Learn Dutch grammar, sentence structure and verbs
Short, honest guides to the Dutch grammar and vocabulary questions that trip up learners the most.
14 guides
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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 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 →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.
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 →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 →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.
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