Learn Dutch grammar, sentence structure and verbs
Short, honest guides to the Dutch grammar and vocabulary questions that trip up learners the most.
37 guides
Quantitative er in Dutch: why you say "Ik heb er twee"
When a number or quantity word stands without its noun, Dutch needs er. Here's how quantitative er works, as in "Ik heb er twee."
Read the guide →The Dutch pluperfect: how to use had and was for "had done"
Learn the Dutch pluperfect with had and was, plus how to say "if I had known" and "I should have called" the way Dutch speakers do.
Read the guide →Days, months and dates in Dutch: how to say and write them
Learn the days of the week and months in Dutch, how to say and write the date, and when to use op or in, with plenty of examples for appointments.
Read the guide →En, maar, of, want and dus: Dutch coordinating conjunctions
Five small Dutch linking words that never change word order, plus the one place dus behaves differently. Learn the short list and stop second-guessing.
Read the guide →Dutch word order: time, manner, place
Why "to Amsterdam by train tomorrow" flips in Dutch, and a simple when, how, where way to put time, manner and place in the right order.
Read the guide →Telling time in Dutch: why half drie is 2:30
In Dutch, half drie means 2:30, not 3:30, so here's how the half hour works and every other way to say the time, with plenty of examples.
Read the guide →The Dutch imperative: how to give commands without sounding rude
Dutch commands use just the verb stem, but a bare command can sound blunt, so here's how even, maar and eens make it sound friendlier.
Read the guide →Ermee, erop, waarmee: Dutch er and waar with a preposition
Instead of saying met het for "with it", Dutch joins the preposition to er, daar or waar, which gives you ermee, erop and waarmee.
Read the guide →Dutch numbers: why 21 is eenentwintig, and other surprises
Dutch says one-and-twenty instead of twenty-one. Here's how Dutch numbers work, from nul to miljard, plus the ordinals and dates.
Read the guide →Dutch possessive pronouns: mijn, jouw, zijn, and the ons vs onze trap
Mijn, jouw, zijn, haar: most Dutch possessive pronouns are simple. Then there's ons and onze, which depend on de and het.
Read the guide →Dutch comparatives and superlatives: groter, grootst, and dan vs als
Groter, grootst, beter, liefst: how Dutch compares things, the spelling changes to watch, and why it's groter dan, not groter als.
Read the guide →Te, om te, or nothing? When Dutch infinitives need te
Ik ga zwemmen, but ik probeer te zwemmen. Here's when a Dutch infinitive needs te, when it needs om te, and when it needs nothing.
Read the guide →Want vs omdat: why the Dutch verb jumps to the end
Want and omdat both mean because, but they build different sentences. Here's why omdat sends the verb to the end, and want doesn't.
Read the guide →Dutch personal pronouns: subject, object, and when to use the short form
Dutch pronouns have subject, object, short, and full forms. Learn which one to use, and when the full form actually matters.
Read the guide →Dutch passive voice: worden vs zijn explained
Dutch splits the passive voice into two forms, worden for actions in progress and zijn for finished results, and mixing them changes the meaning.
Read the guide →Dutch prepositions of place and time: op, in, aan and om
Op, in, aan and om often don't match their English translations, one reason learner Dutch can sound different from how a native speaker would say it.
Read the guide →Dutch reflexive verbs: what zich means and when to use it
Dutch reflexive verbs like zich voelen and zich vergissen need the little word zich, even when the English sentence doesn't sound reflexive.
Read the guide →How to talk about the future in Dutch: gaan vs zullen
Dutch splits the future into three different patterns, present tense, gaan, and zullen, and each one sends a different message.
Read the guide →Die or Dat? Dutch Relative Clauses Explained
Learn when to use die vs dat as Dutch relative pronouns, how they connect to de/het, and how they differ from other die/dat uses.
Read the guide →When Dutch Adjectives Take an -e (and When They Don't)
Most Dutch adjectives before a noun get an -e, except in one specific case. Here's the rule, the exception, and how to stop guessing.
Read the guide →Dutch False Friends That Trip Up English Speakers
Some Dutch words look exactly like English words but mean something else entirely. Here are the ones that mislead learners the most.
Read the guide →The Dutch Simple Past Tense: How the Imperfectum Works
Dutch has two past tenses, and the imperfectum isn't just formal. Here's how to form it, and when Dutch speakers reach for it over the perfect tense.
Read the guide →Helaas, Pindakaas: Weird Dutch Phrases and What They Actually Mean
Dutch is full of phrases that sound absurd translated word for word. Here's what helaas pindakaas and other weird Dutch expressions really mean.
Read the guide →How to Learn Dutch as an Expat Living in the Netherlands
Living in the Netherlands doesn't automatically teach you Dutch. Here's a practical, no-classroom-required plan for expats learning Dutch alongside a full life.
Read the guide →Kunnen, Moeten, Mogen, Willen: What Dutch Modal Verbs Actually Mean
Dutch modal verbs look simple in a textbook, but English speakers stumble on their real meaning, word order, and conjugation.
Read the guide →Dutch diminutives: why everything can be small
Dutch diminutives don't just mean small. Learn the -je suffix, its various forms, and why every diminutive noun always takes het.
Read the guide →Deze, dit, die, dat: Dutch demonstratives explained
Deze, dit, die and dat all mean this or that in Dutch. Picking the right one comes down to a rule you already half know: de and het.
Read the guide →The Dutch perfect tense, put together
Learn how to form the Dutch perfect tense: build the past participle correctly and place it where Dutch sentence order expects it.
Read the guide →Niet vs Geen: Dutch Negation Rules Made Simple
Learn when to use niet vs geen in Dutch, plus exactly where niet belongs in a sentence, with clear step-by-step examples.
Read the guide →Hebben or zijn? Choosing the right Dutch perfect tense auxiliary
Confused about hebben vs zijn in Dutch? Here's the simple rule for picking the right helper verb in the Dutch perfect tense, with real examples.
Read the guide →Dutch greetings for beginners: u vs jij
Dutch has two words for you: u and jij. Here's how formal and informal Dutch greetings work in real conversations, and which one to use when.
Read the guide →Separable verbs: why "opbellen" splits apart in a sentence
Dutch separable verbs like opbellen split apart in a sentence, and knowing where the pieces land trips up almost every beginner.
Read the guide →Dutch word order for beginners: the V2 rule explained
Dutch word order follows one rule called V2, and this guide walks through how it reshapes statements and questions in beginner Dutch.
Read the guide →Dutch modal particles: the little words that aren't in your dictionary
Dutch modal particles like maar, even, toch and hoor don't translate — they shape a sentence's tone, not its literal meaning.
Read the guide →De of het? Here's the honest answer
De and het aren't random forever: two firm rules and one habit make Dutch grammatical gender a lot less painful to learn, word by word.
Read the guide →Dutch word er meaning: the little word English doesn't have one-for-one
What does er mean in Dutch? It covers two separate jobs that English squeezes into one small word, there, and mixing them up trips up beginners.
Read the guide →Why "Is" Doesn't Work in Dutch
Dutch replaces the English word for is with four dutch positional verbs, staan, liggen, zitten, and hangen, based on how something is positioned.
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