Build the sentence frame

Sentence order and inversion

In a main clause, the finite verb takes position two. The subject usually comes first. Put time, place, or another element first for emphasis and the subject moves behind the finite verb.

first elementfinite verbsubject + middleother verbs

Ik lees vandaag het boek.: I am reading the book today.
Vandaag lees ik het boek.: Today I am reading the book.
In Utrecht werkt mijn zus.: My sister works in Utrecht.
Ik heb vanmorgen koffie gedronken.: I drank coffee this morning.
We willen morgen vroeg vertrekken.: We want to leave early tomorrow.

Memory cue: Dutch makes a verb bracket. Finite verb opens the frame; infinitive, participle, or separable part often closes it.

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Learn article with noun

Nouns, articles, plurals, and diminutives

Singular nouns take de or het; plural nouns always take de. Learn noun and article together. Most plurals use -en or -s, with spelling changes needed to preserve the sound. Diminutives end in a form of -je and are always het words.

de tafel → de tafels: the table → the tables
het boek → de boeken: the book → the books
de stad → de steden: the city → the cities
het huis → het huisje: the house → the little house
de boom → het boompje: the tree → the little tree
Ik koop een appel.: I am buying an apple.

Useful tendencies, not perfect rules: people are usually de; languages, metals, and diminutives are usually or always het. Check uncertain nouns in a dictionary.

Practice nouns Practice numbers

Small words, big workload

Pronouns

Subject forms do the action; object forms receive it. Unstressed spoken forms such as je, ze, and 'm are common. Use full forms for contrast. U is polite; jij/je is normal with friends, family, and many colleagues.

Subject	Object	Possessive
ik	mij / me	mijn
jij / je	jou / je	jouw / je
u	u	uw
hij / zij / het	hem / haar / het	zijn / haar
wij / we	ons	ons / onze
jullie / zij / ze	jullie / hen / hun / ze	jullie / hun

Ze belt me morgen.: She will call me tomorrow.
Dat boek is van hem.: That book is his.
Ik geef hun de sleutel.: I give them the key.
Ik zie hen bij het station.: I see them at the station.

Formal writing distinguishes hun as indirect object and hen as direct object or after a preposition. Everyday speech often varies.

Demonstrative and reflexive pronouns

Use deze and die with de words or plurals, and dit and dat with singular het words. The forms with deze/dit usually point nearby; die/dat usually point farther away. Reflexive verbs refer back to the subject: ik uses me, jij/jullie use je, hij/zij use zich, and wij uses ons. Learn the pronoun as part of the verb pattern.

deze fiets · die fiets: this bicycle · that bicycle
dit boek · dat boek: this book · that book
Deze schoenen zijn nieuw.: These shoes are new.
Hij wast zich.: He washes himself.
Ik vergis me soms.: I am sometimes mistaken.

Practice pronouns and function words

Anchor every clause

Verbs: present, past, perfect, future, modals, separable forms

Present

Use the stem for ik, stem + t for jij/hij/zij, and the infinitive for plurals. After inversion, jij loses its added -t.

Ik werk thuis.: I work at home.
Jij werkt thuis. Werk jij thuis?: You work at home. Do you work at home?
Wij werken thuis.: We work at home.
Hij is moe, maar hij heeft tijd.: He is tired, but he has time.

Past and perfect

Weak past verbs take -te(n) after a voiceless final sound (remember 't kofschip, including x) and otherwise -de(n). Strong verbs change vowel and must be learned. The perfect uses hebben or, with many changes of place/state, zijn plus a participle.

Ik werkte gisteren.: I worked yesterday.
We woonden in Leiden.: We lived in Leiden.
Zij ging vroeg naar huis.: She went home early.
Ik heb de film gezien.: I have seen the film.
Hij is naar Amsterdam gegaan.: He went to Amsterdam.

Future and modal verbs

Present tense often expresses a scheduled future. Gaan + infinitive expresses a plan; zullen + infinitive can express a prediction, promise, or proposal. Modal verbs send the main infinitive to the end.

Morgen vertrek ik om acht uur.: Tomorrow I leave at eight.
We gaan vanavond koken.: We are going to cook tonight.
Het zal morgen regenen.: It will rain tomorrow.
Kun je me helpen?: Can you help me?
Ik moet nu weggaan.: I have to leave now.

Separable verbs

In a main clause, the stressed prefix moves to the end. In an infinitive it stays attached; in a participle, ge usually sits between prefix and stem.

Ik bel mijn moeder op.: I call my mother.
Ik wil mijn moeder opbellen.: I want to call my mother.
Ik heb mijn moeder opgebeld.: I called my mother.

Participles of inseparable verbs beginning with be-, ge-, her-, ont-, ver- usually have no extra ge-: betaald, verteld, ontdekt.

Practice verbs

Choose what you negate

Niet and geen

Use geen before an indefinite noun: it replaces een or an absent article. Use niet for verbs, adjectives, definite nouns, prepositional phrases, and most other negation. Niet usually comes after the middle-field object but before a final prepositional phrase or verb.

Ik heb geen auto.: I do not have a car.
Wij drinken geen koffie.: We do not drink coffee.
De koffie is niet warm.: The coffee is not warm.
Ik ken die man niet.: I do not know that man.
Hij gaat niet met de trein.: He is not going by train.

Contrast changes placement: Niet Jan, maar Sara komt — not Jan, but Sara is coming.

Practice grammar words

Move the finite verb

Questions

Yes/no questions begin with the finite verb. An information question begins with a question word, then the finite verb, then the subject. When the question word itself is the subject, no extra subject follows.

Kom je morgen?: Are you coming tomorrow?
Waar woon je?: Where do you live?
Waarom leert zij Nederlands?: Why is she learning Dutch?
Wie belt er?: Who is calling?
Hoe laat begint de les?: What time does the lesson start?

Practice question words Practice numbers

Describe without overthinking

Adjectives and adverbs

An adjective before a noun usually gets -e. Main exception: an indefinite singular het noun has no -e. After verbs such as zijn and worden, the adjective has no ending. Adverbs use the same bare form.

de rode fiets: the red bicycle
een rode fiets: a red bicycle
het mooie huis: the beautiful house
een mooi huis: a beautiful house
Het huis is mooi.: The house is beautiful.
Zij praat rustig.: She speaks calmly.

Comparison normally uses -er and -st: klein, kleiner, kleinst. Common irregular forms include goed, beter, best and veel, meer, meest.

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Learn them inside phrases

Prepositions

Dutch prepositions rarely map one-to-one to English. Copy useful combinations as complete chunks. For movement, naar often means toward a place; in/op/bij often describe location. Time expressions use their own patterns.

Ik ga naar school.: I am going to school.
Het boek ligt op tafel.: The book is on the table.
Ze woont bij haar ouders.: She lives with/near her parents.
We reizen met de trein.: We travel by train.
De winkel sluit om zes uur.: The shop closes at six.
Ik werk sinds maandag thuis.: I have worked at home since Monday.

Location verbs matter: something stationary usually staat, ligt, or zit somewhere; placing it uses zetten, leggen, or stoppen.

Practice function words Practice time words

Know which bridge moves the verb

Conjunctions and subordinate clauses

Coordinating conjunctions such as en, maar, want, and of join main clauses without changing their order. Subordinators such as omdat, als, dat, terwijl, and hoewel send the finite verb toward the end of their clause.

conjunctionsubject + middleverb group

Ik blijf thuis, want ik ben moe.: I am staying home because I am tired.
Ik blijf thuis omdat ik moe ben.: I am staying home because I am tired.
Als het regent, neem ik de bus.: If it rains, I take the bus.
Ze zegt dat ze morgen komt.: She says that she is coming tomorrow.
Hoewel hij ziek is, werkt hij.: Although he is ill, he works.
Ik leer Nederlands om hier te werken.: I learn Dutch in order to work here.

A subordinate clause placed first counts as position one, so the following main clause uses inversion: Als ik tijd heb, bel ik je.

Practice conjunctions

Four jobs, one tiny word

Practical er

Learn er by job, not by one English translation. It can point to a place, introduce something, replace a noun after a number, or combine with a preposition to mean “of/about/on it.” It normally sits near the finite verb.

PlaceIk woon er al vijf jaar.I have lived there for five years.

ExistenceEr staat een fiets buiten.There is a bicycle outside.

QuantityIk heb drie boeken. Zij heeft er twee.I have three books. She has two.

PrepositionWe praten erover.We are talking about it.

Is er nog koffie?: Is there any coffee left?
Ik denk er vaak aan.: I often think about it.
Hoeveel wil je er?: How many do you want?

With things, Dutch often uses er + preposition, not a personal pronoun: Ik wacht erop (I am waiting for it). For people: Ik wacht op hem/haar.

Practice grammar function words

Trust and limits

Sources and review

Core descriptions were checked against Dutch Language Institute and Dutch Language Union resources. Grammar describes living usage; spelling rules and usage recommendations can change.

Review status: first Dutch slice internally checked 12 August 2026. External linguist review remains pending. Use cited sources for edge cases and formal editorial decisions.

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