Dutch Essential grammar

Abbreviations used in this guide

Each example below has three parts: the original text, a literal gloss describing how every word works, and a natural translation. The glosses use a few shorthand labels so they stay short. Don't worry about memorising them — this is a reference you can come back to.

Person and number · 1sg / 2sg / 3sg — first / second / third person singular (I, you, he/she/it) · 1pl / 2pl / 3pl — first / second / third person plural (we, you-all, they)

Gender and case · m / f / n — masculine / feminine / neuter · sg / pl — singular / plural · m.sg — combined: masculine singular (and similarly f.pl, n.sg, etc.) · NOM / ACC / GEN / DAT / INS / LOC — grammatical cases (nominative/accusative/genitive/dative/instrumental/locative) — which role the word plays in the sentence

Tense and aspect · PRES — present · PRET — preterite (a finished past event) · IMPF — imperfect (an ongoing or habitual past situation) · FUT — future · PERF — perfect (an action completed with present relevance) · PROG — progressive (action in progress, e.g. am eating) · COND — conditional (would…)

Mood · IND — indicative (regular statement) · SUBJ — subjunctive (uncertainty, wishes, doubts) · IMP — imperative (commands) · INF — infinitive (dictionary form: to go, to eat)

Other · REFL — reflexive (action on oneself: myself, yourself) · PERS — personal a (Spanish only — marks a human direct object) · HON — honorific (extra-polite form, common in Japanese/Korean) · TOP / SUB / OBJ — topic / subject / object markers (Japanese, Korean) · CL — classifier (Chinese, Japanese, Korean — a counter word for nouns) · NEG — negation

Word order: V2 main, SOV subordinate

Dutch is a V2 language: in main clauses the finite verb must occupy the second position, no matter what comes first. If the subject is first, normal order applies; if a time expression, object, or adverb is fronted, the subject moves after the verb (inversion). In subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like 'omdat' (because), 'dat' (that), 'als' (if/when), the finite verb goes to the end (SOV). Non-finite verbs (infinitives, participles) cluster at the end in both main and subordinate clauses.

• Ik drink koffie in de ochtend. — I drink coffee in the morning.
  I drink coffee in the morning.
• In de ochtend drink ik koffie. — In the morning drink I coffee.
  In the morning I drink coffee. (inversion: verb stays in 2nd position)
• Ik blijf thuis omdat ik moe ben. — I stay home because I tired am.
  I'm staying home because I am tired. (subordinate: verb last)

Articles: de / het

Dutch nouns are either common gender (taking 'de') or neuter (taking 'het'). The indefinite article 'een' is the same for both. About two thirds of nouns are 'de' words, but you must memorise the gender with each noun. All plurals take 'de' regardless of original gender. Diminutives (ending in -je) are always 'het'. There are tendencies (e.g. people are usually 'de'; words ending in -isme, -ment are 'het'), but exceptions abound, so learn each noun with its article.

• de man, de vrouw, de tafel — the man, the woman, the table
  the man, the woman, the table (common gender)
• het kind, het huis, het boek — the child, the house, the book
  the child, the house, the book (neuter)
• een huis, de huizen — a house, the houses
  a house, the houses (all plurals use 'de')

Pronouns: subject, object, possessive

Subject pronouns: ik, jij/je, u (formal), hij, zij/ze, het, wij/we, jullie, zij/ze. Object pronouns: mij/me, jou/je, u, hem, haar, het, ons, jullie, hen/hun (hen for direct/after preposition; hun for indirect, though spoken Dutch increasingly uses 'hun' or 'ze' for both). Possessives: mijn, jouw/je, uw, zijn, haar, ons/onze (ons before 'het' nouns and singular neuter; onze elsewhere), jullie, hun. Stressed and unstressed forms (jij/je, mij/me) differ; the short forms are far more common in speech.

• Ik zie hem en hij ziet mij. — I see him and he sees me.
  I see him and he sees me.
• Dat is haar boek, niet mijn boek. — That is her book, not my book.
  That is her book, not mine.
• Ons huis is groot; onze auto is klein. — Our house is big; our car is small.
  Our house is big; our car is small. (ons + het-noun; onze + de-noun)

Verb conjugation: regular and key irregulars

Regular verbs: take the infinitive (e.g. 'werken' to work), remove -en to get the stem ('werk'). Present endings: ik + stem; jij/hij/zij/het + stem+t; wij/jullie/zij + stem+en (= infinitive). In inversion (verb before jij) the -t is dropped: 'werk jij?'. Final consonants are devoiced ('reizen' -> stem 'reis'). Key irregulars: zijn (to be) — ik ben, jij bent, hij is, wij/jullie/zij zijn. hebben (to have) — ik heb, jij hebt, hij heeft, wij hebben. gaan (to go) — ik ga, jij gaat, wij gaan. kunnen (can) — ik kan, jij kan/kunt, hij kan, wij kunnen.

• Ik werk, jij werkt, hij werkt, wij werken. — I work, you work, he works, we work.
  Present-tense conjugation of regular 'werken'.
• Ben jij Nederlands? Ja, ik ben Nederlands. — Are you Dutch? Yes, I am Dutch.
  Are you Dutch? Yes, I am Dutch. (zijn, with inversion)
• Heb je tijd? Ik kan vandaag niet. — Have you time? I can today not.
  Do you have time? I can't today. (hebben, kunnen)

Present tense

Dutch has only one present tense; it covers English simple ('I work') and continuous ('I am working'). For an explicit progressive meaning, use 'aan het + infinitive' with 'zijn': 'Ik ben aan het werken'. The present is also used for the near future when context is clear ('Morgen ga ik naar Amsterdam' — Tomorrow I am going to Amsterdam). With 'al' + a time expression it covers English present perfect of duration: 'Ik woon hier al drie jaar' (I have lived here for three years).

• Ik lees een boek. — I read a book.
  I read / I am reading a book.
• Hij is aan het koken. — He is on the cooking.
  He is cooking. (explicit progressive)
• Wij wonen hier al vijf jaar. — We live here already five years.
  We have been living here for five years.

Past: perfectum and imperfectum

The perfectum (present perfect) is the everyday spoken past: auxiliary 'hebben' or 'zijn' + past participle at the end. Most verbs take 'hebben'; verbs of motion or change of state take 'zijn' (gaan, komen, worden, blijven, zijn itself). Regular participle: ge- + stem + -t/-d (ge-werk-t). Use the t-kofschip rule: -t if stem ends in t,k,f,s,ch,p; else -d. The imperfectum (simple past) is used for descriptions, habitual actions, and narration: regular endings -te(n)/-de(n) on the stem (werkte, werkten; leefde, leefden), following the same t-kofschip rule.

• Ik heb gisteren gewerkt. — I have yesterday worked.
  I worked yesterday.
• Zij is naar huis gegaan. — She is to home gone.
  She has gone / went home. ('zijn' with motion verb)
• Toen ik klein was, woonde ik in Utrecht. — When I small was, lived I in Utrecht.
  When I was little, I lived in Utrecht. (imperfectum for description)

Future: gaan and zullen

Dutch has no inflected future tense. The most common ways to talk about the future are: (1) the present tense with a time expression — 'Morgen werk ik' (Tomorrow I work); (2) 'gaan + infinitive' for planned or imminent actions, similar to English 'going to' — 'Ik ga koken' (I'm going to cook); (3) 'zullen + infinitive' for predictions, promises, suggestions, and a more formal future — 'Het zal morgen regenen' (It will rain tomorrow). 'Zullen' conjugates: ik zal, jij zult/zal, hij zal, wij/jullie/zij zullen.

• Ik ga morgen naar de markt. — I go tomorrow to the market.
  I'm going to the market tomorrow. (gaan + implied infinitive)
• We gaan een film kijken. — We go a film watch.
  We're going to watch a film.
• Ik zal je morgen bellen. — I shall you tomorrow call.
  I will call you tomorrow. (zullen — promise)

Negation: niet vs geen

'Geen' negates an indefinite or unspecified noun (one that would otherwise take 'een' or no article, including mass nouns): 'Ik heb geen auto' (I don't have a car), 'Ik drink geen koffie' (I don't drink coffee). 'Niet' negates everything else: verbs, adjectives, adverbs, definite noun phrases, and the whole sentence. 'Niet' usually goes at the end of the clause, but before adjectives, prepositional phrases, place/manner adverbs, and infinitives/participles. Time adverbs come before 'niet'.

• Ik heb geen tijd. — I have no time.
  I don't have time. (indefinite noun -> geen)
• Ik ken die man niet. — I know that man not.
  I don't know that man. (definite noun -> niet at end)
• Het is vandaag niet koud. — It is today not cold.
  It isn't cold today. (niet before adjective)

Questions: inversion and wh-words

Yes/no questions are formed by inversion: the finite verb moves to the front, subject follows. Note that when 'jij' follows the verb, the -t ending is dropped ('jij werkt' but 'werk jij?'). Wh-questions begin with a question word, followed by the verb, then the subject: wie (who), wat (what), waar (where), wanneer (when), waarom (why), hoe (how), welk(e) (which). Prepositions with 'wat' become 'waar' + preposition: 'waarover' (about what), 'waarmee' (with what).

• Spreek je Nederlands? — Speak you Dutch?
  Do you speak Dutch?
• Waar woon je? — Where live you?
  Where do you live?
• Waarom ben je laat? — Why are you late?
  Why are you late?

Plural of nouns: -en and -s

Most Dutch nouns form their plural with -en: boek -> boeken, hond -> honden. Spelling adjustments preserve vowel length: short vowel + single consonant doubles the consonant (man -> mannen); long vowel written double in a closed syllable becomes single in the open plural syllable (raam -> ramen); -f/-s often become -v/-z before -en (huis -> huizen, brief -> brieven). The -s plural is used after unstressed -el, -em, -en, -er, -je (tafel -> tafels, meisje -> meisjes), and with many loanwords (auto's, foto's; apostrophe keeps the vowel long). A few neuter nouns take -eren (kind -> kinderen).

• boek -> boeken, man -> mannen — book -> books, man -> men
  Most common: -en, with consonant doubling for short vowels.
• tafel -> tafels, meisje -> meisjes — table -> tables, girl -> girls
  -s plural after -el and -je.
• kind -> kinderen, ei -> eieren — child -> children, egg -> eggs
  Irregular -eren plural (a small closed set of neuter nouns).

Adjective agreement: the -e ending

When an adjective stands before a noun, it takes -e in almost every case: 'de grote man', 'het grote huis', 'de grote huizen', 'mooie boeken'. The only exception: a singular neuter ('het') noun with an indefinite or no determiner drops the -e — 'een groot huis', 'groot huis', 'geen groot huis'. With definite articles, demonstratives, and possessives, the -e is always present, even with neuter singular: 'het grote huis', 'mijn grote huis'. Predicative adjectives (after 'zijn', 'worden', 'blijven') never inflect: 'Het huis is groot'.

• de grote tafel — een grote tafel — the big table — a big table
  Common gender: always -e.
• het grote huis — een groot huis — the big house — a big house
  Neuter singular: -e with 'het', no -e with 'een'.
• Het huis is groot. — The house is big.
  Predicative: no ending.

Diminutives: -je suffix

Diminutives are extremely common in Dutch and are formed by adding -je (or a variant -tje, -etje, -pje, -kje depending on the preceding sound) to the noun. They make things small or affectionate, but very often have an idiomatic or softening meaning rather than literal smallness. All diminutives are neuter ('het') and form their plural with -s. Some words exist mainly in their diminutive form (meisje 'girl', beetje 'a bit').

• een huis -> een huisje — a house -> a little house
  a (little) house / cottage
• een kop koffie -> een kopje koffie — a cup coffee -> a little-cup coffee
  a cup of coffee (idiomatic, not literally tiny)
• het meisje, de meisjes — the girl, the girls
  Diminutives are always 'het'; plural in -s.

Separable verbs (op-staan, mee-doen)

Many Dutch verbs consist of a prefix (often a preposition or adverb: op, mee, uit, aan, af, in, terug) plus a base verb. In a main clause the prefix separates from the verb and goes to the end of the clause: 'Ik sta om zeven uur op' (I get up at seven). In subordinate clauses, infinitives, and past participles the verb stays together: 'omdat ik om zeven uur opsta'; 'opstaan' (infinitive); 'opgestaan' (participle, with 'ge-' inserted between prefix and stem). Stress falls on the prefix, which distinguishes separable from inseparable compounds.

• Ik sta elke dag om zeven uur op. — I stand every day at seven o'clock up.
  I get up every day at seven. (opstaan, separated)
• Doe je mee met het spel? — Do you with-along with the game?
  Are you joining in the game? (meedoen, separated)
• Hij is vroeg opgestaan. — He is early up-stood.
  He got up early. (participle: ge- inside the compound)

PRESENT TENSE: regular weak verbs (werken, leven)

Dutch regular ('weak') verbs follow one consistent paradigm in the present tense. Start from the infinitive (werken 'to work'), drop -en to get the stem (werk), then add the personal endings. The 'jij/u/hij/zij/het' form always takes stem + t; the plural forms (wij/jullie/zij) always reuse the infinitive. In inversion, when 'jij' (only 'jij', not 'u' or 'hij') follows the verb, the -t is dropped: 'werk jij?'.

Spelling rules to watch: (1) final v/z of the stem devoice to f/s in spelling, so 'leven' has stem 'leef' (ik leef, jij leeft) but reverts to v in plural (wij leven). (2) Stems ending in -t never double the t: 'praten' -> stem 'praat', so 'jij praat' (not praatt). (3) Stems ending in -d still take -t: 'antwoorden' -> 'jij antwoordt'. Negation goes with 'niet' at the end ('Ik werk niet'); 'geen' negates a following indefinite noun ('Ik drink geen koffie').

• Ik werk elke dag in Amsterdam. — I work every day in Amsterdam.
  I work in Amsterdam every day.
• Waar werk jij? — Where work you?
  Where do you work? (inversion drops the -t on jij)
• Wij leven in een klein dorp. — We live in a small village.
  We live in a small village.
• Zij praat altijd te snel. — She talks always too fast.
  She always talks too fast. (praten: stem 'praat', no double t)
• Ik werk vandaag niet. — I work today not.
  I'm not working today.

WILLEN + infinitive (want to)

To say 'want to do something', Dutch uses the modal verb 'willen' with a bare infinitive sent to the end of the clause. 'Willen' is slightly irregular: the singular forms drop the second 'l'.

In 'jij wil' the form without -t is now standard in everyday Dutch; 'jij wilt' is also accepted, especially in writing. The infinitive goes to the end: 'Ik wil vanavond pizza eten' (I want to eat pizza tonight). For a softer 'I would like to', use the past-subjunctive form 'ik zou willen' or the polite 'ik wil graag' / 'ik zou graag... willen' (see the 'would like' section below). To say 'want something' (a noun, no verb), drop the infinitive: 'Ik wil koffie' (I want coffee). Negative: 'Ik wil niet gaan' (I don't want to go); 'Ik wil geen koffie' (I don't want any coffee).

• Ik wil vanavond pizza eten. — I want this evening pizza eat.
  I want to eat pizza tonight.
• Wat wil je vandaag doen? — What want you do today?
  What do you want to do today?
• We willen Nederlands leren. — We want Dutch learn.
  We want to learn Dutch.
• Hij wil niet met ons mee komen. — He wants not with us come.
  He doesn't want to come with us.
• Wil je een kopje koffie? — Want you a cup coffee?
  Would you like a cup of coffee? (no verb after 'willen')

GAAN + infinitive (going to)

'Gaan + infinitive' is the everyday way to express planned or imminent future, exactly like English 'going to'. The conjugated form of 'gaan' takes second position; the bare infinitive goes to the end of the clause. 'Gaan' is irregular in the singular (ga / gaat) but regular in the plural (gaan).

Note: 'gaan' can also mean literal motion ('go'); only context distinguishes 'I'm going to the shop' (motion) from 'I'm going to read' (future). When 'gaan' is followed by another motion verb the meaning stays future, not double-motion: 'Ik ga zwemmen' = I'm going to swim. Compare with 'zullen + infinitief' which is more formal and used for promises, predictions, and offers ('Ik zal je morgen bellen', 'I will call you tomorrow'). Also compare with the simple present + time word ('Morgen werk ik thuis', 'Tomorrow I work from home'), which is equally common for scheduled future.

• Ik ga vanavond koken. — I go tonight cook.
  I'm going to cook tonight.
• Wat ga je dit weekend doen? — What go you this weekend do?
  What are you going to do this weekend?
• We gaan een film kijken. — We go a film watch.
  We're going to watch a film.
• Het gaat regenen. — It goes rain.
  It's going to rain.
• Ze gaan volgend jaar naar Spanje verhuizen. — They go next year to Spain move.
  They're going to move to Spain next year.

HEBBEN / ZIJN + past participle (perfectum)

The 'perfectum' (present perfect) is the default spoken past in Dutch. Structure: conjugated 'hebben' or 'zijn' in second position + past participle at the end of the clause.

Forming the past participle of regular ('weak') verbs: ge- + stem + -t or -d. Use -t after stems ending in t, k, f, s, ch, p (the consonants of 't kofschip'); use -d after all other consonants and after vowels. Examples: werken -> gewerkt; praten -> gepraat; leven -> geleefd; horen -> gehoord. Verbs already beginning with be-, ge-, ver-, ont-, her-, er- do NOT add another ge-: betalen -> betaald; verkopen -> verkocht. Strong verbs change the stem vowel and end in -en: lopen -> gelopen; schrijven -> geschreven; zijn -> geweest; hebben -> gehad; gaan -> gegaan; doen -> gedaan; zien -> gezien.

Choose 'zijn' for verbs of motion to a destination (gaan, komen, vertrekken, aankomen) and change of state (worden 'become', opgroeien 'grow up', sterven 'die', blijven 'remain', and zijn itself). Most other verbs use 'hebben'. A handful of motion verbs use 'hebben' when describing the activity (we hebben gefietst, 'we cycled') but 'zijn' with a destination (we zijn naar huis gefietst, 'we cycled home').

• Ik heb gisteren hard gewerkt. — I have yesterday hard worked.
  I worked hard yesterday.
• Zij is naar Amsterdam gegaan. — She is to Amsterdam gone.
  She has gone / went to Amsterdam.
• Heb je de film gezien? — Have you the film seen?
  Have you seen the film?
• We hebben een nieuw huis gekocht. — We have a new house bought.
  We've bought a new house.
• De kinderen zijn vroeg naar bed gegaan. — The children are early to bed gone.
  The children went to bed early.
• Hij heeft de huur betaald. — He has the rent paid.
  He has paid the rent. (betalen takes no extra ge-)

Ik zou graag + infinitief (would like to)

For polite requests and softened wishes ('I would like to...'), Dutch uses 'zou(den)' (the conditional of 'zullen') plus 'graag' ('gladly, willingly') plus a bare infinitive at the end. 'Graag' carries the 'like' meaning; without it the sentence is a neutral conditional.

A second polite pattern uses 'willen' instead of a bare infinitive, giving an even softer request: 'Ik zou graag een kop koffie willen' (I would like a cup of coffee). The shorter everyday alternative is just 'graag' added to a present-tense sentence: 'Ik wil graag koffie' (I'd like coffee, lit. 'I want gladly coffee'). In restaurants and shops both 'Ik wil graag...' and 'Ik zou graag... willen' are standard polite forms; 'Mag ik...?' ('May I...?') is equally common. To turn it into a question, invert: 'Zou je graag meegaan?' (Would you like to come along?).

• Ik zou graag een koffie drinken. — I would gladly a coffee drink.
  I would like to drink a coffee.
• We zouden graag morgen komen. — We would gladly tomorrow come.
  We would like to come tomorrow.
• Zou je graag met ons eten? — Would you gladly with us eat?
  Would you like to eat with us?
• Zij zou graag een nieuwe fiets hebben. — She would gladly a new bicycle have.
  She would like to have a new bike.
• Ik zou graag de kaart willen, alstublieft. — I would gladly the menu want, please.
  I would like the menu, please. (softer double-modal form)

Aan het + infinitief (progressive) and zijn + present participle

Dutch has no inflected continuous tense; the simple present does double duty ('Ik werk' = I work / I'm working). When the speaker needs to stress that an action is in progress right now, the standard structure is 'zijn + aan het + infinitief'.

An alternative is 'zijn + posture verb (zitten/staan/liggen/lopen) + te + infinitief': 'Ik zit te lezen' (I'm sitting and reading), 'Hij staat te wachten' (He's standing waiting), 'Ze ligt te slapen' (She's lying asleep). These add a nuance of body posture and are very natural in spoken Dutch.

There is also a true present participle in -end (werkend, lopend, lachend), but it is NOT used to form a progressive tense the way English '-ing' is. The Dutch -end participle is mainly used adjectivally ('een lachend kind', 'a laughing child') or adverbially ('Hij kwam zingend binnen', 'He came in singing'). Do not say 'Ik ben werkend' to mean 'I am working'; use 'Ik ben aan het werken' instead.

• Ik ben aan het werken. — I am on the working.
  I'm working (right now).
• Wat ben je aan het doen? — What are you on the do?
  What are you doing?
• De kinderen zijn in de tuin aan het spelen. — The children are in the garden on the play.
  The children are playing in the garden.
• Hij zit te lezen. — He sits to read.
  He's reading. (posture verb + te + inf)
• Een lachend kind liep voorbij. — A laughing child ran past.
  A laughing child ran past. (adjectival use of -end participle)
• Hij kwam zingend binnen. — He came singing inside.
  He came in singing. (adverbial -end)

KUNNEN + infinitive (can, be able to)

'Kunnen' expresses ability, possibility, and (in questions) polite requests. Like other Dutch modals, it sits in second position and sends the main infinitive to the end of the clause. 'Kunnen' is irregular: the singular stem is 'kan'.

Both 'jij kan' and 'jij kunt' are correct; 'kunt' is slightly more formal and common in writing. Past tense ('could'): kon (singular) / konden (plural), e.g. 'Ik kon niet komen' (I couldn't come). Conditional ('could / would be able to'): zou(den) kunnen, e.g. 'Zou je me kunnen helpen?' (Could you help me?, a very polite request). Negative: place 'niet' before the infinitive at the end of the clause ('Ik kan vandaag niet werken'); use 'geen' if a noun is negated. 'Kunnen' without an infinitive can mean 'know how to (a language/skill)': 'Hij kan Nederlands' (He knows Dutch), 'Zij kan pianospelen' is normally written 'Zij kan piano spelen'.

• Ik kan niet zwemmen. — I can not swim.
  I can't swim.
• Kun je me helpen? — Can you me help?
  Can you help me?
• We kunnen morgen komen. — We can tomorrow come.
  We can come tomorrow.
• Zij kon het antwoord niet vinden. — She could the answer not find.
  She couldn't find the answer. (past: kon)
• Zou je me kunnen helpen? — Would you me can help?
  Could you help me? (polite conditional)
• Hij kan goed Nederlands. — He can good Dutch.
  He knows Dutch well. (kunnen without infinitive: skill)

Note: separable verbs in modal and perfect constructions

Separable verbs (covered in the earlier section: opstaan, meedoen, aankomen, uitgaan, terugkomen, etc.) behave specifically when combined with a modal (willen, kunnen, moeten, zullen, mogen) or in the perfectum.

Key pitfall: the 'te' of an om-te clause goes BETWEEN the prefix and the stem ('om op te staan', NOT 'om opstaan te' or 'om te opstaan'). Similarly the participle 'ge-' is inserted: opstaan -> opgestaan, meedoen -> meegedaan, uitnodigen -> uitgenodigd. Inseparable prefixes (be-, ver-, ont-, ge-, her-, er-) never separate and never take ge- in the participle: bestellen -> besteld; verkopen -> verkocht. Stress is the giveaway: separable verbs stress the prefix (OP-staan); inseparable verbs stress the stem (be-STEL-len).

• Ik wil morgen vroeg opstaan. — I want tomorrow early up-stand.
  I want to get up early tomorrow. (modal: opstaan stays joined)
• Zij heeft me voor het feest uitgenodigd. — She has me for the party out-invited.
  She invited me to the party. (uitnodigen -> uitgenodigd)
• Het is tijd om op te staan. — It is time to up to stand.
  It's time to get up. ('te' splits the compound)
• We komen morgen terug. — We come tomorrow back.
  We're coming back tomorrow. (terugkomen, separated in main clause)
• ...omdat we morgen terugkomen. — ...because we tomorrow back-come.
  ...because we're coming back tomorrow. (subordinate: joined)
• Hij heeft het boek besteld. — He has the book ordered.
  He ordered the book. (bestellen is inseparable: no ge-)