Dutch Summary: The Most Important
Pronunciation, Spelling and Grammar

Vocabulary: Words and Phrases

Learning Dutch, you could study the many useful resource pages on my website according to your own plan, or you could follow my suggestions on the Learning Dutch? page. There is also a series of lessons, starting with Lesson 1.
There is now also a large series of Smartphone Pages

The Article: 'De' and 'Het' Words

'de'

'het'

" 't "

een

één

het and 't - de and het

Pronunciation and Spelling

'Long' and 'Short' Vowels

short A long A

short E long E 'voiceless E' ('schwa')

short I long I (IE)

short O long O

short U long U

The Spelling of 'Long' and 'Short' Vowels

ma ('Mom')		man ('a man, a male')		maan ('moon')
vlo 2 ('flea')		vlot 2 3 ('raft')		vloot 2 ('fleet')

The Dutch way to represent 'long' and 'short' vowels in writing is fairly systematic and logical. Please take a moment to study the rules.

• Double vowels are always 'long.'
• A single vowel can be either 'long' or 'short.' You can usually tell from the syllable ending.
• Dutch syllables are organized around vowels.
• If there is only one consonant between vowels, it almost always goes to the second syllable.
• When there are two or more consonants between vowels, the first of those consonants usually remains with the first syllable
• A syllable ending in a vowel is called an 'open' syllable.
• A syllable ending in a consonant is called a 'closed' syllable.
• Dutch spelling/pronunciation rules say that:
• a single vowel in an open syllable is 'long' - except E at the end of a word which is 'voiceless, unstressed'
• a single vowel in a closed syllable is short.
• so a long vowel in a closed syllable needs to be written as a double vowel.

• So an (imperfect) rule of thumb is:
• a single vowel before two or more consonants is short
• a single vowel before a consonant that's the end of the word is short
• a single vowel before one consonant that's followed by another vowel is long
  (this works somewhat like English 'silent E')
• a single vowel at the end of the word is long (except E which is 'voiceless' in that position)

mannen 2 3 (man-nen) ('men, males')		manen 2 (ma-nen) ('moons')
vlotten 2 3 (vlot-ten) ('rafts')		vloten 2 (vlo-ten) ('fleets')

See and hear examples:

kasteel (kas-teel) castle		reactie (re-ac-tie) reaction		creatie 2 (cre-a-tie) creation		havik 2 (ha-vik) hawk
mening (me-ning) opinion - think of: 'meaning'		hotel (ho-tel) hotel		merrie 2 3 (mer-rie) mare		taktiek 2 (tak-tiek) tactics
concert (con-cert) concert		sentimenteel 2 (sen-ti-men-teel) sentimental		uniek 2 (u-niek) unique		welkom 2 (wel-kom) welcome
duel 2 (du-el) duel		lening (le-ning) loan		experiment (ex-pe-ri-ment) experiment		cursus (cur-sus) course, class
paspoort (pas-poort) passport		olifant (o-li-fant) elephant		modern 2 (mo-dern) modern		combinatie 2 (com-bi-na-tie) combination
piano (pi-a-no) piano		alcohol 2 (al-co-hol) alcohol		monnik 2 (mon-nik) monk		moment (mo-ment) moment
politiek (po-li-tiek) politics; political		alfabet 2 (al-fa-bet) alphabet

'Voiceless,' 'Unstressed' E ('schwa') - The Elephant in The Room

• single E as the last letter of a word is almost always 'voiceless'
• BE-, GE-, TE- and VER- prefixes have voiceless E: word beginnings be-, ge-, te- and ver-
• -EN, -ER and -EL suffixes have voiceless E: word endings -en, -er and -el
• (But keep in mind that not all word beginnings and ending like above are prefixes and suffixes. One-syllable words for instance don't have prefixes or suffixes.)

aarde (the earth; soil, dirt)

- ziekte (sickness, disease)

- eerste 2 (first)

- groente (vegetable(s) - think green)

bevrijding (liberation - 'freeing')

- gevecht (fight, battle)

- geheel (whole; complete)

geluid (sound - think of: 'loud')

- verlies (loss)

- binnen 2 (inside)

hamer (hammer)

- zomer (Summer)

- winter (Winter)

- appel (apple)

- nagel (nail - human, animal)

moeder (mother)

- vader (father)

- dochter (daughter)

- zusje (sister)

Nederland 2 (Holland, The Netherlands)

- gebroken (broken, cracked)

- geboorte (birth)

The Dutch Diphthongs
AU = OU		EI = IJ		EU		OE		UI		more

Dutch Sounds Not Found in English

CH = G	"like (softly) clearing your throat" - it is like J in European Spanish and there is a sound like it in Hebrew, Arabic and Persian. To Dutchmen CH and G are not entirely identical, but the difference is very slight. Students shouldn't worry about it. lach (laugh) - zacht (soft) - wacht (wait!) - nacht (night) - dag 2 (day; goodbye) - gast 2 (guest) lachen 2 (to laugh) ->> - vlaggen 2 (flags) - more examples: CH - G
EI = IJ	The sound is somewhere "between FATE and FIGHT" - hear Dutch feit ('fact.') To avoid confusion, it should clearly be different from Dutch 'long E' - if you can't say it in the Dutch way, say it like English 'I.' Hear and compare: mees / meis / maïs 2 - mees (a bird) - meis ("girl" - slang) - maïs ('corn') Also compare: haai (shark) / hij (he) - baai (bay) / bij (bee; at, near) - taai (tough) / tij (tide) ijs (ice) - vrij (free) - rij 2 (row, line, queue) - prijs 2 (price) - pijn (pain') - stijl (style) trein (train) - leider (leader) - eind 2 (end) - vallei (valley) - meisje (girl - think of: 'maiden') - more examples: EI - IJ
EU	Like in French deux ('2') and in German schön 2 3 ('beautiful') and the writer Goethe deur 2 (door) - neus (nose) - heup (hip - body part) - nerveus 2 (nervous) kleur 2 (color) - breuk 2 (break, crack) - leugen (lie, untruth) - more examples
UI	like in French l'oeil ('the eye') huis 2 (house) - uit 2 (out) - duim 2 (thumb) - suiker (sugar) - zuid 2 (South) - buiten 2 (outside) - more examples
UU (long U)	like in French cru or dur and in German Hügel and Muesli vuur 2 (fire) - puur 2 'pure' - zuur 2 (sour; acid) - duur (expensive - think of: 'dear') - juli (July) - more examples

Now It Can Be Said - Many personal pronouns have both an IJ and a 'voiceless E' variety. The IJ-form is used for emphasis. ->> The 'voiceless E' is sometimes represented by an apostrophe.
mijn m'n my	mij me me	jij je also: 'your' you (singular, informal)	zij ze she	zijn z'n his	wij we we	zij ze they	personal pronouns

Dutch Sounds Represented by Different Letters in English

Consonants
Dutch J is like English Consonant Y. A sound like English J is rarely found in Dutch.
	Jan ('John') - ja 5 (yes) - jaar (year) - jakkes! (yikes, yuck!)
Dutch NG is always pronounced as NG in English THING, and NEVER as NG in DANGER or LINGER
	ding (thing) - ringvinger (ring finger) - honger (hunger) - zanger (singer' - male) - brengen 2 'to bring' >>
Dutch R doesn't 'roll' like English R and is formed further back in the mouth ‑>>
	er (~there) - rijst (rice) - borst (breast) - drie (3) - gras (grass) - droog (dry) - broer 2 (brother)
Dutch W is formed with the upper teeth about halfway on the lower lip, not like in English with lips rounded as for a kiss
	wakker (awake) - waarde (worth, value) - werk (work) - wens (wish) - wind (wind) - woord (word) wijn 2 (wine) - kwart (quarter, ¼) - zwaan (swan) >> - zwaard (sword) >>
Vowels and Diphthongs
Just a few examples. English spelling is too irregular for a good comparison of vowels. See and hear Vowels above.
Dutch AU and OU are like OU in English OUCH! or OW in English NOW
	au! (ouch!) - dauw (dew) - klauw 2 (claw) - saus 2 (sauce) - nauw (narrow) nou (now) - jouw (your - informal, singular) - oud (old) - koud (cold) - zout 2 (salt)
Dutch 'long E' sounds like English A with silent E
	English 'bake' sounds like Dutch beek (a brook) - English 'vale' sounds like Dutch veel ('much, many')
Dutch 'long I'/IE sounds like English EE
	zie! (see!) - zien (to see) - diep 2 (deep) - bier (beer) - koffie (coffee) - flexibel 2 (flexible)
Dutch IEUW is like EW in English NEW
	nieuw (new) - nieuws (news) - Dat is goed nieuws. (That's good news.)
Dutch OE is like English OO (and Dutch OO is like most English OE's)
	voet 2 (foot) - voedsel (food) - boek (book) - goed 2 (good; well) - bloesem (blossom) - schoen (shoe)

Exceptions to Phonetic Spelling

As I mentioned at the top of the page, the indefinite article een ('a') is pronounced with 'voiceless, unstressed E' and NOT with the 'long E' that you would expect from the spelling. Sometimes it's more phonetically correct written as " 'n "

Double consonants are not pronounced 'long' or with a pause in between. Double consonants usually only indicate that a preceding single vowel is 'short.'
'A' unexpectedly 'short.'
When the stress is on another syllable, an 'A' in the first syllable is often 'short' - while according to the spelling rules it should be 'long' (followed by one consonant and another vowel)
familie (family, relatives) - katoen (cotton) - kwaliteit 2 (quality) - manier (manner, way of doing) - paniek (panic)
papier 2 (paper - material) - paraplu (umbrella) - kanaal (channel; canal) - kapot (broken, not working)
B and D at the end of words are pronounced as P and T respectively:
ik heb (I have) - ik had (I had)
Only at the end of words - in other positions B and D are like in English:
hebben (to have) - midden (middle) - wij hadden 2 (we had)
C is pronounced either as S or as K according to the same rules as in English:
- as K before A, O, U and consonants:
compleet (complete) - contact (contact, touch) - correct (correct, right) - structuur (structure) - collega (colleague)
- as S before E, I, IJ and Y:
cel 2 (cell) - centrum (center) - cirkel (circle) - precies (precisely, exactly) - citroenen (lemons)
- cijfer (number, figure) - cyclus (cycle) -cylinder (cylinder) - centimeter (centimeter)
accent 2 3 (accent) - succes 2 (succes)
H after T is not pronounced - except in compound words
thee (tea) - theorie 2 (theory) - thermometer (thermometer) - apotheker 2 (pharmacist) - Thijs - Theo (boys' names)
- but:  witheet (wit-heet) 2 ([white] red-hot)
The I in the -IG ending is pronounced as 'voiceless E'
mistig 2 (misty, foggy) - dorstig 2 (thirsty) - zonnig (sunny) - bezig 2 (busy with) - zondig (sinful)
So 'katterig' ('like a hangover or the flu') sounds the same as 'katterug' ('a cat's back')
Ik voelde me katterig [I felt like] I had a hangover (or the flu)
een hoge katterug a cat's [high] arched back
The -ISCH ending is pronounced as English EES (Dutch IES)
kritisch 2 (critical - comments) - komisch 2 (comical, funny) - logisch (logical) - medisch (medical) >>
- cynisch 2 (cynical) - elektrisch (electrical) >>
The IJ in the -LIJK ending 2 is pronounced as 'voiceless E'
vriendelijk (friendly, kind) - vrijelijk (freely, liberally) - belachelijk 2 ('laughable' - ridiculous) - natuurlijk ('naturally' - of course)
Dutch SCHR is pronounced as SR - the CH is dropped
schroef (screw) - schroeven (screws) - schrapen 2 (to scrape) - schril 2 (shrill)
Y-sound inserted: when diphthong UI is followed by a vowel a consonant-Y-sound (Dutch J) is put in-between
Listen closely to:
(het) luipaard (leopard) and (de) luiaard 2 3 (sloth // lazy person)
and lui (lazy // 'people, folks' ‑>>) and luie (lazy see below) and you'll hear a consonant-Y-sound (Dutch J) between the UI and the E but not when the UI is the end of the word or followed by a consonant.
(de) ui 2 3 4 / uien 'onion(s)'
(de) bui 2 / buien 2 'rainshower(s)' - (de) luier 2 3 (diaper/nappy)
You could say that there is already a faint Y-sound at the end of EI and IJ that becomes more pronounced when followed by a vowel:
(het) ei 2 / eieren 'egg(s)'
(de) kei 2 / keien 2 'rock(s), boulder(s)'
vrij 'free' - vrijdag 'Friday' - vrij / vrije 2 3 4 'free'
(de) bij / bijen 2 'bee(s)' - (de) dij / dijen 'thigh(s)'
There is something similar in the plural of (de) koe 'cow' / koeien 'cows' - koe / koeien 2 - but there a letter is written - and also in: vlo / vlooien 2 3 'flea(s)'
The single U in 'uw' is always long: 'Uw' ('your' - polite) sluw 2 (sly, cunning) - schuw (extremely shy) - ruw 2 (rough) - zwaluw (swallow - a bird) - schaduw (shadow)
W-sound inserted between U and following vowel
situatie (situation) - januari (January) - februari (February) - dualiteit (duality) - fluctuatie (fluctuation) - duel (duel) - suède 2 (suede) - minuet (minuet) - majestueus 2 (majestic) - actueel ('current, now important') - duo 2 (duo)
In a few words, the W is written, but it doesn't make a difference in pronunciation, compare: ritueel (ritual; a ritual) - fluweel (velvet) - juweel 2 (jewel)
There are many words from foreign languages with u-e that are pronounced differently, like for instance etiquette 2 3 - frequentie 2 3 (frequency) - kaasfondue 2 3 (cheese f) - queeste - guerilla 2
W before R is pronounced as V - WR is pronounced as VR
wrak (wreck) - scheepswrak (sunken, wrecked ship) - wrat 2 (wart) - wrijven 2 (to rub) - wrijving 2 (friction)

Plurals

kind/kinderen

weg / wegen

pad/paden

Most one-syllable words have an -EN ending:
wiel 2 / wielen (wheel/wheels)
hand / handen (hand/hands)

while most longer, modern words and words ending in a syllable with 'voiceless, unstressed E' ('schwa') have an -S ending:
koekje / koekjes (cookie/cookies)
vogel 2 / vogels 2 (bird/birds (think of: 'fowl')

When a word ends in a single or double vowel followed by a single consonant, adding an -E ending will cause spelling changes.
- In case of a single vowel, the consonant will be doubled.
- A double vowel will become a single vowel.
Because adding an -E (or -EN, -ER etc.) ending will move the last consonant of a word to the new syllable created by that ending.
- A previously double 'long' vowel will now be written as a single vowel, because it is now in an 'open' syllable. According to Dutch spelling/pronunciation rules, a single vowel in an 'open' syllable is 'long' - except E at the end of a word
- To keep a single vowel 'short' a previously single final consonant of the word will be doubled, leaving one at the end of the now before-last syllable and 'closing' it. Dutch spelling/pronunciation rules say a single vowel in a closed syllable is 'short.
See and hear the examples:
maan / manen (ma-nen) 'moons'
man / mannen (man-nen) - 'men')
vloot 2 / vloten (vlo-ten) 2 'fleets' (sets of ships)
vlot 2 3 / vlotten (vlot-ten) 2 3 rafts
Diphthongs (and IE) are always 'long,' so there is no need for a spelling change
boek / boeken (book/books)
dijk / dijken (levee, dike/levees)
duin / duinen (dune/dunes)
rivier / rivieren (river/rivers)
When adding an -E ending to words ending in more than one consonant, usually one or more are left to keep the syllable at the end of the original word 'closed,' so there are no vowel changes:
krant / kranten (newspaper/newspapers - think of: current events)
maand / maanden (month/months)
vuist / vuisten 2 (fist/fists)
Dutch words 'cannot' end in V or Z.
The Dutch mouth is not used to it. Words that have a root ending in V or Z will change it to F or S at the end of a word. (Some English words also have this F/V shift.)
hoef / hoeven 2 (hoof/hooves)
dief / dieven 2 (thief/thieves)
duif / duiven (dove, pigeon/doves)
huis / huizen (house/houses)
neus / neuzen 2 (nose/noses)
kaas 2 / kazen (cheese/cheeses)

Adjectives and Adverbs

an E ('voiceless, unstressed E' )

rood / rode	geel / gele	wit / witte 2 3	groen / groene	blauw / blauwe 2	bruin / bruine	paars / paarse	zwart / zwarte	grijs / grijze

A feature not explained above in plurals are endings in a syllable with 'voiceless E' (like -ER) or with that sound (like -IG and -LIJK.) 'Voiceless E' is not at risk of becoming 'long' or 'short' so there are no other spelling changes than adding the -E ending.
beter / betere (better) - ander / andere 2 (other) - donker / donkere (dark) - lekker / lekkere 2 (enjoyable - think of 'like')
mager / magere 2 (skinny, thin - think of: 'meager') - vriendelijk / vriendelijke (kind, friendly) - heilig / heilige (holy)

Much More:
Lesson 5 - Lesson 11 - Colors, Materials and Examples - A Collection of Adjectives and Adverbs Smartphone (with exercise)

Placeholders

English		it		that		what
'regular' Dutch		het 2 3 / 't		dat		wat

Ik spreek geen Nederlands ... 2 ... maar ik kan het wel verstaan 2 3	I don't speak Dutch ... ... but I do understand it ('het'/'it' = Dutch)
Ik heb het met veel plezier gelezen 2	I read it with great pleasure (it - a book that was mentioned before)
Het is te duur	It is too expensive (it - an item mentioned or looked at)
Ik zie het	I see it ('it' - the thing mentioned before)
Zeg dat het niet zo is	Say that it isn't so
Kunt U dat nog eens zeggen?	Could you please say that again?
Ik begrijp wat je bedoelt 2	I understand, see what you mean

But when there's a preposition directly involved with the placeholder, 'it' is almost always 'er,' - 'that' will be 'daar' and 'what' will be 'waar' in Dutch.

Ik zie het 2 3	I see (it)
'Ik kijk naar het' is not good Dutch. Instead:
Ik kijk ernaar 2 3	I'm looking at it
Dat wist ik niet 2	I didn't know that
'Van dat weet ik niks' is not good Dutch. Instead:
Daar weet ik niks van 2	I know nothing about that (either general knowledge or familiarity with an event or incident)
Wat ik dacht ... 2 3	What I was thinking ...
'Aan wat denk je?' is not good Dutch. Instead:
Waar denk je aan?	What are you thinking of? (about?)
Je moet 't zelf doen 2 3	You have to do it yourself
'Je moet wat aan het doen' is not good Dutch. Instead:
Je moet er wat aan doen 2 3 4	You should do something about it

- Overview

More Examples:	it	that	what
'regular'	het 2 3 / 't ‑>>	dat ‑>>	wat ‑>>
with prepostion	er ‑>>	daar ‑>>	waar ‑>>

'Nothing' is usually 'niks' ‑>> or the slightly more formal 'niets' ‑>> - and 'something' is iets ‑>> or wat ‑>> - but similar to the 'placeholders' above they change when used with a preposition, 'nothing' to 'nergens' 2 ‑>> (which ususally means 'nowhere' ‑>>) and 'something' to 'ergens' 2 ‑>> (which usually means 'somewhere' ‑>>)

Ik heb ergens gelezen dat ... 2 (3)	I read somewhere that ...
Hij woont ergens achteraf 2 3	He lives [somewhere remote] in the countryside
Je kunt nergens beter Nederlands horen 2	There is no place where you can hear better Dutch - You can't hear better Dutch anywhere
Als ik ergens een hekel aan heb is het aan leugens 2 3	If there is [something] one thing that I hate it is lies
't Lijkt nergens op 2	[It looks like nothing] It doesn't look good, it's a bad job

Verbs

See also: Smartphone Verbs Pages

The Verb Stem

The Simple Present

Personal Pronouns	Simple Present Model
(I ) ik (you - singular informal) jij / je (he ) hij (we ) wij / we (you - plural informal) jullie (they ) zij / ze (you - polite) U more about personal pronouns	ik STEM jij STEM+t hij STEM+t wij INFINITIVE (=STEM+en) jullie INFINITIVE (=STEM+en) zij INFINITIVE (=STEM+en) U STEM+t

example long vowel		example short vowel		example two consonants
vragen ik vraag jij vraagt hij vraagt wij vragen jullie vragen zij vragen U vraagt 2	(to ask) (I ask) (you ask) (he asks) (we ask) (you ask) (they ask) (you ask)	zeggen ik zeg jij zegt hij zegt wij zeggen jullie zeggen zij zeggen U zegt	(to say) (I say) (you say) (he says) (we say) (you say) (they say) (you say)	denken ik denk jij denkt hij denkt wij denken jullie denken zij denken U denkt	(to think) (I think) (you think) (he thinks) (we think) (you think) (they think) (you think)

Third person singular alternates zij / ze ('she') and het / 't ('it') will take the same endings as hij ('he.')

The Simple Past

• Strong verbs have a vowel change in the past tense - and often in the past participle too. A few strong verbs also have a consonant change. Many common verbs are 'strong.'
• Weak verbs don't have a vowel or consonant change. There are two types of weak verbs in Dutch:
• Verbs with stems ending in T, K, F, S, CH or P ('t kofschip-verbs) get -TE, -TEN and -T endings
• Verbs with stems ending in other letters get -DE, -DEN and -D endings

strong verb			strong verb			strong verb
vragen	to ask		zeggen	to say		denken	to think
vragen ik vroeg jij vroeg hij vroeg wij vroegen jullie vroegen zij vroegen U vroeg	(to ask) (I asked) (you asked) (he asked) (we asked) (you asked) (they asked) (you asked)		ik zei jij zei hij zei wij zeiden jullie zeiden zij zeiden U zei	(I said) (you said) (he said) (we said) (you said) (they said) (you said)		ik dacht jij dacht hij dacht wij dachten jullie dachten zij dachten U dacht 2	(I thought) (you thought) (he thought) (we thought) (you thought) (they thought) (you thought)

't kofschip verb			non-kofschip verb
hopen	to hope		halen	to get, bring in
ik hoopte jij hoopte hij hoopte wij hoopten jullie hoopten zij hoopten U hoopte	I hoped you hoped he hoped we hoped you hoped they hoped you hoped		ik haalde jij haalde hij haalde wij haalden jullie haalden zij haalden U haalde	I got you got he got we got you got they got you got

Hebben en Zijn - to Have and to Be

The most common verbs are often the most irregular.

hebben ik heb jij hebt hij heeft wij hebben jullie hebben zij hebben U heeft

(to have) (I have) (you have) (he has) (we have) (you have) (they have) (you have)

ik had jij had hij had wij hadden jullie hadden zij hadden U had

(I had) (you had) (he had) (we had) (you had) (they had) (you had)

zijn ik ben jij bent hij is wij zijn jullie zijn zij zijn U bent

(to be) (I am) (you are) (he is) (we are) (you are) (they are) (you are)

ik was jij was hij was wij waren jullie waren zij waren U was

(I was) (you were) (he was) (we were) (you were) (they were) (you were)

(you - singular) (you - plural) (you - polite)

Do note that the simple past tense of zijn (was/waren) has a 'short' A in the singular, but a 'long' A in the plural - almost all strong verbs with A in the past tense have that - hebben (had/hadden) is a rare exception.

The Perfect Tense

zijn

ik heb gehad I have had ik had gehad 2 I had had ik ben geweest I have been ik was geweest 2 I had been

ik heb gegeten I have eaten ik heb gedronken I have drunk ik ben gegaan I have gone

Ik ben naar Veenendaal gefietst 2	I rode a bike to Veenendaal
Ik heb een uur gefietst 2	I have ridden a bike for an hour

The Passive Voice

worden 2

active: Ik verf het huis passive: Het huis wordt geverfd passive: Het huis wordt door mij geverfd passive: Ik word geschopt door Jan passive: Hij werd gemarteld 2

I'm painting the house The house is being painted The house is being painted by me I am kicked by John He was tortured

ik word jij wordt hij wordt wij worden jullie worden zij worden U wordt

(I am) (you are) (he is) (we are) (you are) (they are) (you are)

word ik? word jij? wordt hij? worden wij? worden jullie? worden zij? wordt U?

(am I?) (are you?) (is he?) (are we?) (are you?) (are they?) (are you?)

ik werd jij werd hij werd wij werden jullie werden zij werden U werd

(I was) (you were) (he was) (we were) (you were) (they were) (you were)

(you - singular, informal) (you - plural, informal) (you - polite)

ik word 2

hij wordt 2

ik heb geschopt	I have kicked
ik ben geschopt geworden 2	I have been kicked
Ik word gevraagd 2	I am asked (to do something)
Ik werd gevraagd 2	I was asked (to do something)
Ik heb gevraagd 2	I have asked - I have put a question
Ik ben gevraagd geworden 2	I have been asked - to perform a task, or fill a position or job
Hij wordt gemarteld 2	He is (being) tortured (at this moment)
Hij werd gemarteld 2	He was tortured
Hij is gemarteld geworden 2	He has been tortured
Ik ben teleurgesteld geworden 2 3	I am disappointed, I have been disappointed (by something)
Ik heb teleurgesteld 2 3	I have disappointed (people) - this is not a good line by itself, the people disappointed or the reason needs to be included
Er worden fouten gemaakt 2	Mistakes are made
Er is een fout gemaakt geworden 2 3	A mistake was made
Ik heb gegeten	I have eaten
The ghost of a cow or pig could say:
Ik ben gegeten geworden	I was eaten

't Wordt donker	It is getting dark
Wat is er van hem geworden? 2	Whatever became of him?

Much More about The Passive Voice: Lesson 13 - Dutch Verbs

The Continuous

For instance:	't regent 2	'it is raining'
	't regende 2	'it was raining'

The Future Tense

ik zal jij zult hij zal wij zullen jullie zullen zij zullen U zult	(I will/shall) (you will) (he will) (we will/shall) (you will) (they will) (you will)	zal ik? zul jij? zal hij? zullen wij? zullen jullie? zullen zij? zult U?	(will/shall I?) (will you?) (will he?) (will/shall we?) (will you?) (will they?) (will you?)	ik zou jij zou hij zou wij zouden jullie zouden zij zouden U zou	(I would) (you would) (he would) (we would) (you would) (they would) (you would)
ik ga jij gaat hij gaat wij gaan jullie gaan zij gaan U gaat	(I go) (you go) (he goes) (we go) (you go) (they go) (you go)	ga ik? ga jij? gaat hij? gaan wij? gaan jullie? gaan zij? gaat U?	(do I go ?) (do you go ?) (does he go ?) (do we go?) (do you go ?) (do they go ?) (do you go?)	ik ging jij ging hij ging wij gingen jullie gingen zij gingen U ging 2	I went you went he went we went you went they went you went

Ik zal opschieten 2	I'll hurry
We zullen wel zien 2	We'll see
Hoe zal 't aflopen?	How will it end?
Zullen we gaan zwemmen?	Shall we go [swim] for a swim?
Wat zou U aanraden? 2 3	What would you recommend?
Niet wat je zou verwachten	Not what you'd expect
Wat zou er gebeuren? 2	What would happen?
Het gaat regenen	It's going to rain
Hij gaat 't proberen	He's going to try [it]
Morgen gaat hij naar Den Haag 2	Tomorrow he's going to The Hague

Suggestions, Commands

Luister! 2	Listen!
Vraag niet waarom	Don't ask why
Zeg het voort 2	[Say it forth] Pass it on (the message)
Breng 't aan de kook 2 3	Bring it to a boil
Laat 't twintig minuten koken 2 3	[Let it boil] Keep it boiling for 20 minutes
Kook de aardappels zeventien minuten	Boil the potatoes for 17 minutes

Splitting Verbs

optillen to lift

-

ik til op I lift

-

wij tillen op we lift

-

ik tilde op I lifted

-

wij tilden op we lifted

-

ik heb opgetild >> I have lifted

The Question Mode - Questions and The Second Person Singular

't Is koud It's cold Is 't koud? 2 Is it cold? Is er genoeg brood? 2 3 Is there enough bread? Er is genoeg brood 2 There is enough bread

Ben je ziek? 2 Are you sick? Ik ben ziek 2 3 I'm sick Ik ben niet ziek 2 3 I'm not sick

In English, turning around verb and subject only 'works' with a few verbs like 'to be' (most other verbs use 'to do' as an auxiliary) - but in Dutch you can do this with all verbs.

Zie je 't verschil? 2 3	Do you see the difference?
Hoor je hoe stil 't is? 2	Do you hear how quiet it is?
Ga jij? 2	[Go you?] Are you going? (Like, to an event)
Ga je mee?	Are you coming along? (with us, with me)
Ga je weg? 2	Are you [going away] leaving?
Heb je een auto?	Do you have a car?
Schijnt de zon?	Is the sun shining?
Regent 't?	Is it raining?
Schijnt de zon of regent 't?	Does the sun shine or is it raining?
De zon ging onder 2 3	The sun went down
Ging de zon onder? 2	Did the sun go donw?

Wat zeg je? 2 3	What [do] did you say? (informal) - (Dutch uses the present tense)
Wat denk jij d'r van? 2	What do you think of it?

Word Order

See also: Differences between Dutch and English Word Order (another approach)

Simple Sentences: Subject and Verb

Zij zingt. She sings. De trein vertrok. 2 The train left.		Het concert begon. The concert started. Varkens knorren. Pigs oink.
Note again that Dutch often uses just one verb where English uses the Continuous (.. is verb-ing ...)
De zon schijnt. The sun [shines] is shining.		De wind waait. A wind is blowing.
More Simple Sentences: Lesson 13 - Word Order - A Dutch Continuous: Lesson 15 - Dutch Verbs

Adding a Complement

't Regende hard. It was raining hard. Hij is oud. He is old. 't Was koud. It was cold. 't Werd koud. It [became] turned cold.	De koffie is klaar. Coffee is ready. 't Is dringend. 2 It's urgent. Zij zingt mooi. She sings beautifully. Het duurt lang. It takes [long] a long time.
More Examples: Lesson 13 - Word Order

Adding an Object

Ik zei: "Nee." I said: "No." Hij schopt de bal. He kicks the ball. Ik hoor een vliegtuig. I hear a plane. Zij leest een boek. She [reads] is reading a book. Hij eet een appel. He [eats] is eating an apple. Tijd is geld. 2 Time is money.

Hij drinkt bier. He [drinks] is drinking beer. Hij drinkt een kopje thee. He [drinks] is having a cup of tea. Zij is een zangeres. She is a [lady] singer. Hij speelt gitaar. He plays the guitar. Ik heb hoofdpijn. I have a headache.

The Indirect Object

(geven 2),

(zeggen )

(vertellen ),

Jan geeft Piet een boek.	Jan gives Piet a book.
Karel geeft Elly een ring.	Karel gives [Elly a ring] a ring to Elly. (ring for finger)
Het is mij een genoegen ....	[It is a pleasure to me ...] It is with pleasure that I ...
Het geeft de mensen hoop.	It gives the people hope.
Ik vertel je de waarheid.	I'm telling you the truth.
Ik geef Marietje bloemen.	I'm giving Marietje flowers.

It may be easier and reduce confusion to use prepositions like 'to' (aan ) or 'for' (voor 2) - and both Dutch and English place it after the direct object.

Jan geeft een boek aan Piet.	Jan gives a book to Piet.
Ik geef bloemen aan Marietje.	I'm giving flowers to Marietje.
Zij zingen een lied voor mij. 2	They are singing a song for me.

Combining Complement and Object

Hij schopt de bal hard.	He kicks the ball hard.
Hij schopt de bal heel hard.	He kicks the ball very hard.
Hij verft het houten huis wit. 2	He is painting the wooden house white.
Honger maakt rauwe bonen zoet. 2 3	Hunger makes raw beans [taste] sweet.
Ik kende die mensen goed. 2	I knew those people well.
Hij verfde het huis snel. 2	He painted the house quickly.
Je spreekt goed Nederlands. 2	You speak Dutch well.
Hij speelt heel goed gitaar. 2	He plays the guitar very well.
Hij drinkt snel een biertje. 2	He is quickly drinking a beer.
Ik gaf haar snel een knipoogje.	I quickly [gave her a wink] winked at her.
Hij vertelde ons snel een paar mopjes. 2	He quickly told us a few jokes.

Negative Statements

't Regent. 2 3	It is raining.
't Regent hard. 2	It is raining hard.
't Regent niet.	It is not raining.
Je kon heel ver zien.	You could see [very far] for miles.
Je kon niet ver zien.	[You couldn't see far] Visibility was low.
Er zijn groene tomaten.	There are green tomatoes.
Er zijn geen tomaten. 2	There are no tomatoes.
Er zijn geen bergen in Nederland.	There are no mountains in Holland.
Ik heb geen ontbijt gehad. 2	I [had no breakfast] did not have breakfast.

Wel is sometimes used to amplify a positive - often translated in English with 'to do'

Er zijn geen bananen. There are no bananas. Er zijn wel sinaasappels. [But] we do have oranges.

Ik heb 't niet gedaan 'I didn't do it' Ik heb 't wel gedaan 'I did do it'

Secondary Verbs at the End of the Sentence

Hij gaat het proberen.	He's going to try [it.]
't Had erger kunnen zijn. 2	It could have been worse.
We hebben de oorlog gewonnen.	We have won the war.
Ik heb het raam opengedaan.	I have opened the window.
Jan heeft Piet een boek gegeven.	Jan has given Piet a book.
Ik was 't helemaal vergeten.	I had forgotten all about it
Ik heb al m'n boeken verkocht. 2	I have sold all my books.
Jan heeft een boek aan Piet gegeven. 2	Jan has given a book to Piet.
Het brood is niet goed gerezen. 2	The bread didn't rise [well] properly.
Ik heb een paar jaar pianoles gehad.	I have had piano lessons for a [couple of] few years.
Je kunt nog even blijven liggen. slow	You can [remain lying down] stay in bed for a little longer.
Ik had willen blijven liggen. 2 3	I would have liked to [remain lying down] stay in bed.
Ik wil niks verloren laten gaan. 2	[I want nothing go to get lost] I don't want anything to go to waste.
Ik heb moeten leren improviseren. 2	I've had to learn [to improvise] improvisation.

Time and Place

Het regende gisteren. It was raining yesterday. 't Is koud buiten. It's cold outside. Ik heb thuis gegeten. I [have eaten] had dinner at home. Ik was gisteren ziek. I was sick yesterday. Ik was gisteren bij de tandarts. I was at the dentist yesterday. Ik ga morgen naar de kapper. I'm going [to the barber] to get a haircut tomorrow. We gaan morgen voetballen. We'll play soccer tomorrow. We gaan overmorgen op reis We will [go on a journey] travel the day after tomorrow. Ik ga morgen bij m'n moeder eten. I'll have dinner at my mother's house tomorrow. Het heeft gisteren in Nederland geregend. Yesterday it rained in Holland. Het heeft gisteren geregend in Nederland. 2 Yesterday it rained in Holland. Het heeft gisteren in Nederland hard geregend. Yesterday it rained hard in Holland. Hij heeft gisteren in Almelo een fiets gekocht. He's bought a bike in Almelo yesterday.

More Examples: Word Order

Questions, Commands and Suggestions

Heb je genoeg gedronken? 2 Did you drink enough? Heb je lekker gegeten? Did you eat well, did you enjoy your meal? Heb je 't leuk gehad? Did you enjoy yourself, did you have a good time? Gaat 't hard regenen? Is it going to rain hard? More Questions: Lesson 13 - Lesson 14 - Word Order Ga meteen je huiswerk maken. Do your homework right away. Moet je niet doen! [Don't do that!] Not a good idea to do that. (Je moet stil zijn. You have to be quiet. >>) More Commands and Suggestions: Lesson 14 - Word Order

Query Words

Query Words:	Wie 2 (Who)	-	Wat (What)	-	Waar (Where)
	Wanneer (When)	-	Hoe (How)	-	Waarom 2 (Why)

Wie heeft de wedstrijd gewonnen? Who has won the match? Wie zal dat betalen? 2 Who [will] is going to pay for that? Wat is dat? What's that? Wat is er aan de hand? What's [~on hand] going on? Waar is de uitgang? Where is the exit? Hoe heb je dat gedaan? How did you do that? Hoe is 't afgelopen? Hoe zal 't aflopen? How did it end? How will it end? Waarom ben je boos? Why are you angry? Waarom zijn de bananen krom? 2 Why are bananas not straight? (a rhetorical question)

More Examples: Lesson 14 - Word Order

The Sentence after A Statement of Time, Place or a Condition

Compare the place of the verb and the subject in the following Dutch and English lines:

Het is donker. 2	It is dark.
's Nachts is het donker. 2	At night it is dark.
Het werd donker.	It [became] got dark.
En toen werd het donker. 2	And then it got dark.
De zon ging onder. 2 3	The sun went down.
's Avonds ging de zon onder. 2	In the evening, the sun went down.
Nederland werd een koninkrijk in 1813.	Holland became a kingdom in 1813.
In 1813 werd Nederland een koninkrijk.	In 1813 Holland became a kingdom.
Het is vaak bewolkt in Nederland.	It's often overcast in Holland.
In Nederland is het vaak bewolkt.	In Holland, it's often overcast.
M'n vader was tweeëndertig toen de oorlog begon.	My Dad was 32 when the war started.
Toen de oorlog begon was m'n vader tweeëndertig.	When the war started, my Dad was 32.

Problematic 'Sub-Sentences' (Subordinate Clauses)

als

omdat

Condition Words ('Conjunctions'?)		als ('if, when') omdat ('because') wanneer ('when' - indicating condition) toen 2 ('when' - indicating time) waar ('where')		hoe ('how') wie 2 ('who') wat ('what') tenzij 2 ('unless') alsof ('as if')

't Regent.	It's raining.
't Regent hard. 2	There's a heavy rain.
Ik blijf thuis. 2 3	I'm staying home.
Als 't regent wordt de wedstrijd afgelast.	If it rains the game will be canceled.
Als 't hard regent blijf ik thuis. 2	If there's heavy rain I'll stay home.
Ik eet vis. 2	I'm [eating] having fish.
Je moet wat drinken. 2	You should drink something.
Als je vis eet moet je ook wat drinken. 2	When you're having fish, you should also drink something.
Het werd donker.	It [became] turned dark.
We gingen naar huis. 2	We went home.
't Was donker.	It was dark.
Toen het donker werd gingen we naar huis.	When it got dark we went home.
We gingen naar huis toen het donker werd. 2	We went home when it got dark.
Toen we naar huis gingen was het donker. 2	When we went home it was dark.

stoplicht 2

rood red oranje orange groen green

Het licht is rood. 2	The light is red.
Het licht wordt groen. 2	The light is turning green.
Als het licht rood is moet je stoppen. 2	When the light is red you have to stop.
Als het licht rood wordt moet je stoppen. 2	When the light turns red you have to stop.
Als het licht groen is mag je doorrijden. 2	When the light is green you may drive on.
Toen het licht groen werd reden we weg. 2	When the light turned green we drove off.
Sometimes you can make your Dutch life easier by just using an 'and' sentence.
Het licht werd groen en we reden weg. 2	The light turned green and we drove off.

'That' Problem

Dat boek zegt dat hij dat gedaan heeft.

2 3

That book says that he did that.

Het is te laat	It is too late.
Ik denk dat het te laat is.	I think it's too late.
Er is niet genoeg tijd.	There is not enough time.
Ze zeggen dat er niet genoeg tijd is.	They say there's not enough time.
Het is mooi weer.	It's nice weather.
Ik ben blij dat het mooi weer is.	I'm glad the weather is nice.
Ik ben blij dat de zon schijnt.	I am glad that the sun is shining.
Ik ben blij als de zon schijnt.	I am happy when the sun is shining.
Wie is hij? 2	Who is he?
Weet jij wie hij is?	Do you know who he is?
Ik weet niet wie hij is.	I don't know who he is.
Waar is de sleutel? 2 3	Where is the key?
Weet jij waar de sleutel is? 2	Do you know where the key is?
Hoe werkt 't? 2	How does it work?
Ik begrijp niet hoe het werkt. 2	I don't understand how it works.
Ik ben bang dat de avocado's nog niet rijp zijn. 2	I'm afraid [that] the avocados are not ripe yet.
Ik ben bang dat het nog niet klaar is.	I'm afraid [that] it is not ready yet.
Ik weet niet wat de oorzaak is.	I don't know [what the cause is] what's causing it.
Ik weet niet wat de reden is.	I don't know what the reason is.
Ik kan niet zien waar het lekt.	I can't see where [it's leaking] the leak is.
More Examples: Word Order

Secondary Verbs in Sub-Sentences

If the secondary verb in lines like this is a past participle, Dutchmen often place the working verb after it - but it is not wrong to follow the general rule and place the working verb before the past participle.
If the secondary verb is an infinitive, or if there is a series of infinitives, the active verb is always placed before them, following the general rule.

condition word subject (complement) (object) past participle / working verb
Het heeft vannacht geregend. 2	It rained last night.
Ik ben blij dat het vannacht geregend heeft. 2	I am glad that it rained last night.
Ik ben blij dat je gekomen bent. 2 3	I'm glad that you have come.
Hij denkt dat ik het gedroomd heb. 2	He thinks (that) I [dreamed it] saw it in a dream.
Ik was kwaad omdat ik weer voor m'n rijexamen gezakt was. 2	I was angry because I failed the driving test again.
Ze bleven een week in Delft ...	They stayed in Delft for a week ...
... want er was zoveel te zien 2 ... omdat er zoveel te zien was	... because there was so much to see
condition word subject (complement) (object) working verb infinitive or infinitives
Het was niet wat hij wilde horen.	It was not what he wanted to hear.
Zij denkt dat het nog gaat gebeuren.	She thinks (that) it's still going to happen.
Het weerbericht zegt dat het morgen gaat regenen.	The weather report says it's going to rain tomorrow.
Hij zei dat ik het aan Jan moest geven	He said I should give it to Jan.
Er is geen reden waarom hij niet zou kunnen winnen.	There's no reason why he [shouldn't be able to] couldn't win.
Als ik jou was zou ik niet gaan.	If I were you I wouldn't go.

- Continue to Common Problems in Dutch