The Netherlands has more bicycles than people — roughly 23 million bikes for 17 million inhabitants. Cycling is not a hobby or sport for most Dutch people: it is gewoon (simply) how you get around. Children cycle to school from age four; adults cycle to work, to shops, and to dinners. The fiets is as culturally central as the car is in the United States.
Dutch cycling vocabulary: de fiets (bicycle), het fietspad (cycle path), de fietsbrug (cycle bridge), de fietsstallingen (bicycle parking), het fietslicht (bicycle light — legally required), de fietshelm (bicycle helmet — rarely worn by ordinary cyclists), het zadel (saddle), het stuur (handlebar), de bel (bell), de lekke band (puncture/flat tyre). Traffic rules: voorrang hebben (to have right of way), rechts houden (keep right).
Cycling culture creates its own social norms. Ringing your bell at pedestrians on cycle paths is assertive, not aggressive. Cycling side by side (naast elkaar fietsen) and talking is normal. Carrying a passenger on the back (op de bagagedrager) is common. Parents carry children in bakfietsen (cargo bikes). Learning these norms — and the vocabulary — helps you participate in one of the most defining aspects of Dutch daily life.