vakantie
/vaːˈkɑn.(t)si/feminine
The Dutch word for holiday is vakantie.
vakantie is the most common and general term in Dutch to express the idea of a holiday, referring to a period of one or more days taken off work for leisure and often travel. To express the state of being on holiday or the act of going on holiday, use the phrase op vakantie.
Meaning: period of one or more days taken off work for leisure and often travel (noun)
Which one should you use?
While vakantie refers to a personal period of leisure or time off, feestdag is used for official public holidays like Christmas or King's Day. If you want to refer specifically to the individual days off taken from work, you can use vrije dagen, whereas vakantie refers to the whole period. Additionally, verlof specifically refers to time off work or school and tijdje vrij means some time off.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of vakantie is vakanties.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable. The IPA pronunciation is /vaːˈkɑn.(t)si/.
Did you know?
- The word vakantie is a direct linguistic relative of the English word 'vacant'. Both descend from the Latin 'vacare', meaning 'to be empty'.
- While vakantie is used for leisure, the word verlof describes leave from work and is the same word used for military leave.
- In the Netherlands, the phrase op vakantie can be used as a verb-like expression to describe the act of traveling, even if the destination is not specified.
Examples in context
- Ik ga op vakantie.I'm going on holiday.This sentence is useful for expressing the act of going on holiday.Tatoeba #4869436 by Raizin, translation #5753297 by CM
- Ik ben op vakantie.I am on holiday.This sentence is useful for expressing the state of being on holiday.Tatoeba #6578538 by Micsmithel, translation #12575426 by Adelpa
- Hij is op vakantie.He is away on holiday.This sentence is useful for expressing that someone is away on holiday.Tatoeba #7914982 by Elsofie, translation #295195 by CK
- Ik heb een vakantie naar Nederland geboektI have booked a holiday to the Netherlands.
- Ik neem mijn jaarlijkse verlof in augustusI'm taking my annual leave in August.
- Kerstmis is een belangrijke feestdag in NederlandChristmas is an important holiday in the Netherlands.
- Ik neem een tijdje vrij om te ontspannenI'm taking some time off to relax.
- 46 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Levi are talking about their upcoming summer plans.
- LeviHeb je al een vakantie gepland?Have you planned a holiday yet?
- EmmaJa, ik ga deze vakantie naar Spanje.Yes, I am going to Spain this holiday.
- LeviDat klinkt als een leuke vakantie.That sounds like a nice holiday.
- EmmaDank je, ik heb er veel zin in.Thank you, I am really looking forward to it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “holiday” translations and entries vakantie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries vakantie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
