lunch
/lʏnʃ/
The English phrase lunch is lunch in Dutch. Wiktionary also lists middageten.
Meaning: meal around midday (noun)
Ways to say it
| Dutch | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| lunch | /lʏnʃ/ | |
| middageten | /ˈmɪ.dɑx.eː.tən/ | neuter |
Both lunch and middageten refer to a meal eaten around midday. In professional or office settings, lunch is the standard term used when discussing the midday break or the meal itself.
What does it mean word for word?
The traditional term middageten is a compound noun consisting of middag (midday/afternoon) and eten (food/meal).
Which one should you use?
lunch is a modern loanword from English used in everyday Dutch, whereas middageten is more traditional and descriptive.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb lunchen is derived from the noun lunch and is used to describe the act of having lunch. The related verb middageten can also mean to eat lunch.
How do you pronounce it?
/lʏnʃ/
Did you know?
- A traditional Dutch lunch typically features an open-faced sandwich, where the topping is placed on a single slice of bread rather than between two.
- In the Netherlands, a midday lunch is often a light snack, while the largest and warmest meal of the day is traditionally eaten at 6:00 PM.
- The word eten in the traditional middageten is a linguistic 'chameleon' because it functions as both a noun for 'food' and a verb for 'to eat'.
Examples in context
- Is dit je lunch?Is this your lunch?This sentence is useful for asking if the food is someone's lunch.Tatoeba #11569718 by PaulP, translation #6953181 by Eccles17
- Hoe laat luncht u?What time are you having lunch?This sentence is useful for asking what time someone is having lunch.Tatoeba #814044 by simonbr, translation #819076 by Cindrogriza
- Heb je lunch gehad?Have you eaten lunch?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has already had lunch.Tatoeba #1478024 by Citrine, translation #1477113 by weihaiping
- Ik hoop dat u de middagmaaltijd kunt bijwonen.I hope you can attend the lunch.
- Hartelijk welkom bij de lunchbijeenkomst.Warm welcome to the lunch gathering.
- Laten we vanmiddag gezellig boterhammen eten.Let's have sandwiches together this afternoon.
- Heb je zin om samen te lunchen in de stad?Do you feel like having lunch together in the city?
- Zullen we een bammetje pakken?Shall we grab a little sandwich?
- 144 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daan and Emma are talking in the office kitchen.
- DaanWat heb je vandaag voor lunch?What do you have for lunch today?
- EmmaIk heb een lekkere salade meegebracht.I brought a tasty salad with me.
- DaanDat ziet er goed uit, Emma.That looks good, Emma.
- EmmaDank je, Daan. Zullen we samen lunch?Thank you, Daan. Shall we lunch together?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lunch” translations and entries lunch, middageten, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
