Grammar
How Dutch sentences work — nouns, verbs, word order and all the small words in between.
Nouns & articles 8
De or het? How to choose the right Dutch article
De or het? Learn the reliable rules, useful patterns and honest exceptions for choosing the right Dutch article, plus how it affects die/dat and deze/dit.
When Dutch uses no article: Ik ben leraar, naar huis, met de trein
When does Dutch drop de, het and een? Professions, general statements, languages and fixed expressions, plus een vs één and geen.
Deze, die, dit, dat: Dutch demonstratives explained
Learn when to use deze, die, dit and dat in Dutch, how they work as pronouns, why Dutch says 'Dit zijn mijn kinderen', plus zo'n and zulke.
Hij, zij or het? Referring to things in Dutch
How to say 'it' in Dutch. When a thing is hij, het or ze, the old feminine words that take zij, and how die, dat and er help you out.
Dutch plurals explained, -en or -s?
Learn how to make Dutch plurals with -en, -s and -'s, the spelling changes that trip learners up, and the irregular plurals worth memorising.
Dutch diminutives (verkleinwoorden) and why they're everywhere
How to form Dutch diminutives with -je, -tje, -pje, -etje and -kje, why they're always het, and what een biertje or een ijsje really means.
Dutch compound nouns: how to build and read long words
Why Dutch writes compounds as one word, how the last part decides de or het, when to add -s- or -en-, and how to break down very long words.
Dutch word formation: suffixes and prefixes explained
Learn how Dutch builds words with suffixes like -heid, -ing and -baar and prefixes like on-, be- and ver-, and use them to guess meanings and articles.
Verbs & tenses 20
Dutch verb conjugation: the complete overview
How Dutch verbs are conjugated in every tense, with clear rules for stems, endings, weak and strong verbs, participles and u forms, plus full tables.
Dutch verb tenses: an overview of all eight tenses
All Dutch tenses in one place, from present to past conditional, with full examples for werken and gaan and clear rules for when to use each one.
The Dutch present tense and its spelling rules
Learn how to conjugate Dutch verbs in the present tense, the spelling rules behind maak, zit and leef, the key irregular verbs, and when to use it.
The Dutch perfect tense (voltooide tijd) explained
Learn the Dutch perfect tense - hebben or zijn, regular participles with 't kofschip, prefix and separable verbs, and 25 common irregular participles.
The Dutch simple past: werkte, woonde, ging and was
Learn the Dutch simple past: the 't kofschip rule for -te or -de, 25 common strong verbs, and when to use it instead of the perfect.
The Dutch future tense: gaan, zullen or just the present?
Learn the four ways to talk about the future in Dutch, from the present tense and gaan to zullen and van plan zijn, plus the future perfect.
'If I had known' in Dutch: the past conditional
Learn the Dutch past conditional: Als ik het had geweten, zou ik zijn gekomen or was ik gekomen, plus 'had ik maar' and 'ik had moeten'.
Dutch irregular verbs list: nearly 80 strong and irregular verbs
A complete reference of common Dutch irregular verbs with past tense, past participle, hebben or zijn, and English, grouped by vowel pattern.
Dutch modal verbs: kunnen, moeten, mogen, willen and zullen
Learn the Dutch modal verbs kunnen, moeten, mogen, willen, zullen and hoeven, with full conjugation tables, word order and polite requests.
Dutch separable verbs (scheidbare werkwoorden) made easy
How Dutch separable verbs like opbellen and opstaan work in every tense, in subordinate clauses, with modals and te, plus 20 common ones.
Separable or inseparable? Dutch verbs where stress changes the meaning
VOORkomen or voorKOMEN? Learn how stress decides whether a Dutch verb separates, which prefixes never split, and how to form each participle.
Dutch reflexive verbs: zich, me, je and zichzelf
Learn Dutch reflexive verbs like zich vergissen and zich voelen, the zich forms, word order, when to use zichzelf, and 20 verbs to know.
Te + infinitive in Dutch: proberen te, om te and zitten te
When Dutch uses te before an infinitive, when it doesn't, how om … te works, and where te goes with separable verbs like opstaan.
The Dutch passive voice: worden, zijn and er wordt
How to form the Dutch passive with worden and zijn in every tense, when to use door, how er wordt gedanst works, and when Dutch prefers it.
The Dutch imperative: how to give instructions and make requests
Learn how to form the Dutch imperative, make it polite with u, even and maar, say don't, and read signs like Niet roken and Duwen.
Dutch verbs with prepositions: wachten op, denken aan and 28 more
Learn 30 Dutch verbs and adjectives with fixed prepositions, like wachten op and houden van, plus how erop, daarop and waarop work.
Zien, horen and laten + infinitive: Ik zie hem lopen
How Dutch uses a bare infinitive after zien, horen, voelen, laten, helpen and leren, and why the perfect is 'Ik heb hem zien lopen'.
The Dutch present participle: lopend, slapend, volgend
How to form and use the Dutch present participle (-end), as an adjective and adverb, and why it's not the same as English -ing.
Participles as adjectives in Dutch: een gekookt ei, het gestolen geld
How to use Dutch past participles as adjectives, when they take -e, why gestolen never changes, and the difference between verbaasd and verbazend.
Dutch verb prefixes: be-, ver-, ont-, op-, af-, uit- and more
What Dutch verb prefixes mean. Inseparable be-, ver-, ont-, her-, er- and separable op-, af-, aan-, uit-, mee-, terug-, weg-, with patterns and examples.
Word order & sentences 12
Dutch word order explained: V2, inversion and the verb at the end
Dutch word order made simple: the verb-second rule, inversion, questions, verbs at the end of subordinate clauses, and time-manner-place.
Dutch sentence types, statements, questions, commands and exclamations
How Dutch builds statements, yes/no questions, question-word questions, commands, exclamations and if-sentences, with one clear word-order table.
Time, manner, place: Dutch word order in the middle of the sentence
Learn the Dutch time-manner-place rule, where to put niet, pronouns and adverbs like altijd and al, and what you can put first in a sentence.
Dutch verb clusters, when several verbs pile up at the end
Learn how Dutch orders two, three or more verbs at the end of a clause, with the double infinitive, te-verbs and separable verbs explained.
Asking questions in Dutch: word order, question words and more
Learn how to ask questions in Dutch, with yes/no questions, all the question words, waar...vandaan, tag questions like toch and hè, and indirect questions.
Niet or geen? How to say "not" and "no" in Dutch
When to use niet and when to use geen in Dutch, where niet goes in the sentence, common mistakes, and nog niet, nog geen, niet meer and geen meer.
Where does niet go? The position of niet in Dutch
The complete system for placing niet in a Dutch sentence, with clear rules for objects, adjectives, prepositions, verbs, contrast and subordinate clauses.
Dutch negation words: nooit, niemand, niets, nergens and more
All the Dutch words for saying no, from niet and geen to nooit, niemand, niets, nergens, noch and geen enkel, plus why Dutch avoids double negatives.
Dummy het in Dutch: het regent, het is laat, het zijn mijn ouders
When Dutch uses het as an empty subject, for weather, time, 'het zijn' and clauses, and how het differs from er and dat. With clear rules and examples.
Dutch conjunctions: en, maar, want, omdat, als and toen
Learn the Dutch conjunctions and the word order they trigger, from en, maar and want to omdat, dat and terwijl, plus when to use als, wanneer or toen.
Dutch linking words: daarom, bovendien, echter, namelijk and more
Connect your sentences like a native with Dutch linking words such as daarom, dus, bovendien, toch and namelijk, and learn when they cause inversion.
Dutch relative pronouns: die, dat, wat, wie and waar
When to use die, dat, wat, wie and waarmee in Dutch relative clauses, with clear rules, word order, commas and plenty of examples.
Pronouns & small words 8
Dutch personal pronouns: ik, jij, hij, zij and all the rest
All Dutch personal pronouns in one table, with stressed and unstressed forms, object, possessive and reflexive forms, plus hij vs het for things.
Dutch object pronouns: me, mij, hem, haar, hen and hun
Learn the Dutch object pronouns, when to use stressed or unstressed forms, the hen/hun rule, and why a de-word thing becomes hem.
Dutch possessive pronouns: mijn, jouw, zijn, haar, ons and onze
Learn the Dutch possessives mijn, jouw, zijn, haar, ons/onze and hun, how to say 'mine' with die van mij, and how to write Annes or Anna's.
Iemand, iets, iedereen, alles and more Dutch indefinite pronouns
Learn iemand, niemand, iets, niets, alles, iedereen, elk/elke, sommige, beide, ergens and overal in Dutch, with agreement rules and examples.
Je, jij, u or jullie? Formal and informal 'you' in Dutch
When do you say je, jij, u or jullie in Dutch? Learn the forms, the verb endings, the possessives and when to switch from u to je.
The Dutch word 'er' explained: all its uses
Er is one of the most common Dutch words and one of the most confusing. Learn its five uses, with clear examples and where to put it in the sentence.
Al, nog and pas in Dutch, already, still, yet and only
Learn how to use the Dutch words al, nog, pas, nog niet, niet meer, nog steeds and nog maar, with clear contrasts and everyday examples.
Dutch modal particles: maar, even, toch, wel, hoor and more
Learn how small Dutch words like maar, even, eens, toch, wel, hoor and hè change the tone of a sentence, with real-life examples and tips on register.
Adjectives, adverbs & prepositions 10
Dutch adjective endings and when to add -e
Een groot huis but het grote huis? Learn when Dutch adjectives take -e, the one exception that matters, and the spelling changes to watch for.
Dutch comparatives and superlatives: groter, grootst, beter, best
How to form Dutch comparatives and superlatives, with spelling rules, irregular forms like beter and liever, dan vs als, and het mooist vs de mooiste.
Iets moois, iets lekkers, adjectives with -s in Dutch
Why Dutch says iets lekkers and niets nieuws, how to spell the -s form, and how adjectives become nouns, as in de armen and het leuke is.
Dutch adverbs: snel, vaak, graag, daarom and more
How Dutch adverbs work, from adjectives used as adverbs to time, place, degree and frequency words, graag, ook, and pronominal adverbs like daarom.
Dutch quantities: veel, weinig, een paar, genoeg and more
How to say much, many, a few, some, enough and most in Dutch, with clear rules for veel, weinig, meer, een paar, sommige, een aantal and more.
Dutch prepositions of place: in, op, aan, bij and more
Learn Dutch prepositions of place like in, op, aan and bij, the fixed phrases that break the logic, and how Dutch shows movement versus location.
Dutch prepositions of time: om, op, in, over and geleden
When do you use om, op or in with times, days and months in Dutch? Plus sinds, over, geleden, tot, tijdens and binnen, with the most common mistakes.
Dutch positional verbs: liggen, staan, zitten and hangen
Why Dutch says the book 'lies' on the table and the bottle 'stands' in the fridge. Learn liggen, staan, zitten, hangen, leggen and zetten.
Dutch adjectives with prepositions: trots op, bang voor, blij met
Thirty Dutch adjectives with fixed prepositions, like trots op, bang voor and gewend aan, plus word order and how to use er and waar with them.
Dutch nouns with fixed prepositions: zin in, behoefte aan, kans op
Thirty common Dutch nouns with fixed prepositions, like interesse in, behoefte aan and kans op, plus how they combine with er and waar.
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Lessons that go with these guides
De or het?
A1 · Dutch has two words for “the”.
Family
A1 · Talk about the people closest to you.
Food
A1 · Everyday food and plurals.
Jobs
A1 · Say what you do for a living and ask others about their work.
Transport
A1 · Bikes, trains and word order.
In the shop
A1 · Buy things, ask for prices and point at what you want.