots!”)
• Ik vind je foto’s erg mooi. (“I really like your pictures.”)

3- Language speaking

• Je Dutch is erg goed. (“Your Dutch is very good.”)
• Je spreekt perfect Dutch. (“You speak perfect Dutch.”)

4- Sports

• Je bent super goed in het spelen van [type of sport]! (“You are amazing at playing [type of sport]!”)
• Weet je zeker dat je geen professionele [type of sport] speler bent? (“Are you sure you’re not a professional [type of sport] player?”)

5- Music

• Je speelt heel goed gitaar. (“You play the guitar very well.”)
• Je zingt erg goed. (“You sing very well.”)

5. Dutch Compliments on Someone’s Character

Okay, so let’s end these top Dutch compliments with some depth: compliments on someone’s character.

Here are some examples:

• Je bent slim. (“You are smart.”)
• Je bent lief. (“You are sweet.”)
• Je bent grappig. (“You are funny.”)
• Je bent aardig. (“You are nice.”)
• Je bent schattig. (“You are adorable.”)
• Je hebt een geweldig gevoel voor humor. (“You have a great sense of humor.”)
• Je bent een geweldige vriend. (“You are an awesome friend.”)

As you can see, a lot of the character compliments have the same structure: Je bent [adjective]. (“You are [adjective].”) Easy! This way, you can quickly use the right adjective to compliment someone’s character.

→ Find the perfect adjective for your compliment with these Adjectives that Describe Personalities.
→ Make sure to visit our vocabulary list on The Top 15 Compliments You Always Want to Hear, with audio recordings of the Dutch complimenting phrases to practice your pronunciation. It’s freely available on DutchPod101.com.

6. What to Do After Receiving Compliments

You’ve just received your first Dutch compliment. What to do? Let’s keep that flow going. Compliments are often a two-way street, and there are some social norms on how to respond to them. So what’s the most common way for Dutch people to respond to compliments?

1- Express Your Gratitude

The most common way to respond to a compliment in the Netherlands is to express your gratitude. Luckily, this is easy. Just smile, say “thank you,” and you’re good to go:

• Bedankt! (“Thank you!”)
• Heel erg bedankt! (“Thank you very much!”)
• Dank je wel! (“Thank you!”)

→ Do you want to learn some other words to express your gratitude? Have a look at these Common Ways to Say Thank You.

But what if you are the person giving a compliment, and the other person is responding with a bedankt? You can respond with:

• Graag gedaan! (“You’re welcome!” – Literally: “Pleased to do so!”)

2- Answer with Another Compliment

Would you like to keep this positive vibe and conversation going? Then answer the compliment with a “thank you” and another compliment. You can either give the same compliment back with a simple “you too,” or compliment them on something else.

For example:

• Bedankt, jij ook! (“Thanks, you too!”)
• Je hebt ook hele mooie ogen. (“You also have very beautiful eyes.”)
• Dank je wel, ik vind je shirt echt geweldig! (“Thank you, I really love your T-shirt!”)

3- Share the Credit

Is your great work or achievement due to the help of colleagues, friends, your lover, or your family? Then give credit where it’s due:

• Ik had het niet kunnen doen zonder de hulp van [person(s)]. (“None of this would have been possible without [person(s)].”)

7. Tips & Tricks on How to Flirt in Dutch

You’ve learned some top Dutch compliments. Now, let’s see how compliments and flirting in Dutch go together. In this chapter, we’ll give you some tips and tricks on how to flirt in Dutch and make use of all this compliment knowledge.

1. Don’t go over the top.

Dutch people are very down-to-earth, and this applies to their flirting (and love lives). So, it’s easy to go over the top if you’re a foreigner with a more expressive culture in your homeland.

So flirt, but do this with some moderation. Give your crush some compliments, but stick to words like mooi (“pretty””, leuk (“nice”), and grappig (“funny”). Avoid more exaggerated words like fantastisch (“fantastic”) or geweldig (“amazing”).

2. Be original.

When flirting, try to give some original compliments. Don’t just go for the je bent mooi (“you are beautiful”) compliment. Try to find something special to point out. This way, you’ll show that you’re really paying attention to the other person.

This is especially important when flirting with Dutch women, as they receive quite a few compliments every day, including a lot of creepy ones from guys on the street. Therefore, compliments (especially when given by strangers) have somewhat of a bad reputation with Dutch women. Sometimes it’s better to play it safe and flirt by making (friendly) eye contact and smiling.

3. Be confident.

If you really want to use a Dutch pick-up line, the only way to do this is with confidence. Go over to your crush and impress them with your Dutch pick-up lines. Is it going terribly? Then just laugh about yourself. This way, you’ll show your Dutch crush that you don’t take yourself too seriously, and that’s also a sign of confidence.

→ Be smooth and confident with these Common Phrases You’ll Need for a Date.

4. Play the foreigner card.

You’re a foreigner giving your crush a compliment in Dutch, using Dutch pick-up lines. That itself is already quite impressive, and hopefully your Dutch crush will realize this as well. Just play the foreigner card and tell them that you’re practicing your Dutch. That way, you’ll at least have a conversation-starter.

→ Do you want to learn what to say in Dutch if your crush asks you why you’re learning their language? Find some Key Phrases on Why You Are Learning a Language.
→ Do you need some more help with flirting in Dutch? Then have a look at these Dutch pick-up line phrases.

8. How DutchPod101 Can Help You Learn More Dutch

In this guide, you’ve learned all about the top Dutch compliments and flirting. By now, you should have a better idea of how to say compliments in Dutch, and receive Dutch compliments yourself.

So are you ready to put this useful knowledge into action? Do you feel ready to start complimenting Dutch people using everything you’ve learned today?

Start using these compliments with the help of DutchPod101.com: boost your studies using our vocabulary lists with audio recordings and other free resources.

Would you like some private lessons? DutchPod101 also offers personal one-on-one coaching with our premium MyTeacher service. This feature allows you to really practice saying compliments in Dutch with your own private teacher, through interactive exercises, personalized feedback, and much more.

Master these Dutch compliments on DutchPod101.com!