Dutch words for kids · Greetings & manners
How to say “how are you?” in Dutch
How are you? is the first real conversation kids can have in a new language: one question and a short answer they can say back.
How are you? in Dutch
hoe gaat het?
Sounds like ≈ hoo KHAHT ut
Good to know: Literally "how goes it?". A typical answer: goed, dank je! ("good, thanks!").
Hear it in a song
Real lines from our Dutch songs, with the English meaning shown in the app:
Hoe gaat het?
How are you?
from Hoi, Hoe Gaat Het? (Hi, How Are You?)
3 songs that teach it
“How are you?” is one of the key words in these songs. Every line is shown in Dutch with its English meaning.
Goedemorgen
Good Morning · Greetings · Free
- goedemorgen · good morning
- hoe gaat het? · how are you?
- heel goed · very well
- dank je wel · thank you
Hoi, Hoe Gaat Het?
Hi, How Are You? · Greetings · Free
- hoi · hello
- hoe gaat het? · how are you?
- goed · good
- kom, we gaan spelen! · let's play!
Hoi, Vriendje
Hi, Friend · Greetings · Free
- hoi · hello
- het vriendje · friend
- hoe gaat het? · how are you?
- de naam · name
Also sung in: Ik Hou van Jou.
Practice ideas for parents
- 1Ask hoe gaat het at pick-up time and accept any answer, in any language. The point is hearing the question every day.
- 2Give a teddy a voice and have it ask your child hoe gaat het, then swap roles.
- 3Pair it with feelings: ask hoe gaat het, then point at a happy or sad face drawing together.
Related Dutch words
“How are you?” in other languages
- Spanish:¿cómo estás?
- French:comment ça va ?
- German:Wie geht's?
- Italian:come stai?
- Portuguese:como estás?
Sing it in Dutch, free
The first unit, 6 greeting songs with lyrics and English translation, is free forever. No card needed. Premium unlocks all 134 songs.
About the pronunciation: the “sounds like” spellings are rough English approximations for parents (capital letters show the stressed syllable). Dutchhas sounds English doesn't, so treat them as a starting point and let the songs be the model. Songs are original and produced with AI music tools. Ideas for using Dutch songs with your family.