Dutch interjections and exclamations include: au (ouch), echt (really — expressing disbelief), gut (gosh), tjonge (wow or gosh), jeetje (wow), tjee (gee), pfff (exasperation), hé (hey), oh (oh). These appear constantly in informal speech and signal emotional reactions. The word echt functions both as an adverb meaning really nice (echt leuk) and as a response interjection expressing surprise or disbelief.
Modal particles are small words that calibrate the speaker’s attitude or the conversational context: maar (just — softening: Kom maar!), even (just briefly: Wacht even), wel (really or do — affirming: Ik kom wel), toch (still or surely — expectation: Dat weet je toch?), hoor (you know — softening: Het gaat wel, hoor), dan (then — inferential: Ga dan!), eens (once — softening: Probeer het eens). These particles have no direct English translation and rarely appear in textbooks.
Practising particles requires immersion in spoken Dutch. Listen to Dutch podcasts, TV shows and YouTube channels and pay attention to how these small words shift tone and social meaning. Een kopje koffie, hoor and Een kopje koffie sound very different in terms of warmth and social softening. Collecting particles with example contexts is more useful than trying to derive them from rules — they are pragmatic rather than purely grammatical.