Nee, dat is niet goed.
No, that is not good.
How to use nee
This article was written by AI and published by StroopTaal.
This means the usage note below. The rest of the page comes from the StroopTaal word list.
Nee is the plain Dutch "no", and Dutch speakers use it directly. A short "Nee" is not rude here the way a bare "no" can sound in English.
- Answering a question: "Heb je honger?" "Nee." (Are you hungry? No.)
- Polite refusal: "Nee, dank je" to a friend, "Nee, dank u" to a stranger or in a shop.
- Softened: "Nee hoor" means "no, not at all" and sounds friendly: "Is het te druk?" "Nee hoor!"
- Hesitant: "Nou, nee" means "well, no" when you need a moment.
- Surprise or dismay: "O nee!" (oh no), "Nee toch!" (no way!), "Nee hè" (oh no, not again).
- Saying no: nee zeggen means to say no: "Ik vind het moeilijk om nee te zeggen" (I find it hard to say no).
Answering a negative question: to "Kom je niet?" (Aren't you coming?), "Nee" agrees: no, I am not coming. To contradict it and say you are coming, answer "Jawel!" or "Toch wel".
Nee, niet or geen? Nee answers a question or reacts to something. Inside a sentence Dutch uses niet or geen instead: "Ik kom niet" (I am not coming), "Ik heb geen tijd" (I have no time). "Ik heb nee tijd" is a common beginner mistake.
Pronunciation: one syllable with a long ee, like the "ay" in English "nay" but without the glide at the end.
Example sentences with nee
-
Nee.
No. -
Nee, dank u.
No, thank you.
nee in other languages
- Türkçe
- hayır
- Polski
- nie
- Українська
- ні
- العربية
- لا
- Deutsch
- nein
- Español
- no
Learn nee in StroopTaal
nee is taught in these StroopTaal lessons:
- Basics of Dutch for Learners (A0)
- Everyday Dutch: Essential Common Phrases (A0)
- Dutch Negation: 'Niet' vs 'Geen' (A0)
Ready to begin?
Download StroopTaal for Live Speaking Mode, AI lessons, document scanning, pronunciation feedback, and full Inburgering + NT2 prep.
