# Doei



## Rah

Dag!

Am I correct in thinking there is a Dutch word, "dooie" or "doej" or something that translates as "hey!" or "hi!" in English .... or am I imagining it?!

Many grateful thanks

Rah


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## Grytolle

Doei, yes - but that means "good bye".


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## Rah

Oh!!!! Good job I asked - that could have been embarrassing! Thank you!!

Rah


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## HKK

"Dooie" could have been embarassing if you wrote it  It's a casual word for "dead guy".


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## Rah

Haha! I think I had better get into the habit of checking these things before writing them!! Thanks!


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## Sauv

And if you want to say ''hi'', you can say ''hoi''.


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## Amstellodamois

And to say "bye" in an familiar way, you can double the "doe" eg "Doedoei"
 (or dodoei?)


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## Hitchhiker

I was in Belgium for 4 years I don't think I really heard "hoi" and doei" in Belgium. In Belgium "hallo" and "dag" seemed more typical with a few other greetings too. I haven't been in the Netherlands but I was in Namibia for 8 years and there in Afrikaans "doe doe" and "doeks" both mean to sleep.


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## Amstellodamois

Hitchhiker said:


> I haven't been in the Netherlands


I live here and "doei" is like veeeeery common


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## Hitchhiker

Amstellodamois said:


> I live here and "doei" is like veeeeery common



Yes, I got the impression it might be more common in the Netherlands. The one or two times I did hear it in Belgium was when the Belgian students were having fun with the students from the Netherlands. I figured it must be something from there. In Belgium I think dag, salut / salukes is more common.


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## Sauv

Amstellodamois said:


> And to say "bye" in an familiar way, you can double the "doe" eg "Doedoei"
> (or dodoei?)



''Doedoei / doeidoei'', not ''dodoei''. But I do not totally agree with you; ''doei'' is just as familiar as ''doeidoei'', it's just that ''doei'' is the original version, and ''doeidoei'' is a variation. When you're saying ''bye'' in a more formal way you say ''dag''.


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## Amstellodamois

Sauv said:


> ''Doedoei / doeidoei'', not ''dodoei''. But I do not totally agree with you; ''doei'' is just as familiar as ''doeidoei'', it's just that ''doei'' is the original version, and ''doeidoei'' is a variation. When you're saying ''bye'' in a more formal way you say ''dag''.


Doedoei it is so.
Well, people I don't know (like cashiers at the supermarket or neighbours  I've never met) say "Doei" to me sometimes but never "Doedoei" whereas students I know say "doedoei".

I agree on the fact it isn't formal though.


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## Sauv

Amstellodamois said:


> Doedoei it is so.
> Well, people I don't know (like cashiers at the supermarket or neighbours  I've never met) say "Doei" to me sometimes but never "Doedoei" whereas students I know say "doedoei".
> 
> I agree on the fact it isn't formal though.



But also ''doeidoei'', that's another variation.  I use and hear it a lot. And of course, it depends on a person, what his / her personal opinions are about when you can say ''dag'', ''doei'' and ''doeidoei''.  There are no rules for that.


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## Maxzi

Dag allemaal,

I'm currently learning Dutch and I'm wondering one thing about the use of *doei. *I'm living in the north of Brussels and I have never heard *doei *(meaning goodbye). The people I speak Dutch with are more likely to use *dag *(daag) or *tot ziens*, but never *doei *(as far as I'm concerned).
So is *doei *only, or at least very commonly, used in the Netherlands and not in Belgium?
What if I say it in Belgium? 

Thank you very much in advance. 
Dank u wel.

Max.


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## petoe

Well in Belgium/Flanders it is not used at all. 
Most people will understand but will think you are from Holland


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## Maxzi

That's what I thought. 

thank you very much for this confirmation!


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## sound shift

It depends where you are in the Netherlands. I spent some time in Dutch Brabant. The locals said "Houdoe" rather than "Doei", which they regarded as something that belonged "boven de grote rivieren".


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## HKK

petoe said:


> Well in Belgium/Flanders it is not used at all.
> Most people will understand but will think you are from Holland



"Not at all" is a bit of a stretch. I read this thread this morning and later when I left for my course, my roommate coincidentally said _doei_ to me. It's not the most used greeting in Belgium but people like to mix it up a little. A greeting is very easy to borrow, unlike a pronoun or even a noun. I would not discourage Maxzi to say _doei _to Flemish people, we can take it  Also, the difference between Northern Dutch pronunciation and that of a native French speaker is obvious; nobody would think you're from Holland... Seeing as French speaking Belgians learn Dutch at school, and also learn to speak with _je/jij_, I think _doei _would rather be interpreted as something you learned from a (Northern) Dutch course.


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## Joannes

HKK said:


> "Not at all" is a bit of a stretch. I read this thread this morning and later when I left for my course, my roommate coincidentally said _doei_ to me. It's not the most used greeting in Belgium but people like to mix it up a little.


Is this roommate a she?


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## HKK

Yes, and as we know, females tend to be more innovative language users. I have to admit I never say _doei _myself.


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## Joannes

Yes, I asked because I think it's a relevant factor. I think most Flemish male speakers would not say _doei_. It can probably be explained by some general observations that have been made regarding differences in language usage between male and female speakers, though the situation for _ciao _(another 'innovation') would be different, I think. Peculiar sociolinguistics..


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## Maxzi

Great, I thank you all for your replies and enlightenments about the question. 

That's clearer to me now!


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## wickys

You can also say haije in Limburg. Or Houdoe in the province of Brabant. 
For every province there is a different word to say goodbye


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