geachte
dear (formal salutation)
Intermediate Adjective
🔊
Pronunciation
ɣəˈɑxtə
💡
Cultural Note
'Geachte' (literally 'esteemed') is the standard opening for formal letters and emails. In business correspondence, 'Geachte heer/mevrouw' is equivalent to 'Dear Sir/Madam.' For informal emails, the Dutch now often use 'Beste' (Dear/Best) or simply 'Hoi' among colleagues.
📝 Example Sentences
Geachte heer/mevrouw, ...
Dear Sir/Madam, ...
Geachte mevrouw Bakker, hartelijk dank voor uw brief.
Dear Mrs. Bakker, thank you very much for your letter.
Geachte leden van de jury...
Dear members of the jury...
📊 Adjective Forms
| Gender | Form |
|---|---|
| base | geacht |
| inflected | geachte |
| comparative | |
| superlative |