welkom terug
/ˈʋɛlkɔm təˈrʏx/word by word
The English phrase "welcome back" is translated into Dutch as welkom terug.
You can also use other phrases to express similar sentiments, such as Fijn dat u er weer bent (Nice that you're back), We zijn blij u terug te zien (We are happy to see you back) or Goed je weer te zien (Good to see you again).
Meaning: welcome back (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of welkom (welcome) and terug (back).
How does it change in a sentence?
In this Dutch construction, welkom functions as an interjection or an adjective and does not change based on the subject, which differs from English where "welcome" can be a verb or an adjective.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʋɛlkɔm təˈrʏx/
Did you know?
- The word terug is actually a combination of two words: te, meaning 'to', and rug, meaning 'back' (the body part).
- The word welkom shares the same deep linguistic roots as the English 'will' and 'come', stemming from the idea of 'willing' or 'pleasing' one's arrival.
- If you want to sound more informal with a close friend, you might omit the welkom entirely and simply say Hé, je bent er weer!, which means 'Hey, you are here again!'
Examples in context
- Welkom terug in Australië.Welcome back to Australia.This sentence shows how to use welkom terug when welcoming someone back to a specific country.Tatoeba #8658692 by MarijnKp, translation #7149551 by CK
- Welkom terug!Welcome back.This sentence provides a simple, direct way to say welkom terug.Tatoeba #2132854 by esso, translation #1627336 by Spamster
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia greets Noah at the front door after his long trip.
- JuliaWelkom terug, Noah!Welcome back, Noah!
- NoahDank je wel, Julia.Thank you, Julia.
- JuliaHoe was de reis?How was the trip?
- NoahHeel goed, maar ik ben moe.Very good, but I am tired.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “welcome back” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (welkom, terug) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries terug, welkom, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
