nieuw
/niu̯/
The English word 'new' is translated into Dutch as nieuw. Wiktionary also lists jong.
Meaning: recently made or created (adj)
Ways to say it
| Dutch | IPA |
|---|---|
| nieuw | /niu̯/ |
| jong | /jɔŋ/ |
nieuw refers to something that was recently made or created. If you want to express that something is 'brand new' or 'sparkling new' in a colloquial way, you can use splinternieuw.
Which one should you use?
While nieuw is used for things that are recently made, jong is used to describe people or animals that have recently been born or are in an early stage of life.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective nieuw changes depending on the noun it describes. It takes the inflection nieuwe when it precedes a noun that has a definite article or when the noun is a 'de-word'.
How do you pronounce it?
/niu̯/
Did you know?
- Dutch speakers use the term nieuwsgierig to mean 'curious', which literally translates to being 'greedy for news'.
- The colloquial term splinternieuw literally translates to 'splinter new', evoking the image of a brand new piece of wood that still has sharp splinters.
- Because jong means 'young', telling a Dutch person they look nieuw might accidentally imply they look like a newly-made product rather than a youthful person.
Examples in context
- Wat is er nieuw?What's new?This sentence is useful for asking what is new.Tatoeba #767626 by martinod, translation #25029 by CK
- Ben je ook nieuw?Are you new, too?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is new.Tatoeba #3268933 by PaulP, translation #3264669 by CK
- Dit boek is nieuw.This book is new.This sentence is useful for stating that a book is new.Tatoeba #783991 by martinod, translation #56910 by CK
- Ik heb een nieuwe baanI have a new job
- We hebben een nieuwe auto gekochtWe bought a new car
- Ik heb onlangs een recente foto van mijn familie gezienI recently saw a recent photo of my family
- Deze technologie is van recente datumThis technology is of recent date
- Ik heb een splinternieuw paar schoenen gekochtI bought a brand new pair of shoes
- 988 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Levi are talking about a car in the driveway.
- JuliaIs dat je nieuwe auto, Levi?Is that your new car, Levi?
- LeviJa, ik heb hem gisteren gekocht.Yes, I bought it yesterday.
- JuliaWat een mooie kleur is dat!What a beautiful color that is!
- LeviBedankt, ik ben echt blij met mijn nieuwe wagen.Thanks, I am really happy with my new car.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “new” translations and entries nieuw, jong, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
