hallo vriend
/ɦɑˈloː vrint/word by word
In Dutch, "hello friend" is said as hallo vriend.
The phrase is a friendly greeting used to address a friend.
Which one should you use?
While vriend is used for a male friend or a gender-neutral friend, you should use vriendin specifically when addressing a female friend. If you wish to greet more than one person, change the noun to the plural form vrienden.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
hallo vriend is an informal greeting used between people who are already on friendly terms. For an even more casual, "hi" style greeting, you can use hoi vriend. Other informal options include Hoi maat!, Hey vriend! or Dag maatje!, which translates to "Hi buddy" or "Hello pal".
How does it change in a sentence?
To address multiple friends, the noun vriend changes to the plural form vrienden.
Did you know?
- If you use 'vriendin' to mean 'female friend', be careful, as in many contexts this word actually means 'girlfriend' in a romantic sense.
- The word vriend shares a surprising historical root with the verb vrijen, which means 'to make love' or 'to have a romantic relationship'.
- In the Netherlands, calling someone vriend in a sarcastic tone can be a way to signal that you are actually annoyed with them.
Examples in context
- Hoi maat! Lang niet gezien, alles goed?Hey buddy! Long time no see, how are you?
- Hey vriend! Zin om vanavond iets leuks te doen?Hey friend! Want to do something fun tonight?
- Dag maatje! Heb je zin om een kopje koffie te drinken?Hi pal! Do you want to grab a cup of coffee?
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma meet at a cafe.
- LucasHallo vriend, leuk om je te zien!Hello friend, nice to see you!
- EmmaHoi Lucas, hoe is het ermee?Hi Lucas, how is it going?
- LucasAlles gaat prima met mij.Everything is going great with me.
- EmmaDat is fijn om te horen.That is good to hear.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (hallo, vriend) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hallo, vriend, CC BY-SA 4.0.
