How to Order French Fries in Dutch

For some, fries are a basic necessity, but how do you order them in Dutch? Do you have to learn Dutch to do so? Ever thought about learning Dutch? Maybe you’ve heard it in a movie or while biking through Amsterdam and thought, is that someone clearing their throat, or is that a word? Dutch is one of those languages that sounds like a mix of German and English.

It might not be topping the most romantic languages lists anytime soon, but it’s got character, quirky words, and some surprisingly familiar phrases if you’re an English speaker. If you can confidently walk up to a snack bar and order ‘patat met’ you’re basically halfway to fluency.

Dutching It

Is Dutch a difficult language? This depends on many factors. If you speak German, Dutch is not really difficult because the two languages are very similar. Young people learn foreign languages easier than older people. But what is young and what is old? Another important factor is interest in the language and a strong desire to learn it.

Foreigners in the Netherlands have a hard time practicing their Dutch because most Dutch people speak reasonably good English and the moment they hear a foreigner struggle with the Dutch language, they will switch over to English. This seems very kind, but it isn’t. The foreigner never gets an opportunity to practice his Dutch.

At the Febo Snack Bar

A young English tourist is ordering French fries or in British English chips. After listening in to the conversation, you may wholeheartedly say, yes, Dutch is difficult.

Tourist, “een patat.”

Snack bar attendant, “met?”

The tourist jogged his memory and squeaked, “with?”

(The tourist is right ‘met’ is ‘with’ in English.)

The snack bar attendant tapping his fingers on the counter snaps, “Patat met, patatje oorlog. patatje ziekenhuis, of patatje orientaal?”

“Chips, please,” the tourist says in a small voice.

With smiling eyes the attendant reaches behind him, grabs a bag of crisps and says, “alsjeblieft.”

Dutch Glossary

patat: french fries (US English), chips (British English)

met: with

patat met: portion fries with mayonnaise

chips: crisps (British English)

alsjeblieft: here you are/here you go

patatje oorlog: (war French fries) with peanut sauce (as eaten with Indonesian satey) and mayonnaise

patatje ziekenhuis: (hospital French fries) with garlic and chili sauce

patatje orientaal: with bean sprouts and peanut sauce