Dutch I Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

Thanks to Mariska for the mp3s!

1. Basic Phrases

Goedemorgenkhoo-duh-mawr-ghuhGood Morning

Goedemiddagkhoo-duh-mih-dahkhGood Day

Goedenavondkhoo-duh-nah-fohntGood Evening

Goedenachtkhoo-duh-nahkhtGood Night

Hoi / Hallo / Daag / Doeihoy / hah-loh / dahk / doo-eeHi / Bye

Tot zienstoht zeensGoodbye

Tot strakstoht straksSee you later (in the same day)

Tot zotoht zohSee you soon

Alstublieft / Alsjeblieftahlst-ew-bleeft / ahl-shuh-bleeftPlease

Dank u wel / Dank je weldahnk-ew-vehl / dahnk-yuh-vehlThank you

Hartelijk bedankthahr-tuh-lik buh-dahnktThank you very much

Graag gedaankhrahkh khuh-dahnYou're welcome (don't mention it)

Sorrysaw-reeI'm sorry / Excuse me

Pardon, wat zei u?pahr-dohn, vat zay ewPardon me (didn't understand)

Ja / Neeyah / nayYes / No

Hoe gaat het met u?hoo khaht ut meht ewHow are you? (formal)

Hoe gaat het?hoo khaht utHow are you? (informal)

Goed / Heel goedkhoot / hayl khootFine / Very well

Het gaat / Slechtuht khaht / slehkhtSo so / Bad

Ik ben moe / ziek ik ben moo / zeekI'm tired / sick.

Ik heb honger / dorstik heb hohng-ur / dohrstI'm hungry / thirsty.

Hoe heet u?hoo hayt ewWhat's your name? (formal)

Hoe heet je?hoo hayt yuhWhat's your name? (informal)

Ik heet...ik hayt...My name is (I'm called)...

Ik ben...ik benI am...

Aangenaam (kennis te maken)ahn-guh-nahm (ken-nis tuh mah-kuh)Nice to meet you.

meneer / mevrouw / mejuffrouwmuh-nayr / muh-frow / muh-yuh-frowMister / Misses / Miss

Waar komt u vandaan?vahr kawmt ew fun-dahnWhere are you from? (formal)

Waar kom je vandaan?vahr kawn yuh fun-dahnWhere are you from? (informal)

Ik kom uit Nederland.ik kawm owt nay-der-lantI am from the Netherlands.

Waar woont u?vahr vohnt ewWhere do you live? (formal)

Waar woon je?vahr vohn yuhWhere do you live? (informal)

Ik woon in Amerika.ik vohn in ah-meh-ree-kahI live in America.

Hoe oud bent u?hoo owt bent ewHow old are you? (formal)

Hoe oud ben je?hoo owt ben yuhHow old are you? (informal)

Ik ben ... jaar (oud).ik ben ... yahr owtI am ____ years old.

Spreekt u Nederlands?spraykt ew nay-der-lahndsDo you speak Dutch? (formal)

Spreek je Engels?sprayk yuh ehng-uhlsDo you speak English? (informal)

Ik spreek [geen]...ik sprayk [khayn]I [don't] speak...

Ik spreek niet zo goed...ik sprayk neet zoh khoodI don't speak ... very well.

Ik begrijp het [niet.]ik buh-khraip ut neetI [don't] understand.

Ik weet het [niet.]ik vayt ut [neet]I [don't] know.

Wat kost het?vat kohst utHow much is it?

Ik wil graag...ik vil khrahkI'd like...

Proost!prohstCheers!

Veel plezier!fayl pleh-zeerHave fun!

Veel succes!fayl suk-sehsGood luck!

Wees voorzichtig!vays fohr-zikh-tikhBe careful!

Dat is geweldig / vreselijk!dat is khuh-vehl-duhkh / fray-zuh-likhThat is great / terrible!

Ik hou van je.ik how fahn yuhI love you. (informal)

Ik hou van jullie.ik how fahn juh-leeI love you (all).

Wat vreemd!vaht fraymtHow funny / odd!

Wat jammer!vaht yah-merWhat a pity!

Wat is dit / dat?vut iss dit / dutWhat is this / that?

In the pronunciations, kh denotes a uvular guttural sound. Meneer, mevrouw and mejuffrouw are all written with a small letter when they precede a name. When typing, de Heer is used instead of meneer and Dhr. is used on envelopes. Mevrouw and mejuffrouw are abbreviated as Mevr. and Mej. In addition, Mw. can be used as an equivalent of the English Ms.

2. Pronunciation

Dutch letters

English sound

chschgwvrjsjtjaaeeieoooeeuuuaeiouei / ijaaioeiooiou / aueeuwieuwuwui

guttural sound, made at back of mouths followed by guttural ch soundsame as ch, guttural sound from back of mouthlike v before r, otherwise like w but with bottom lip against top teethlike v, but sometimes closer to feither rolled or gutturaly as in yessh as in shipch as in chipah as in father, but longeray as in hail, but shorteree as in neat, but shorteroh as in boatoo as in pool, but shorterur as in hurt, but with lips roundedew, but with lips rounded (sound not found in English)ah as in father, but shortereh as in bedih as in bitaw as in paw, with lips roundedir as in dirt, but very shortbetween the sounds in "light" and "late"combination of aa and iecombination of oe and iecombination of oo and ielike ow, as in housecombination of ee and oecombination of ie and oecombination of uu and oe combination of a and uu

The consonants s, f, h, b, d, z, l, m, n, and ng are pronounced the same way in Dutch as in English. P, t, and k are pronounced without the puff of air (called aspiration.) Sometimes the g is pronounced like zh in words borrowed from French. One last vowel sound is found in various

Dutch spellings. It is pronounced like uh, as in along or sofa. For example, this sound is found in de (the), een (a), aardig (nice), and vriendelijk (kind).

3. Alphabet

a ah j yay s ess

b bay k kah t tay

c say l ell u ew

d day m emm v fay

e ay n enn w vay

f eff o oh x eeks

g khay p pay y ee-grek

h hah q kew z zett

i ee r air

4. Nouns and Gender

All nouns have a gender in Dutch, either common (de words) or neuter (het words).   It is hard to guess which gender a noun is, so it is best to memorize the genders when memorizing vocabulary. However, two-thirds of Dutch words are common gender (because the common gender has combined the former feminine and masculine genders.) So it may be easier to memorize which nouns are neuter, and then assign common gender to the rest. All diminutives (words ending in -je) and infinitives used as nouns, as well as colors, metals, compass directions, and all words that end in -um, -aat, -sel, -isme are neuter. Most nouns beginning with ge- and ending with -te are neuter, as are most nouns beginning with ge-, be-, and ver-. Common noun endings include: -aar, -ent, -er, -es, -eur, -heid, -ij, -ing, -teit, -tie.

5. Articles & Demonstratives

  common neuterSingular "the" de hetPlural "the" deIndefinite "a" or "an"

een

  common neuter

Singularthisthat

dezedie

ditdat

Pluralthesethose

deze die

The definite article is used more in Dutch than in English. It is always used before the names of the seasons, street names and in an abstract sense. There are some idioms that should be memorized, however: in het Nederlands (in Dutch), in de stad (in town), in het zwart (in black), met de auto (by car), met de tijd (in/with time); op tafel (on the table), in zee (in the sea), op kantoor (at the office), in bad (in the bath), op straat (in the street).

6. Subject Pronouns

ik ik I wij (we) vay we

jij (je)u

yayew

you (singular informal)you (formal)

jullie yew-lee you (plural informal)

hijzij (ze)het

hayzayut

hesheit

zij (ze) zay they

Unstressed forms (shortened forms used in the spoken language) are in the parentheses. There are also unstressed forms of ik ('k), hij (ie) and het ('t) but these are not written.

7. To Be & to Have

Present tense of zijn - to be (zayn)

I am ik ben ik ben we are wij zijn vay zayn

You are jij / u bent yay / ew bent you are jullie zijn yew-lee zayn

He, she, it is hij, zij, het is hay, zay, ut is they are zij zijn zay zayn

Present tense of hebben - to have (heh-buhn)

I have ik heb ik hep we have wij hebben vay heh-buhn

You have jij / u hebt yay / ew hept you have jullie hebben yew-lee heh-buhn

He, she, it ishij, zij, het heeft

hay, zay, ut hayft

they have zij hebben zay heh-buhn

Past tense of zijn - to be (zayn)

I was ik was ik vas we were wij waren vay vah-ruhn

You were jij / u was yay / ew vas you were jullie waren yew-lee vah-ruhn

He, she, it was

hij, zij, het was hay, zay, ut vas they were zij waren zay vah-ruhn

Past tense of hebben - to have (heh-buhn)

I had ik had ik haht we had wij hadden vay hah-duhn

You had jij / u had yay / ew haht you had jullie hadden yew-lee hah-duhn

He, she, it hadhij, zij, het had

hay, zay, ut haht

they had zij hadden zay hah-duhn

You must use the subject pronouns; however, I will leave them out of future conjugations since most verbs only have two forms for each conjugation.

Expressions with zijn and hebben:

Het/dat is jammer - It's/that's a pityjarig zijn - to have a birthdaykwijt zijn - to have lostop het punt staan - to be about tovan plan zijn - to intendvoor elkaar zijn - to be in orderhonger / dorst hebben - to be hungry / thirstygelijk hebben - to be righthaast hebben - to be in a hurryhet hebben over - to talk abouthet druk hebben - to be busyhet koud hebben / warm - to be cold / warmlast hebben van - to be bothered bynodig hebben - to needslaap hebben - to be sleepyzin hebben in - to feel like

8. Useful Words

 

sometimes soms

always altijd

never  nooit

often vaak, dikwijls

usually gewoonlijk

now nu

and en

but maar

or of

very zeer, heel

here hier

there daar

also ook

much veel

another een ander

already al

perhaps  misschien

9. Question Words

who wie where waar

what wat where to waar... naartoe

why waarom where from waar... vandaan

when wanneer which welk / welke

how hoe Isn't it?, etc. niet waar?

 

Welk is used before het words, and welke is used before de words and plural nouns. Niet waar is a tag question, and is added to the end of statements to make them questions. It can translate several ways into English: isn't it?, doesn't it?, isn't he?, doesn't he?, isn't she?, doesn't she?, aren't we?, don't we?, aren't they?, don't they?, aren't you?, don't you?, right?, yes?, etc.

10. Numbers

0 nul    

1 een 1st eerste

2 twee 2nd tweede

3 drie 3rd drede

4 vier 4th vierde

5 vijf 5th vijfde

6 zes 6th zesde

7 zeven 7th zevende

8 acht 8th achtste

9 negen 9th negende

10 tien 10th tiende

11 elf 11th elfde

12 twaalf 12th twaalfde

13 dertien 13th dertiende

14 veertien 14th veertiende

15 vijftien 15th vijftiende

16 zestien 16th zestiende

17 zeventien 17th zeventiende

18 achttien 18th achttiende

19 negentien 19th negentiende

20 twintig 20th twintigste

21 eenentwintig 21st eenentwintigste

22 tweeëntwintig 22nd tweeëntwintigste

23 drieëntwintig 23rd drieentwintigste

30 dertig 30th dertigste

40 veertig 40th veertigste

50 vijftig 50th vijftigste

60 zestig 60th zestigste

70 zeventig 70th zeventigste

80 tachtig 80th tachtigste

90 negentig 90th negentigste

100 honderd 100th honderdste

101 honderd en een 101st honderd en eerste

110 honderd tien 110th honderd tiende

200 tweehonderd 200th tweehonderdste

1,000 duizend 1,000th duizendste

1,001 duizend en een 1,001st duizend en eerste

million een miljoen millionth miljoenste

billion een miljard billionth miljardste

de helft half een keer once

een derde one third twee keer twice

een kwart one quarter drie keer three times

 

In the word for twenty-two, the ë is necessary because there are three of the same vowels in a row, and the accent mark shows that the third one needs to be pronounced separately. The use of commas and decimals is reversed in Dutch. Also note that I speak American English, so billion means 1,000,000,000 and not the British counterpart.

11. Days of the Week

Monday maandag

Tuesday dinsdag

Wednesday woensdag

Thursday donderdag

Friday vrijdag

Saturday zaterdag

Sunday zondag

day dag

morning ochtend

afternoon middag

evening avond

night nacht

today vandaag

tomorrow morgen

tonight deze nacht

yesterday gisteren

last night (de) afgelopen nacht

day after tomorrow overmorgen

day before yesterday eergisteren

week week

last week afgelopen week

weekend weekend

daily dagelijks

weekly wekelijks

12. Months of the Year

January januari

February februari

March maart

April april

May mei

June juni

July juli

August augustus

September september

October oktober

November november

December december

month maand

year jaar

last year het afgelopen jaar

monthly maandelijks

yearly jaarlijks

13. Seasons

Winter de winter

Spring de lente / het voorjaar

Summer de zomer

Autumn de herfst / het najaar

14. Directions

  Compass/Wind Location/Movement  

North noord noorden right rechts

South zuid zuiden left links

East oost oosten straight rechtdoor

West west westen  

15. Colors & shapes

orange oranje square vierkant

pink roze circle cirkel

purple paars triangle driehoek

blue blauw rectangle rechthoek

yellow geel oval ovaal

red rood box vak

black zwart sphere bol

brown bruin cube kubus

gray grijs pyramid piramide

white wit cone kegel

green groen cylinder cilinder

silver zilver heart hart

gold goud star ster

beige beige diamond diamant

light licht crescent halvemaan

dark donker    

 

Licht and donker are added to the colors to mean light and dark: lichtbruin - light brown.

16. Time

What time is it? Hoe laat is het?

It's 1:00 Het is een uur.

2:00 Het is twee uur.

3:30 Het is half vier.

5:45 Het is kwart voor zes.

7:03 Het is drie (minuten) over zeven.

at 9:30 om half tien

noon twaalf uur 's middags

midnight twaalf uur 's nachts / middernacht

In the morning 's ochtends

During the day 's middags

In the evening 's avonds

At night 's nachts

Minuten can be omitted, just as in English.

17. Weather

How's the weather today? Wat voor weer is het vandaag?

It's cold Het is koud

beautiful Het is mooi

hot Het is heet

clear Het is helder

icy Het is ijzig

warm Het is warm

windy Het is windig

cloudy Het is bewolkt

hazy Het is mistig

muggy Het is drukkend / benauwd

humid Het is vochtig

foggy Het is mistig

It's snowing Het sneeuwt

It's raining Het regent

It's freezing Het vriest

18. Family & Pets

family familie sister-in-law schoonzuster

parents ouders brother-in-law zwager

mother moeder / mamma godmother meter

father vader / papa godfather peetvader

child / children kind / kinderen boy jongen

son zoon girl meisje (n)

daughter dochter child kind

brother broeder / broer man, husband man

Sister zuster / zus woman, wife vrouw

grandparents grootouder friend (m) vriend

grandfather grootvader / opa friend (f) vriendin

grandmother grootmoeder / oma adult volwassene

grandchildren kleinkinderen relative bloedverwant

grandson kleinzoon siblings broers en zusters

granddaughter   kleindochter twin tweeling

niece / cousin (f) nicht birth geboorte

nephew / cousin (m) neef death dood

uncle oom marriage huwelijk (n)

aunt tante divorce echtscheiding

stepmother stiefmoeder    

stepfather stiefvader dog hond

stepdaughter stiefdochter cat poes

stepson stiefzoon bird vogel

stepsister stiefzuster goldfish goudvis

stepbrother stiefbroeder gerbil woestijnrat

mother-in-law schoonmoeder hamster hamster

father-in-law schoonvader ferret fret

daughter-in-law schoondochter horse paard

son-in-law schoonzoon pony pony

 

In the vocabulary lists, (n) after the noun means neuter.

19. To Know People and Facts

kennen - to know people weten - to know facts

Present: ken ken kennen ken-nuh weet vayt weten vay-tuh

Past: kendeken-duh

kenden ken-duh wist vist wisten vist-uh

20. Formation of Plural Nouns

Most plural nouns are formed by adding either -en or -s. Remember that the definite article is always de before plural nouns.

1. -en (the n is pronounced softly) is added to most nouns, with a few spelling changes

boek - boeken book(s)jas - jassen coat(s)haar - haren hair(s)huis - huizen house(s)

Spelling changes: Words with long vowels (aa, ee, oo, and uu) drop the one vowel when another syllable is added. Words with the short vowels (a, e, i, o and u) double the following consonant to keep the vowels short. The letters f and s occur at the end of words or before consonants,

while the letters v and z occur in the middle of words before vowels. (These spelling rules are also used for conjugating verbs, so it's best to memorize them as soon as possible.)

2. -s is added to nouns ending in the unstressed syllables -el, -em, -en, and -er (and -aar(d), -erd, -ier when referring to people), foreign words and to most nouns ending in an unstressed vowel

tafel - tafels table(s)jongen - jongens boy(s)tante - tantes aunt(s)bakker - bakkers baker(s)

Nouns ending in the vowels -a, -o, and -u add an apostrophe before the s: foto's, paraplu's

Irregular forms

3. Some nouns containing a short vowel do not double the following consonant in the plural before -en. The plural vowel is then pronounced as long.

bad - baden bath(s)dag - dagen day(s)spel - spelen game(s) (like the Olympics, smaller games are spellen)glas - glazen glass(es)weg - wegen road(s)

4. A few neuter nouns take the ending -eren (or -deren if the noun ends in -n)

blad - bladeren leaf (leaves)kind - kinderen child(ren)ei - eieren egg(s)been - beenderen bone(s) [Note: been - benen leg(s)]lied - liederen song(s)volk - volkeren nation(s), people

5. Nouns ending in -heid have a plural in -heden.

mogelijkheid - mogelijkheden possibility (possibilities)

6. Some other common irregular plurals are:

stad - steden town(s)schip - schepen ship(s)lid - leden member(s)koe - koeien cow(s)

21. Possessive Adjectives

 

Singular Pluralmijn (m'n)jouw (je)uw

myyour (informal)your (polite)

ons / onzejullie (je)uw

ouryour (informal)your (formal)

zijn (z'n)haarzijn

hisherits

hun their

Ons is used before singular neuter nouns, and onze is used elsewhere (before singular common nouns, and all plural nouns.) Je, the unstressed form of jouw, is commonly used in spoken and written Dutch, unless the speaker/writer wants to stress the pronoun. In the plural, jullie is the norm, unless jullie has already been used in the sentence. Then je is used to avoid the redundancy. The other unstressed forms are not commonly written, but are commonly spoken.

Like in English, Dutch possessive adjectives are used in front of a noun to show possession: mijn boek (my book). There are a few ways to express the -'s used in English too. -s can be added to proper names and members of the family: Jans boek (John's book) The preposition van can be used to mean of: het boek van Jan (the book of John = John's book) And in more colloquial speech, the unstressed forms in parentheses above (agreeing in gender and number) can be used in place of the -s: Jan z'n boek (John's book)

To form the possessive pronouns, add -e to the stressed forms (except for jullie) and use the correct article. The only way to show possession with jullie is to use van jou (literally meaning "of you"), although all the others can be used with van too.

de/het mijne, jouwe, uwe, zijne, hare, onze, hunne (mine, yours, yours, his/its, hers, ours, theirs)

22. To Do and to Make

doen - to do maken - to make

doe doo doen doon maak mahk maken mah-kuh

doet doot doen doon maakt mahkt maken mah-kuh

doet doot doen doon maakt mahkt maken mah-kuh

Expressions with doen:

doen alsof - to act as thoughdoen denken aan - to remind ofdichtdoen - to close

opendoen - to openpijndoen - to hurt, cause pain

23. Work

  malefemale (if different from male)

actor acteur actrice

actor (stage) toneelspeler toneelspeelster

author/writer schrijver schrifster

baker bakker bakster

bookkeeper boekhouder boekhoudster

bookseller boekhandelaar boekhandelaarster

butcher slager  

cashier kassajongen kassameisje

dentist tandarts  

doctor dokter  

engineer ingenieur  

hairdresser kapper kapster

journalist journalist journaliste

judge rechter  

lawyer advocaat  

mail man postbode  

mechanic monteur  

musician muzikant muzikante

nurse verpleger verpleegster

office worker kantoormedewerker kantoormedewerkster

officer officier  

painter schilder schilderes

photographer fotograaf fotografe

salesperson verkoper verkoopster

secretary secretaris secretaresse

singer zanger zangeres

soldier soldaat  

surgeon chirurg  

teacher leraar lerares

24. Prepositions

about over in in, over (used with time)

above / over boven / over in front of voor

according to volgens inside / within binnen

after na in spite of ondanks

against tegen near bij

along langs next to naast

around rond(om) of van

at bij, om, aan on top of / on op / aan

because of vanwege opposite tegenover

before voor out (of) uit

behind achter since sinds, sedert

between tussen through door

by met, door toaan, naar(toe) (direction towards something)

during gedurende, tijdens under onder

except for behalve voor  until tot, totdat

for voor with met

from van, uit, vandaan without zonder 

 

At translates as bij when it's a personal location, such as ik ben bij Jan (I'm at Johns place/I am with John). Om refers to time: om 12 uur (at noon); and aan refers to an impersonal location: aan tafel (at the table). By is met in the sense of ik doe het met de hand (I do it by hand) or ik ga met het vliegtuig (I go by plane). From is van when it refers to a person, een kado van jou (a gift from you); and uit when it is a location, ik kom uit Japan (I come from Japan.) Vandaan indicates from where, as in waar kom jij vandaan (where are you from?)

25. Countries and Nationalities

Country Nationality (masc. / fem.)

Africa Afrika Afrikaan / Afrikaanse

America Amerika Amerikaan / Amerikaanse

Argentina Argentinië Argentijn / Argentijnse

Asia Azië Aziaat

Austria Oostenrijk Oostenrijker / Oostenrijkse

Belgium België Belg / Belgische

Brazil Brazili Braziliaan / Braziliaanse

China China Chinees / Chinese

Denmark Denemarken Deen / Deense

England Engeland Engelsman / Engelse

Europe Europa Europeaan

France Frankrijk Fransman / Française

Germany Duitsland Duitser / Duitse

Great Britain Groot Brittani Brit / Britse

Greece Griekenland Griek / Griekse

Holland Holland Hollander / Hollandse

Hungary Hongarije Hongaar / Hongaarse

India India Indir / Indische

Ireland Ierland Ier / Ierse

Italy Italië Italiaan / Italiaanse

Japan Japan Japanner / Japanse

Netherlands Nederland Nederlander / Nederlandse

Norway Noorwegen Noor / Noorse

Poland Polen Pool / Poolse

Portugal Portugal Portugees / Portugese

Russia Rusland Rus / Russin

Spain Spanje Spanjaard / Spaanse

Sweden Zweden Zweed / Zweedse

Switzerland Zwitserland Zwitser / Zwitserse

Turkey Turkije Turk / Turkse

United States Verenigde Staten Amerikaan / Amerikaanse

The feminine form of many occupations and nationalities is indicated by one of five endings. For most nationalities, -e is added, as in Nederlandse (Dutch woman). The endings -in, -es, -esse and -ster are also used to form female counterparts. -ster is added to verbs while -esse replaces the -is ending of some nouns.

boer - boerin (farmer - female farmer/farmer's wife)leeuw - leeuwin (lion - lioness)koning - koningin (king - queen)Rus - Russin (Russian man - Russian woman)leraar - lerares (male teacher - female teacher)prins - prinses (prince - princess)

student - studente (male student - female student)secretaris - secretaresse (male secretary - female secretary)bibliothekaris - bibliothekaresse (male librarian - female librarian)schrijfer - scrijfster (write - female author)verpleeger - verpleegster (nurse - female nurse)

26. Negative Sentences

The word niet (not) is used to negate sentences, and is generally placed at the end of the clause. However, niet precedes a preposition, an adjective that follows a noun, and the words binnen (inside), buiten (outside), beneden (downstairs), boven (upstairs) and thuis (at home).

Een is usually not preceded by niet or any phrase ending with niet (ook niet - not either, nog niet - not yet). Instead, geen, ook geen and nog geen replace the article. Geen is translated by not a, not any or no when followed by a noun in English. Geen also negates nouns that cannot be counted, such as water, bier and wijn.

Jan leest niet. Jan does not read.Hij werkt volgende week ook niet. He is not working next week either.Ik wil geen kopje koffie. I don't want a cup of coffee.Zij hebben nog geen huis gevonden. They have not found a house yet.

27.To Come and to Go

komen - to come gaan - to go

kom kawm komen koh-muh ga gah gaan gahn

komt kawmt komen koh-muh gaat gaht gaan gahn

komt kawmt komen koh-muh gaat gaht gaan gahn

Expressions with komen and gaan:

Hoe komt het dat.. ? How is it that.. ?Hoe gaat het met u? How are you?Het gaat goed met me. I am fine.gaan zitten - to sit down, be seated

28. To and From Countries and Cities

tofrom

naaruit

 

Ik kom uit Nederland. I come from the Netherlands.Zij gaat naar New York. She's going to New York.

29. Conjugating Regular verbs

English has three ways of expressing the present tense, such as I run, I am running, I do run.  All three of these tenses are translated as one tense in Dutch. Most verbs are regular in Dutch in the present tense, and it is formed by using the verb stem (the infinitive minus the -en), and adding these endings (Note that there is no ending for the first person singular form, and all the plural forms are identical to the infinitive):

Verb endings

drinken - to drink

--t-t

-en-en-en

drinkdrinktdrinkt

drinkendrinkendrinken

There is, however, an alternative present tense to express an action that is currently happening: use zijn aan het with the infinitive. Ik ben aan het koken would translate as I am cooking (right now.)

The perfect tense in English of expressions of "for," "since" and "how long?" are rendered by the present tense in Dutch:Ik woon hier al vijf jaar. I have lived here for five years.Hij werkt sinds april met zijn broer. He has been working with his brother since April.

Graag is an adverb used with verbs to express "to like to.." instead of using the verb houden van, which literally means to like or love.

To form questions, simply invert the subject and verb. For the second person singular form (jij), the -t ending of the conjugated verb is dropped. Dutch does not have an equivalent of the English "do" in questions, so Woon jij in Rotterdam? means Do you live in Rotterdam? although it literally is Live you in Rotterdam?

30. Irregularities in Regular verbs 

When you add the present tense endings, you must observe the regular spelling rules in Dutch. Words with long vowels (aa, ee, oo, and uu) drop the one vowel when another syllable is added. Words with the short vowels (a, e, i, o and u) double the following consonant to keep the vowels short. The letters f and s occur at the end of words or before consonants, while the letters v and z occur in the middle of words before vowels. Notice how the infinitive is still identical to the plural conjugations for wij, jullie, and zij, and the stem is identical to the ik form.

InfinitiveStem & ik

form jij, hij, etc. wij, jullie, etc.

betalenblijven

to payto stay

betaalblijf

betaaltblijft

betalenblijven

hopenradengelovenschrijvenkiezenhatenlevenlezenpratenrijden wassengaanstaanslaan

to hopeto guessto believeto writeto chooseto hateto liveto readto talkto rideto washto goto standto hit

hoopraadgeloofschrijfkies haatleefleespraatrijd wasga stasla

hooptraadtgelooftschrijft kiest haatleeftleestpraatrijdt wastgaatstaatslaat

hopenradengelovenschrijvenkiezenhatenlevenlezenpratenrijden wassengaanstaanslaan

One verb that does not follow the spelling rule is komen. The singular forms are all written and pronounced with the short o, while the plural forms are written and pronounced with the long o: kom, komt and komen. (According to the spelling rules, the singular forms should be the long o, but they are not.)

There are five verbs whose ending is only -n: gaan (to go), staan (to stand), slaan (to hit), doen (to do) and zien (to see); the first three change according to the spelling rules.

If a stem ends in -t, you do not add another -t for the second and third person singular forms. zitten - to sit; hij zit - he sits

Verb stems that end in -oud and -ijd drop the -d in the first person singular and in question forms of the second person singular form. The -d can be written, but it is not pronounced. rijden - to ride; ik rij(d) - I ride; rij(d) jij? - do you ride?

31. Modal Verbs

In Dutch, there are four modals: kunnen - to be able to, can; moeten - to have to, must; mogen - to be allowed to, may; and willen - to want to. Modals can be used with other infinitives without the use of prepositions.

  kunnen moeten mogen willen

ikjij / uhij / zij / hetwij

kankan / kuntkankunnen

moetmoetmoetmoeten

magmagmagmogen

wilwil / wiltwilwillen

julliezij

kunnenkunnen

moetenmoeten

mogenmogen

willenwillen

The -t of kunt and wilt are dropped in inversions with jij, but not with moet. Kan and kunt are used interchangeably for the second person singular form of kunnen.

Common verbs, such as doen and gaan, can be omitted in Dutch after modals, but not in the English translation. In addition, impersonal constructions with het/dat + modals are used.

Dat kan. That's possible/can be done. Het moet. It must be done.

When modals are used with other verbs, the other verb is in the infinitive and placed at the end of the clause or sentence.

32. Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs express an action that reciprocates back to the subject. In other words, whoever is speaking is doing an action to himself. Examples in English would be: I wash myself, he hurts himself, we hate ourselves. The reflexive pronouns always follow the subject and verb.

Reflexive Pronouns

meje / uzich

onsjezich

The reflexive pronoun u is often replaced by zich to avoid the double occurrence of u.

Verbs that are always reflexive:

zich afvragenzich bevindenzich ergerenzich gedragenzich generenzich haastenzich herinnerenzich herstellenzich schamen voorzich vergissen in

ask oneselffind oneselfget annoyed bybehavebe embarrassedhurryrememberrecoverbe ashamed ofbe mistaken aboutlook forward tooversleepimagine, introduce

zich verheugen opzich verslapenzich voorstellen

oneself

Verbs that can be reflexive or used with other direct objects

aankledenamuserenbewegenergerenopwindenscherensnijdenuitkledenverbazenverdedigenverkledenverontschuldigenverschuilenvervelenvoelenwassen

get dressedenjoy oneselfmovemake angryget excitedshave (oneself)cut oneselfundress (oneself)be amazeddefend oneselfchange clothesexcuse oneself/apologizehide (oneself)to be boredfeelwash (oneself)

Emphatic Forms

mezelfjezelfzichzelf

onszelfjezelfzichzelf

The emphatic forms of the reflexive pronouns can only be used with the verbs that can be reflexive or used with other direct objects, and never with verbs that are always reflexive.

Elkaar is used when there is a reciprocal meaning of "each other" in English.

33. Verbs followed by Prepositions

afhangen van depend on

bang zijn voor be afraid of

deelnemen aan take part in

denken aan think of/about

feliciteren met congratulate on

gebrek hebben aan be short of

herinneren aan remind

houden van like, love (things or people)

huilen om cry at/about

kijken naar look at/watch

lachen om laugh at

letten op pay attention to

lijden aan suffer from

luisteren naar listen to

praten/spreken met talk to

reageren op react to

rekenen op rely on

sterven aan die of

trek/zin hebben in want

trouwen met marry

twijfelen aan doubt

vragen om ask for

weten van know about

zeggen tegen say to

zorgen voor care for

34. Separable Prefixes

aan- af- binnen- in- na- onder- over- toe- voor-

achter- bij- door- mee- om- op- tegen- uit- -weg

When verbs with separable prefixes are conjugated, the prefixes go to the end of the clause or sentence. For example, uitgaan (to go out) and weggaan (to go away):

Gaan jullie niet meer uit? Don't you go out anymore?Hij gaat vandaag weg. He's going away today.

35. Inseparable Prefixes

be- ont- ge-

her- ver- er-

 

These prefixes always remain attached to their infinitives.  The inseparable prefixes are unstressed syllables, as compared to the separable prefixes, of which most can stand alone as prepositions. -ann, -onder, -over, -door, -voor and -om can also be inseparable prefixes if they are unstressed.

36. Present Perfect or Past Indefinite Tense

This tense is used more often than the simple past, especially in conversation, and is equivalent to I have asked or I asked.  Regular verbs use a form of hebben or zijn and a past participle.  Past participles are made by adding ge- to the beginning of the verb stem and -t or -d to the end.   Verb stems are the infinitives minus the -en, with the appropriate spelling changes. The stems are identical to the first person singular present tense form.

-t is added to stems ending in t, k, f, s, ch, and p (note that if the stem ends in -t already, you do not double the consonant), while -d is added to all other stems, except those already ending in -d. (If a stem ends in -f or -s, but the infinitive contained -v or -z, then still add a -d)

Verbs with inseparable prefixes do not add ge- in this tense. Verbs with separable prefixes add the ge after the prefix and before the stem (afgemaakt).

Verb Stem Past Participlehopenmakenblaffenmissendromenbellenlovenvrezenpratenkokenblaffenkuchenbouwenhorenbrandenbedoelenbepratengelovenverhuizen

to hopeto maketo barkto missto dreamto ringto praiseto be afraidto talkto cookto barkto coughto buildto hearto burnto meanto discussto believeto move house

hoopmaakblafmisdroombelloofvrees praatkookblafkuchbouwhoorbrandbedoelbepraatgeloofverhuis

gehooptgemaaktgeblaftgemistgedroomdgebeldgeloofdgevreesd gepraatgekooktgeblaftgekuchtgebouwdgehoordgebrandbedoeldbepraatgeloofdverhuisd

afmaken to finish af...maak afgemaakt

Hebben vs. ZijnSome verbs of motion can take either hebben or zijn depending on whether it is the action that is stressed (hebben) or the destination/direction (zijn.) Verbs taking zijn are generally intransitive (they do not take direct objects) and denote a change in motion/position or change in state/condition. Most verbs derived from zijn verbs also take zijn in the perfect tense.

ModalsThe past participles of the modals (kunnen: gekund; moeten: gemoeten; mogen: gemoogd, willen: gewild) are only used when the modal is used independently of another verb. Ik heb het gemoeten. I had to (do it).

If the perfect tense of a modal is used with another verb, then the past participle of the modal is replaced by its infinitive. This double infinitive construction (infinitive of modal + other infinitive) is always placed at the end of the clause or sentence. Ik heb gisteren kunnen komen. I was able to come yesterday.

37. Irregular Past Participles

  Infinitive Past Participle   Infinitive Past Participle

begin beginnen begonnen walk lopen gelopen

understand begrijpen begrepen must, have to moeten gemoeten

offer bieden geboden may mogen gemogen

remain blijven gebleven call roepen geroepen

break breken gebroken write schrijven geschreven

bring brengen gebracht sleep slapen geslapen

think denken gedacht hit slaan geslagen

do doen gedaan stand staan gestaan

drink drinken gedronken speak spreken gesproken

eat eten gegeten die sterven gestorven

go gaan gegaan forget vergeten vergeten

give geven gegeven lose verliezen verloren

have hebben gehad find vinden gevonden

help helpen geholpen ask vragen gevraagd

be called heten geheten know weten geweten

hold houden gehouden show wijzen gewezen

look kijken gekeken want willen gewild

come komen gekomen become worden geworden

buy kopen gekocht say zeggen gezegd

get krijgen gekregen see zien gezien

can, be able to kunnen gekund be zijn geweest

let laten gelaten sing zingen gezongen

read lezen gelezen sit zitten gezeten

lie liggen gelegen look for zoeken gezocht

38. Zijn Verbs

A few common verbs take zijn instead of hebben in the present perfect tense:

blijvenblijkengaangebeurenkomen

to stayto appear/seemto goto happento come

stoppen/ophoudenverdwijnenverschijnenwordenzijn

to stopto disappearto appearto becometo be

39. Food and Meals

breakfast ontbijt (n) bread brood (n)

lunch middagmaal (n), lunch pepper peper

dinner avondeten (n) salt zout (n)

glass glas (n) ice ijs

fork vork vinegar azijn

spoon lepel oil olie

knife mes (n) sugar suiker

napkin servet (n) butter boter

plate bord (n) table tafel

silverware bestek (n) dish schotel

tea thee juice sap

steak biefstuk water water

cake taart / cake / koek wine wijn

ice cream roomijs (n) beer bier (n)

coffee koffie beverage drank

pie vlaai milk melk

mustard mosterd egg ei (n)

rice rijst honey honing

jam jam snack snack, tussendoortje

soup soep cheese kaas

salad salade cookies koekje

40. Fruits, Vegetables and Meats

fruit vrucht cabbage kool

pineapple ananas pumpkin pompoen

apple appel olive olijf

apricot abrikoos radish radijs

banana banaan lettuce sla

pear peer tomato tomaat

strawberry aardbei onion ui

raspberry framboos meat vlees (n)

cherry kers veal kalfsvlees (n)

lime limoen lamb lam (n)

lemon citroen beef rundvlees (n)

orange sinaasappel ham ham

peach perzik pork varkensvlees (n)

grapes druif bacon bacon

vegetables groente sausage worst

cauliflower bloemkool poultry pluimvee (n)

bean boon duck eend

pea erwt goose gans

cucumber komkommer chicken kip

carrot wortel, peen turkey kalkoen

potato aardappel fish vis

The National Anthem of the Netherlands: Wilhelmus van NassouweBy Marnix van St. Aldegonde (2 stanzas out of 15)

Wilhelmus van Nassouwe ben ik van Duitsen bloedden vaderland getrouwe blijf ik tot in den dood.Een Prinse van Oranje ben ik, vrij onverveerd,den Koning van Hispanje heb ik altijd geëerd.

Mijn schild ende betrouwen zijt Gij, o God mijn Heer,op U zo wil ik bouwen, verlaat mij nimmermeer.Dat ik doch vroom mag blijven, uw dienaar t'aller stond,de tirannie verdrijven die mij mijn hert doorwondt.

William of Nassau am I, of Dutch blood;True to the fatherland I remain until death. Prince of Orange am I, free and fearless. To the King of Spain I have always given honour.You, my God and Lord, are my shield, on You I rely.On You I will build; never leave me, So that I may remain pious, your servant at all moments,Dispelling the tyranny that wounds my heart.

The National Anthem of Belgium: De Brabançonne By Alexandre Dechet, 1830

O dierbaar BelgiëO heilig land der vaad'renOnze ziel en ons hart zijn u gewijd.Aanvaard ons hart en het bloed van onze adren,Wees ons doel in arbeid en in strijd.Bloei, o land, in eendracht niet te breken;Wees immer u zelf en ongeknecht,Het woord getrouw, dat ge onbevreesd moogt spreken:Voor Vorst, voor Vrijheid en voor Recht. (x3)

O beloved Belgium, sacred land of our fathers,Our heart and soul are dedicated to you. Our strength and the blood of our veins we offer,Be our goal, in work and battle. Prosper, O country, in unbreakable unity,Always be yourself and free. Trust in the word that, undaunted, you can speak:For King, for Freedom and for Law. (x3)

41. Word Order

Dutch word order requires Time - Manner - Place. English generally uses place before time, but Dutch cannot. Hij gaat morgen met de trein naar Londen. He's going to London tomorrow by train. (Literally: he's going tomorrow by train to London.)

The verb must always be in the second position in a Dutch sentence. This not does not mean that it must always be the second word, however. (Inversion of subject and verb to form questions is an exception.)In de winter gaat hij met de trein naar Londen. In the winter he's going to London by train. (Literally: In the winter goes he by train to London.)

Separable prefixes, past participles and infinitive always go to the end of the clause or sentence. The double infinitive construction always goes to the end of the clause or sentence as well.

42. Commands

The stem with the appropriate spelling changes is most commonly used as the command form. When being polite, the u form is used (with u following the verb.) If a verb has a separable prefix, it is sent to the end of the clause. The "let's" form plus a verb is rendered in Dutch by laten we + infinitive. When the command is general and no one in particular is being addressed, the infinitive is used, especially on signs.

Kijk! Look!Laat mij het doen! Let me do it!Blijft u zitten. Please remain seated.Kijk uit! Look out!Laten we gaan. Let's go.Niet roken. No smoking.Trekken / Duwen. Pull / Push.

Note that zijn has an irregular imperative form: wees (and the polite form: weest u)

43. Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions join two sentences together. Word order is not affected by coordinating conjunctions. Examples are en (and), dus (so, thus), maar (but), of (or) and want (for, because).

Subordinating conjunctions are used to connect an independent and dependent clause together, and they do affect word order.  An independent (or main) clause contains a subject and verb and can stand alone as its own sentence.  A dependent (or subordinate) clause also contains a subject and verb, but is introduced with a subordinating conjunction and cannot stand alone as its own sentence.

Mijn zoon was ziek, toen hij klein was. My son was sick when he was little.Ik weet dat jij mij leuk vindt. I know that you like me.

When a subordinating conjunction introduces a clause, the next clause must begin with a verb.

Hoewel hij jong is, is hij erg rijk. Although he is young, he is very rich.Zodra ik klaar ben, kom ik even langs. As soon as I'm ready, I'll come over.

Subordinating Conjunctions

if/whenas ifexcept thatthatalthoughto the extent thatnowwhetherbecauseaftersince

alsalsofbehalve datdathoewelinzover(re) datnu(dat)ofomdatna(dat)sinds

unlesswhilewhen (in past)untilwhenbeforejustso thatas long aswithoutas far as

tenzijterwijltoentot(dat)wanneervoor(dat)zoals zodatzolangzonder datzover

44. Holiday Phrases

Happy New YearHappy EasterMerry ChristmasHappy Birthday

Gelukkig nieuwjaarZalig pasen / Vrolijk PasenZalig kerstfeestHartelijk gefeliciteerd (met je verjaardag)

 

Zalig is the word traditionally used by Catholics (the Pope uses it) when saying something in Dutch at Christmas. Protestants say Prettige kerstdagen (nice), Gelukkig kerstfeest (happy), or Vrolijk kerstfeest (cheerful); a lot of variation is possible.

45. Blijven and Laten

Blijven (to remain) can be used with an infinitive to express a continuous or repeated action.  Blijven acts like a modal verb in the sentence; blijven is conjugated and the other verb remains in the infinitive and goes to the end of the sentence.

De kat blijft naar de muis kijken.  The cat keeps looking at the mouse.Blijft u maar zitten!  Please remain seated!

Laten (to let, leave) can also behave like a modal verb when used with another verb.  It corresponds to "to let" or "to have something done (by someone else)."  In the perfect tense, laten also behaves like a modal because the infinitive is used instead of the past participle when it occurs with another verb.

Laten we naar huis gaan.  Let's go home.Zij laat haar kamer verven.  She's having her room painted.Hij heeft zijn auto laten wassen.  He's had his car washed.

46. Places

airport luchthaven lane (town) steeg

bakery bakkerij library bibliotheek

bank bank market markt

barn schuur monument gedenkteken (n)

barracks kazerne museum museum

bridge brug palace paleis

bookstore boekwinkel path pad (n)

building gebouw (n) pavement trottoir (n)

castle slot (n) pharmacy apotheek

cathedral kathedraal police station politiebureau (n)

cemetery kerkhof (n) port haven

church kerk prison gevangenis

cinema bioscoop restaurant restaurant

consulate consulaat (n) road (highway) landweg

corner straathoek school school

drugstore apotheek square plein (n)

embassy ambassade stadium stadium

factory fabriek store winkel

farm boerderij street straat

fountain fontein suburb voorstad

garage garage theater theater / schouwburg

hospital ziekenhuis (n) tower toren

hotel hotel town stad

house huis (n) town hall stadhuis (n)

hut hut university universiteit

inn herberg village dorp

47. Transportation

bus (auto)bus

train trein

airplane vliegtuig

ship schip

boat boot

motorcycle motorfiets

automobile automobiel

streetcar tram

moped bromfiets

bicycle fiets

car auto(mobiel)

48. Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense in Dutch corresponds to the simple past tense in English.  It is not a compound tense like the perfect tense, and some verbs have vowel changes, as in English.  Generally, the simple past tense is indicated in English by adding -ed to the verb (for regular verbs, at least.)  This tense is used for actions that happened in the past and that are completely done.  To form the past tense, add -te (or -de) to the stem for the singular persons and -ten (or -den) to the stem for the plural persons.  If the verb stem ends in p, t, k, f, s, or ch, add -te or -ten; for all other endings, add -de or -den.  Verbs that have either v or z as the final consonant of the stem change them to f or s first and then add -de and -den. 

  ik, jij, u, hij, zij wij, jullie, zij

wonen - to live woonde woonden

geloven - to believe geloofde geloofden

praten - to talk praatte praatten

spelen - to play speelde speelden

trouwen - to marry trouwde trouwden

werken - to work werkte werkten

fietsen - to cycle fietste fietsten

49. Irregular Stems in Simple Past Tense

For some verbs, the internal vowel of the stem changes in the past tense.  The stem with the changed vowel then acts as the past tense for all persons of the singular, while the plural adds -en to the changed stem.  In addition, there are some irregular verbs that change more than the vowel, but still add nothing for the singular and -en for the plural. 

  ik, jij, u, hij, zij wij, jullie, zij

zijn - to be was waren

hebben - to have had hadden

gaan - to go ging gingen

weten - to know wist wisten

denken - to think dacht dachten

blijven - to stay bleef bleven

drinken - to drink dronk dronken

eten - to eat at aten

breken - to break brak braken

bijten - to bite beet beten

gieten - to pour goot goten

50. House and Furniture 

alarm clock wekker desk bureau painting schilderij (n)

armchair leunstoel door deur pillow kussen (n)

ashtray asbak (n) drawer lade pipe (water) pijpleiding

balcony balkon (n) dresser ladenkast radio radio

basement kelder fire vuur (n) refrigerator koelkast

basket korf flame vlam roof dak (n)

bathroombadkamer (n)

flat (apartment)

apartement room kamer

bed bed (n) floor vloer sheet laken (n)

bedroom slaapkamer flower bloem shovel schop

(door)bell (deur)bel furniture meubelen (pl.) shower douche

blanket deken garden tuin smoke rook

blindsrolgordijn (n)

ground floor benedenverdieping sofa (zit)bank

box kist hearth haard stairs trap

broom bezem house huis (n)floor (of building)

verdieping

bucket emmer iron (flat) strijkijzer (n) stove kachel

candle kaars kerosene petroleum table tafel

carpet tapijt (n) key sleutel tap (faucet) kraan

ceiling plafond (n) kitchen keuken television televisie

chair stoel ladder ladder toilet (WC) wc / toilet

chimney schoorsteen lamp lamp towel handdoek

closet kast lock slot (n)vacuum cleaner

stofzuiger

computer computer mattress matras vase vaas

corner hoek mirror spiegel wall (house) muur

cupboard kast oven oven wall (room) wand

curtain gordijn (n) pantry provisiekast window raam (n)

cushion kussen (n) paper basket prullenmand yard (achter)tuin

51. Staan, liggen and zitten

These verbs are all translated as "to be" in certain cases.  When an object is in an upright position, staan is used.  When an object is lying down, liggen is used.  When an object is inside of something else, zitten is used.

De auto staat voor het huis.  The car is in front of the house.De krant ligt op de grond.  The newspaper is on the floor.De pen zit in de tas.  The pen is in the bag.

52. Clothing

belt riempants (trousers)

broek

boot laars pin speld

braces bretels (pl.) pipe pijp

brush borstel pocket zak

button knoop shirt overhemd (n)

cigar sigaar shoe schoen

cigarette sigaret shoelace schoenveter

clothes kleren silk zijde

coat jas skirt rok

collar boord sleeve mouw

comb kam soap zeep

cotton katoen (n) sock sok

dress jurk stick stok

fashion mode stocking kous

glasses bril (sing.) tie stropdas

glove handschoen toothbrush tandenborstel

handkerchief zakdoek toothpaste tandpasta

hat hoed umbrella paraplu

jeans spijkerbroek underwear onderbroek

match lucifer waistcoat vest (n)

needle naald watch horloge (n)

overcoat overjas wool wol

53. Future Tense

The future tense consists of a conjugated form of zullen and an infinitive at the end of the sentence.  Zullen is irregular, however, and the jij / u form "zal" is used less often than zult.  The future tense can also be used to express probability.  When it does, wel is added to the sentence.

ik zal wij zullen

jij / u zult / zal jullie zullen

hij / zij / het zal zij zullen

De reis zal twee uur duren.  The trip will last two hours.Wij zullen het wel weten.  We will probably know it.

The regular present tense can also express a future event with the use of time expressions.  This is common in English too.

Morgen gaan zij naar Rotterdam.  They're going to Rotterdam tomorrow.

Gaan and an infinitive at the end of the sentence can also be used to express the future.  This is equivalent to the English construction "going to + verb."

Ik ga een brief schrijven.  I'm going to write a letter.

Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect expresses "will have + past participle" and is as uncommon in Dutch as it is in English. Zullen is still used at the conjugated verb, but the past participle and infinitive of hebben (or zijn) are put at the end of the sentence.

Hij zal de krant gelezen hebben. He will have read the newspaper.

54. Verb Meanings

Some verbs in English are expressed in Dutch as two different verbs and vice versa.  The most common are:

kennen: to know a person or a place; to be acquainted with (general familiarity)weten: to know facts (specific knowledge)

leven: to be alive, to exist, to subsistwonen: to reside, to dwell

betekenen: to signifybedoelen: to intend

noemen: to call, nameheten: to be called, be named

lenen aan: to lend tolenen van: to borrow from

leren: to teach (someone something)leren (van): to learn (from someone)

55. Inflections of Adjectives

When adjectives are placed before nouns, and not after, they add the ending -e.  The spelling rules that affect pluralization of nouns and verb conjugations also apply when inflecting adjectives.  However, the -e is not added when the adjective occurs before a neuter singular noun without an article (warm water) or a neuter singular noun preceded by een, geen, elk (each), ieder (each), menig (many a), veel (much), welk (which) or zo'n (such a).  Adjectives that end in -en, as well as the adjectives linker (left) and rechter (right), do not add -e either.

het grote huis - the large housede lange muur - the long wallmijn mooie tuin - my beautiful gardensnelle treinen - fast trains

een oud huis - an old housevers brood - fresh breadde houten trap - the wooden staircasezijn rechter oog - his right eye

When an adjective is placed directly after iets (something), niet (nothing), veel (much), weinig (little), and wat (something), it adds the ending -s.

iets moois - something beautifulniets nieuws - nothing new

If the noun following the adjective has been mentioned before, it may be omitted.  In English, "one" is used in its place, but there is no equivalent word in Dutch.  Dutch simply uses the article and adjective, with the -e inflection, if it is required.

Koop je een jurk?  Ja, ik neem de blauwe.  Are you buying a dress?  Yes, I'll take the blue (one.)

56. Adjectives

short kort high hoog light licht

long, tall lang wide wijd dark donker

loud luid fat, thick vet, dik terrible vreselijk

quiet stil thin dun sweet zoet

cute lief, schattig narrow nauw in love verliefd

perfect perfekt weak zwak serious serieus

sad triest, droevig strong sterk clean proper, net

happy blij, gelukkig deep diep dirty vuil

dear beste lazy lui shy verlegen

famousbekend, beroemd

cheap goedkoop nervousnerveus, zenuwachtig

differentverschillend, ander

dumb dom comfortable comfortabel

easy gemakkelijk early vroeg worried bezorgd

difficult moeilijk near nabij, dichtbij right juist

pretty mooi nice mooi, aardig wrong verkeerd

ugly lelijk inexpensive goedkoop jealous jaloers

small klein expensive duur drunk dronken, zat

large groot crazy gek popular populair

good goed far ver(af) excellent excellent

bad slecht beautiful mooi valuable kostbaar

new nieuw curious nieuwsgierig alone alleen

tired vermoeid, moe old oud important belangrijk

angry kwaad, boos young jong busy bezig, bezet

annoyingvervelend, irritant

interesting interessant sick ziek, misselijk

wonderful wonderlijk fantastic fantastisch ready klaar

57. Comparative and Superlative

Comparisons of equality use the expression even + adjective + als and it translates to "as + adjective + as."  In addition, you can use net zo + adjective + als to mean "as + adjective + as," but it is more emphatic.

dit hotel is even duur als de andere - this hotel is as expensive as the others

But note: zo veel mogelijk - as soon as possible / zo vlug mogelijk - as fast as possible

When comparing two things, the comparative form of the adjective is used.  It is formed in Dutch by adding -er to the adjective (or -der if the adjective ends in -r).  This is used for all adjectives; there is no "more + adjective" construction as there is for some adjectives in English.  Comparative adjectives add the -e ending for the inflection according to the requirements above; however, adjectives with three or more syllables do not.  When using comparative adjectives, dan translates as "than."

leuk - niceleuker - nicervriendelijk - friendlyvriendelijker - friendlier

When expressing the highest degree of a quality or characteristic, the superlative form of the adjective is used.  Most adjectives add -st (or just -t if the adjective already ends in -s).  Since the -st ending does not add a syllable to the adjective, the spelling rules do not apply.  All superlatives are inflected like regular adjectives.  However, if the superlative adjective is a predicate adjective (follows "to be" and does not precede a noun), then het precedes it and the -e is optional.  With the superlative, van translates as "in" or "of."  In contrast to English, Dutch does use the superlative to compare two or more things.

leuk - niceleukst - nicesthet grootste huis - the biggest housede duurste kleren - the most expensive clothesHij is de oudste van de twee.  He is the older (literally: oldest) of the two.

For ease of pronunciation, adjectives ending in -st and -sch do not add -st to form the superlative, but use meest (most) before.

meest juist - most justmeest logisch - most logical

Don't forget the spelling changes when dealing with long and short vowels:

groot, groter, grootst - big, bigger, biggestlaat, later, laatst - late, later, latest

Some of the most common adjectives have irregular forms:

adjective good goed bad erg much veel little weinig

comparative better beter worse erger more meer less minder

superlative best best worst ergst most meest least minst

58. Sports

golf golf

soccer voetbal

volleyball volleybal

football rugby, American football

basketball basketbal

baseball honkbal

hockey hockey

tennis tennis

bowling bowlen, bowling

sailing zeilen

horseback riding paardrijden

boxing boksen

roller-skating rolschaatsen

ice-skating schaatsen

skiing skin

bicycle racing wielrennen

riding a bicycle fietsen

swimming zwemmen

59. Nature

air lucht grass gras (n) rock rots

bank oever hail hagel sand zand (n)

bay baai hay hooi (n) sea zee

beach strand (n) heath heide shadow schaduw

bridge brug high tide vloed sky lucht

bush struik hill heuvel snow sneeuw

cave grot ice ijs (n) spring (water) bron

city stad island eiland (n) star ster

cloud wolk lake meer (n) storm storm

coast kust leaf blad stream beek

country land (n) light licht (n) street straat

country(side) platteland (n) lightning bliksem sun zon

current stroom low tide eb thaw (ont)dooi

darkness duisternis meadow weide thunder donder

desert woestijn moon maan tree boom

dew dauw mountain berg valley vallei

dust stof (n) mud modder view uitzicht (n)

earth aarde nature natuur water water (n)

farm boerderij peninsula schiereiland (n) fresh water zoet water (n)

field veld (n) plain vlakte salt water zout water (n)

flower bloem plant plant waterfall waterval

foam schuim (n) pond vijver wave golf

fog mist rain regen weather weer (n)

forest bos (n) rainbow regenboog wind wind

frost vorst river rivier world wereld

60. Object Pronouns

Subject Objects

I ik ('k) me mij (me)

you (fam.) jij (je) you jou (je)

you (form.) u you u

he hij him hem ('m)

she zij (ze) her haar (ze)

it hij / het it het ('t)

we wij (we) us ons

you (pl.) jullie you jullie (je)

you (form.) u you u

they zij (ze) them hen (ze) / hun (ze)

 Direct and indirect object pronouns are the same in Dutch, except for "them."  Hen is used if it is a direct object, and hun is used if it is an indirect object.  Generally, indirect objects are preceded by "to" or "from" in English, and direct objects are not preceded by any prepositions.  Additionally, these object pronouns are used in prepositional phrases.

An alternative way of showing possession without using the possessive pronouns is to use van + object pronoun.  In fact, this is the only way to show possession with the jullie form, as there is no possessive pronoun for it.  This construction corresponds to "of + object" and occurs often in sentences with the verb "to be."  Is deze pen van jou?  Is this your pen?  Die schoenen zijn niet van mij.  Those shoes are not mine.

If the noun is not present in the clause, then die or dat + van + object pronoun is used. Mijn huis is klein; dat van hem is erg groot.  My house is small; his is very large.

61. Parts of the Body

ankle enkel finger vinger nail nagel

arm arm flesh vlees (n) neck hals / nek

back rug foot voet nerve zenuw

beard baard forehead voorhoofd (n) pain pijn

belly buik gum tandvlees (n) nose neus

bladder blaas hair haar (n) palm handpalm

blood bloed (n) hand hand rib rib

body lichaam (n) head hoofd (n) shin scheen

bone bot / been (n) headache hoofdpijn shoulder schouder

brain hersenen (pl.) health gezondheid skeleton skelet / geraamte

breath adem heart hart (n) skin huid

calf kuit heel hiel skull schedel

cheek wang hip heup sole voetzool

chest borst intestines ingewanden (pl.) spine ruggengraat

chin kin jaw kaak stomach maag

cold verkoudheid kidney nier tear traan

cough hoest knee knie thigh dij

ear oor (n) leg been (n) throat keel

elbow elleboog lip lip thumb duim

eye oog (n) liver lever toe teen

eyebrow wenkbrauw lung long tongue tong

eyelid ooglid (n) moustache snor tooth tand

face gezicht (n) mouth mond wound wond

fever koorts muscle spier wrist pols

62. Relative Pronouns

Relative clauses begin with relative pronouns - words that correspond to who, whom, that and which in English.  These may be omitted in English, but must be included in Dutch.  The relative pronoun is put into the correct gender depending on the noun it refers to.  The conjugated verb goes to the end of the sentence as well as with subordinate clauses.  Die and dat are the relative pronouns in Dutch; die refers to people, singular common nouns and all plural nouns, whereas dat refers to singular neuter nouns.

Kent u de man die daar op de hoek staat?  Do you know the man who is standing there on the corner?Dat is het boek dat ik las.  That is the book (that) I read.Hier is de jurk die ik gisteren gekocht heb.  Here is the dress (which) I bought yesterday.

Die is replaced by wie when the clause refers to people and is preceded by a preposition. In addition, whoever is translated as wie.

De jongen met wie ik praatte heet Piet.  The boy with whom I spoke is called Peter.

No relative pronoun is used when the clause refers to things and is preceded by a preposition.  In this case, waar- and the preposition are used instead.  In some cases, waar- and a preposition can also replace the relative pronoun when referring to people.

Dat zijn mensen waarop je rekenen kunt.  They are people upon whom you can count. (They are people you can count on.)

Wat replaces dat when the pronoun refers to the words alles (everything), iets (something), niets (nothing); to the superlative form of an adjective used as a noun; to the whole preceding clause.  It is also used when there is no antecedent (no preceding noun/pronoun to refer to.)

Dat is alles wat ik heb.  That is everything that I have.Zij komt altijd te laat, wat mij ergert.  She always comes late, which annoys me.

63. Uses of Er

1. Personal pronouns are used after prepositions when referring to people.  However, when you need to refer to a thing, a compound using er- plus the preposition (either written as one word, or separated by adverbial expression) is used. Daar (that) and hier (this) can also replace er when it is not written as one word.

De kinderen spelen vaak ermee.  The children often play with it.De kinderen spelen er vaak mee. The children often play with it.De kinderen spelen daar/hier vaak mee. The children often play with that/this.

2. Er is used when talking about a quantity or an amount.  It is translated as "of it" or "of them," though these expressions are not always used in English.

Ik heb er genoeg gehad.  I've had enough (of it.)Hoeveel poesjes heb je?  Ik heb er twee.  How many kittens do you have?  I have two (of them.)

3. In an unstressed position, er means there (an adverb of place).  It is replaced by daar in stressed positions (such as the beginning of a sentence.)

4. Er can introduce sentences with an indefinite subject.  In this case, er functions as there as a subject, as in "there is/are."

64. Animals

animal dier (n) horse paard (n)

ant mier insect insekt

badger das kitten katje / poesje (n)

bat vleermuis lamb lam (n)

beak bek lion leeuw

bear beer lobster kreeft

bee bij louse luis

beetle tor mackerel makreel

bird vogel mole mol

blackbird merel monkey aap

bull stier mosquito muskiet

butterfly vlinder moth mot

calf kalf (n) mouse muis

carp karper octopus octopus

cat kat / poes ostrich struisvogel

caterpillar rups owl uil

chicken kip ox os

chimpanzee chimpansee oyster oester

claw klauw parrot papegaai

cockroach kakkerlak partridge patrijs

cod kabeljauw paw poot

cow koe pig varken

crab krab pigeon duif

crayfish rivierkreeft rabbit konijn (n)

crow kraai rat rat

deer hert rooster haan

dog hond salmon zalm

donkey ezel scale schub

duck eend (sea) gull (zee)meeuw

eagle arend seal  zeehond

eel aal shark haai

elephant olifant sheep schaap (n)

feather veer shrimp garnaal

fin vin snail slak

fish vis snake slang

flea vlo sparrow mus

fly vlieg spider spin

fox vos squirrel eekhoorn

frog kikker stork ooievaar

fur vacht / pels swallow zwaluw

gill kieuw tail staart

giraffe giraffe tiger tijger

goat geit toad pad

goose gans trout forel

gorilla gorilla turkey kalkoen

grasshopper sprinkhaan wasp wesp

hare haas weasel wezel

hen kip / hen whale walvis

heron reiger wing vleugel

herring haring wolf wolf

hoof hoef worm worm

horn hoorn zebra zebra

65. Infinitive Constructions

Some verbs require a preposition before an infinitive in Dutch, while others do not. This is true in English as well; e.g. I want to leave vs. I can read. Verbs that do not require te before an infinitive include: modal verbs, blijven, laten, zullen, zien (to see), horen (to hear), voelen (to feel), komen, gaan, vinden (to find), leren (to teach), and helpen.

Ik kan komen. I can come.Het zal morgen regenen. It will rain tomorrow.Zij gaat iedere dag zwemmen. She goes swimming everyday.

The preposition used in Dutch is te, although the om... te construction can also be used. Verbs that use only te before an infinitive include: zitten, staan, liggen, lopen (to walk), beginnen, proberen (to try), durven (to dare), hoeven (to need), weten. And after these prepositions, te is used before an infinitive: zonder (without), in plaats van (instead of), and door (by.) When using om...te, all adjectives, adverbs, objects, and expressions of time, manner and place are placed between om and te. Om... te is always used when the infinitive occurs at the beginning of the sentence, and when the infinitive refers to a preceding noun.

Hij stond op de bus te wachten. He stood waiting for the bus.Het begint te regenen. It's beginning to rain.Ik zei het zonder te denken. I said it without thinking.Het is erg moeilijk om te doen. It is very difficult to do.Hoeveel kost het om hier te parkeren? How much is it to park here?Het is een interessant programma om naar te kijken. It is an interesting program to watch.

English infinitives that follow an object are translated into clauses using conjunctions in Dutch.

Zij verwacht dat ik kom. She is expecting me to come. (Literally: She expects that I come.)

66. Past Perfect Tense

 

The past perfect tense corresponds to the perfect tense, but the action occurred in the past before another action occurred in the past.  In English, it translates to "had" instead of "have" before the past participle.  To form this tense, simply use the simple past of hebben or zijn (whichever auxiliary the verb used in the present perfect tense) and the past participle.

Zij had de boeken niet gevonden. She had not found the books.Jullie hadden in Paris gestudeerd. You had studied in Paris.

67. Conditional

The conditional mood expresses doubt or uncertainty. In English, "would + infinitive" is used for the present conditional and "would have + past participle" is used for the past conditional. In Dutch, zou/zouden + infinitive is used for the present conditional, and zou/zouden + past participle + infinitive of hebben or zijn is used for the past conditional. (Zou and zouden are the singular and plural past tense forms of zullen.)

Ik zou graag thuis blijven. I would like to stay home.Als ik jou was, zou ik dat huis niet kopen. If I were you, I would not buy that house.Ik zou graag thuis gebleven zijn. I would have liked to stay home.

68. Diminutives

Diminutives are forms of a word that show smallness or endearment and are much more common in Dutch (especially spoken Dutch) than in English. All diminutives in Dutch are formed by adding -je to the noun, and all are neuter nouns and form the plural by adding -s.

kindje little childneusje little noseschaapje little sheep

Nouns endings in a vowel, y, w or j; nouns that contain a long vowel or diphthong followed by r, l, or n; and nouns ending in unstressed -er, -el, and -en add -tje to form the diminutive.

eitje little eggbeentje little legdekentje little blanket

Nouns containing a short vowel followed by r, l, n, m, or ng add -etje.

balletje little ballstemmetje little voice

Nouns ending in unstressed -ing drop the final -g and add -kje.

verrassinkje little surprise

Nouns ending in -m add -pje (unless m is preceded by short stressed vowel.)

bezempje little broom

69. Present Participle

The present participle is made by adding -d (or sometimes -de) to the infinitive of a Dutch verb. Present participles are not used as frequently in Dutch as in English. They are used mainly when another action takes place within the specific period of time we are talking about. So, every example sentence is about two actions that take place at the same time.

zingen to singZe liep zingend naar huis. She walked home singing.

lopen to walkKun jij lopend lezen? Can you read while walking?

fluisteren to whisperHij zei fluisterend dat hij eerder weg wilde. He said whispering that he wanted to leave earlier.

Most of the time an English present participle is not translated by a Dutch present participle. Usually, the Dutch simple present tense is used instead. The sentence below is an example of this.

Ze leest een boek. She is reading a book.

70. Passive Voice

When the subject of the sentence does something, the sentence is in the active voice. If something happens to that person, we use the passive voice.

Replacing the auxiliary verb hebben (to have) by zijn (to be) or worden (to become, to be from this moment on), very often results in the passive voice.

The verb vinden (to find) is in the active voice: Ik heb gevonden. I have found. Ik had gevonden. I had found.

And in the passive voice: Ik ben gevonden. I am found Ik ben gevonden. I have been found. Ik was gevonden. I was found. Ik was gevonden. I had been found. Ik word gevonden. I am found (right now).

Suppose that Peter finds you. Ik ben door Peter gevonden. I am found by Peter. Ik was door Peter gevonden. I was found by Peter. Ik word door Peter gevonden. I am found by Peter (right now). Ik word door Peter gevonden. I will be found by Peter.

"Ik word door Peter gevonden." in the present perfect has about the same meaning as "Peter vindt mij." in the simple present.