meneer
/məˈneːr/
The Dutch word for 'mister' is meneer.
meneer is a title for an adult male. It is used as a polite way to address a man whose name you do not know, similar to how 'sir' is used in English. It can also be used as a title before a man's surname.
Meaning: title of adult male (noun)
Which one should you use?
While the English 'mister' can sometimes sound slightly informal or even rude when used alone, meneer is the standard polite way to address a stranger or a superior.
How do you pronounce it?
/məˈneːr/
Did you know?
- The word meneer is a contraction of 'my lord', a structure similar to the English 'milord'.
- In the Netherlands, children often use meneer to address any male teacher, regardless of whether the teacher is married.
- In formal written Dutch, you might see de heer used instead of meneer when referring to a man in the third person, such as in a letter.
Examples in context
- Meneer, u bent uw jas vergeten!Hey mister, you forgot your coat!This sentence shows how to use meneer when calling out to a stranger to get their attention.Tatoeba #1533674 by Globetrotter, translation #1103054 by jamessilver
- Meneer, heeft u meneer Cyrano gezien?Mister, have you seen Mr. Cyrano?This sentence shows using meneer as a title before a surname.Tatoeba #9934462 by MarijnKp, translation #2887809 by Scott
- ''Waar gaat u die kikkers voor gebruiken, meneer?'' vroeg een van de jongens."What are you going to be using the frogs for, mister?" asked one of the boys.This sentence shows a boy using meneer to address an adult politely.Tatoeba #10359000 by doemaar14, translation #1726892 by belgavox
- Goedemorgen, meneer Jansen, waarmee kan ik u vandaag helpen?Good morning, Mr. Jansen, how can I assist you today?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lisa asks Noah for help identifying a man in the street.
- LisaWie is die meneer daar?Who is that gentleman there?
- NoahIk weet het niet, Lisa.I don't know, Lisa.
- LisaKijk, die meneer zwaait naar ons!Look, that mister is waving at us!
- NoahOh, dat is mijn oom.Oh, that is my uncle.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mister” translations and entries meneer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries meneer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
