Download - 132001977 Limba Olandeza
1. BASIC PHRASES
Goedemorgen khoo-duh-mawr-ghuh Good Morning
Goedemiddag khoo-duh-mih-dahkh Good Day
Goedenavond khoo-duh-nah-fohnt Good Evening
Goedenacht khoo-duh-nahkht Good Night
Hoi / Hallo / Daag / Doei hoy / hah-loh / dahk / doo-ee Hi / Bye
Tot ziens toht zeens Goodbye
Tot straks toht straks See you later (in the same day)
Tot zo toht zoh See you soon
Alstublieft / Alsjeblieft ahlst-ew-bleeft / ahl-shuh-bleeft Please
Dank u wel / Dank je wel dahnk-ew-vehl / dahnk-yuh-vehl Thank you
Hartelijk bedankt hahr-tuh-lik buh-dahnkt Thank you very much
Graag gedaan khrahkh khuh-dahn You're welcome (don't mention it)
Sorry saw-ree I'm sorry / Excuse me
Pardon, wat zei u? pahr-dohn, vat zay ew Pardon me (didn't understand)
Ja / Nee yah / nay Yes / No
Hoe gaat het met u? hoo khaht ut meht ew How are you? (formal)
Hoe gaat het? hoo khaht ut How are you? (informal)
Goed / Heel goed khoot / hayl khoot Fine / Very well
Het gaat / Slecht uht khaht / slehkht So so / Bad
Ik ben moe / ziek ik ben moo / zeek I'm tired / sick.
Ik heb honger / dorst ik heb hohng-ur / dohrst I'm hungry / thirsty.
Hoe heet u? hoo hayt ew What's your name? (formal)
Hoe heet je? hoo hayt yuh What's your name? (informal)
Ik heet... ik hayt... My name is (I'm called)...
Ik ben... ik ben I am...
Aangenaam (kennis te maken) ahn-guh-nahm (ken-nis tuh mah-kuh) Nice to meet you.
meneer / mevrouw / mejuffrouw muh-nayr / muh-frow / muh-yuh-frow Mister / Misses / Miss
Waar komt u vandaan? vahr kawmt ew fun-dahn Where are you from? (formal)
Waar kom je vandaan? vahr kawn yuh fun-dahn Where are you from? (informal)
Ik kom uit Nederland. ik kawm owt nay-der-lant I am from the Netherlands.
Waar woont u? vahr vohnt ew Where do you live? (formal)
Waar woon je? vahr vohn yuh Where do you live? (informal)
Ik woon in Amerika. ik vohn in ah-meh-ree-kah I live in America.
Hoe oud bent u? hoo owt bent ew How old are you? (formal)
Hoe oud ben je? hoo owt ben yuh How old are you? (informal)
Ik ben ... jaar (oud). ik ben ... yahr owt I am ____ years old.
Spreekt u Nederlands? spraykt ew nay-der-lahnds Do you speak Dutch? (formal)
Spreek je Engels? sprayk yuh ehng-uhls Do you speak English? (informal)
Ik spreek [geen]... ik sprayk [khayn] I [don't] speak...
Ik spreek niet zo goed... ik sprayk neet zoh khood I don't speak ... very well.
Ik begrijp het [niet.] ik buh-khraip ut neet I [don't] understand.
Ik weet het [niet.] ik vayt ut [neet] I [don't] know.
Wat kost het? vat kohst ut How much is it?
Ik wil graag... ik vil khrahk I'd like...
Proost! prohst Cheers!
Veel plezier! fayl pleh-zeer Have fun!
Veel succes! fayl suk-sehs Good luck!
Wees voorzichtig! vays fohr-zikh-tikh Be careful!
Dat is geweldig / vreselijk! dat is khuh-vehl-duhkh / fray-zuh-likh That is great / terrible!
Ik hou van je. ik how fahn yuh I love you. (informal)
Ik hou van jullie. ik how fahn juh-lee I love you (all).
Wat vreemd! vaht fraymt How funny / odd!
Wat jammer! vaht yah-mer What a pity!
Wat is dit / dat? vut iss dit / dut What is this / that?
In the pronunciations, kh denotes a uvular guttural sound. Meneer, mevrouw and mejuffrouw are all written with a small
letter when they precede a name. When typing, de Heer is used instead of meneer and Dhr. is used on envelopes. Mevrouw and mejuffrouw are abbreviated as Mevr. and Mej. In addition, Mw. can be used as an equivalent of the English Ms.
2. PRONUNCIATION
Dutch letters
English sound
ch sch g w v r j sj tj aa ee ie oo oe eu uu a e i o u ei / ij aai oei ooi ou / au eeuw ieuw uw ui
guttural sound, made at back of mouth s followed by guttural ch sound same as ch, guttural sound from back of mouth like v before r, otherwise like w but with bottom lip against top teeth like v, but sometimes closer to f either rolled or guttural y as in yes sh as in ship ch as in chip ah as in father, but longer ay as in hail, but shorter ee as in neat, but shorter oh as in boat oo as in pool, but shorter ur as in hurt, but with lips rounded ew, but with lips rounded (sound not found in English) ah as in father, but shorter eh as in bed ih as in bit aw as in paw, with lips rounded ir as in dirt, but very short between the sounds in "light" and "late" combination of aa and ie combination of oe and ie combination of oo and ie like ow, as in house combination of ee and oe combination of ie and oe combination of uu and oe combination of a and uu
The consonants s, f, h, b, d, z, l, m, n, and ng are pronounced the same way in Dutch as in English. P, t, and k are pronounced without the puff of air (called aspiration.) Sometimes the g is pronounced like zh in words borrowed from French. One last vowel sound is found in various Dutch spellings. It is pronounced like uh, as in along or sofa. For
example, this sound is found in de (the), een (a), aardig (nice), and vriendelijk (kind).
3. ALPHABET
a ah j yay s ess
b bay k kah t tay
c say l ell u ew
d day m emm v fay
e ay n enn w vay
f eff o oh x eeks
g khay p pay y ee-grek
h hah q kew z zett
i ee r air
4. NOUNS AND GENDER
All nouns have a gender in Dutch, either common (de words) or neuter (het words). It is hard to guess which gender a noun is, so it is best to memorize the genders when memorizing vocabulary. However, two-thirds of Dutch words are common gender (because the common gender has combined the former feminine and masculine genders.) So it may be easier to memorize which nouns are neuter, and then assign common gender to the rest. All diminutives (words ending in -je) and infinitives used as nouns, as well as colors, metals, compass directions, and all words that end in -um, -aat, -sel, -isme are neuter. Most nouns beginning with ge- and ending with -te are neuter, as are most nouns beginning with ge-, be-, and ver-. Common noun endings include: -aar, -ent, -er, -es, -eur, -heid, -ij, -ing, -teit, -tie.
5. ARTICLES & DEMONSTRATIVES
common neuter
Singular "the" de het
Plural "the" de
Indefinite "a" or "an"
een
common neuter
Singular this that
deze die
dit dat
Plural these those
deze die
The definite article is used more in Dutch than in English. It is always used before the names of the seasons, street names and in an abstract sense. There are some idioms that should be memorized, however: in het Nederlands (in Dutch), in de stad (in town), in het zwart (in black), met de auto (by car), met de tijd (in/with time); op tafel (on the table), in zee (in the sea), op kantoor (at the office), in bad (in the bath), op straat (in the street).
6. SUBJECT PRONOUNS
ik ik I wij (we) vay we
jij (je) u
yay ew
you (singular informal) you (formal)
jullie yew-lee
you (plural informal)
hij zij (ze) het
hay zay ut
he she it
zij (ze) zay they
Unstressed forms (shortened forms used mostly in the spoken language) are in parentheses. There are also unstressed forms of ik ('k), hij (ie) and het ('t) but these are not written in the standard language. You will see them in informal writing, however (such as on internet forums or sometimes in film subtitles.)
7. TO BE & TO HAVE
Present tense of zijn - to be (zayn)
I am ik ben ik ben we are wij zijn vay zayn
You are jij / u bent yay / ew bent
you are jullie zijn yew-lee zayn
He, she, it is hij, zij, het is hay, zay, ut is
they are zij zijn zay zayn
Present tense of hebben - to have (heh-buhn)
I have ik heb ik hep we have wij hebben vay heh-buhn
You have jij / u hebt yay / ew hept you have jullie hebben yew-lee heh-buhn
He, she, it is
hij, zij, het heeft
hay, zay, ut hayft
they have zij hebben zay heh-buhn
U heeft rather than u hebt is also possible.
Past tense of zijn - to be (zayn)
I was ik was ik vas we were wij waren vay vah-ruhn
You were jij / u was yay / ew vas you were jullie waren yew-lee vah-ruhn
He, she, it was
hij, zij, het was
hay, zay, ut vas
they were zij waren zay vah-ruhn
Past tense of hebben - to have (heh-buhn)
I had ik had ik haht we had wij hadden vay hah-duhn
You had jij / u had yay / ew haht
you had jullie hadden yew-lee hah-duhn
He, she, it had
hij, zij, het had
hay, zay, ut haht
they had zij hadden zay hah-duhn
You must use the subject pronouns; however, I will leave them out of future conjugations since most verbs only have two forms for each conjugation.
Expressions with zijn and hebben:
Het/dat is jammer - It's/that's a pity jarig zijn - to have a birthday kwijt zijn - to have lost op het punt staan - to be about to van plan zijn - to intend voor elkaar zijn - to be in order honger / dorst hebben - to be hungry / thirsty gelijk hebben - to be right haast hebben - to be in a hurry het hebben over - to talk about het druk hebben - to be busy het koud hebben / warm - to be cold / warm last hebben van - to be bothered by nodig hebben - to need slaap hebben - to be sleepy zin hebben in - to feel like
8. USEFUL WORDS
sometimes soms
always altijd
never nooit
often vaak, dikwijls
usually gewoonlijk
now nu
and en
but maar
or of
very zeer, heel
here hier
there daar
also ook
much veel
another een ander
already al
perhaps misschien
9. QUESTION WORDS
who wie where waar
what wat where to waar... naartoe
why waarom where from waar... vandaan
when wanneer which welk / welke
how hoe Isn't it?, etc. niet waar?
Welk is used before het words, and welke is used before de words and plural nouns. Niet waar is a tag question, and is added to the end of statements to make them questions. It can translate several ways into English: isn't it?, doesn't it?, isn't he?, doesn't he?, isn't she?, doesn't she?, aren't we?, don't we?, aren't they?, don't they?, aren't you?, don't you?, right?, yes?, etc.
10. NUMBERS
0 nul
1 een 1st eerste
2 twee 2nd tweede
3 drie 3rd drede
4 vier 4th vierde
5 vijf 5th vijfde
6 zes 6th zesde
7 zeven 7th zevende
8 acht 8th achtste
9 negen 9th negende
10 tien 10th tiende
11 elf 11th elfde
12 twaalf 12th twaalfde
13 dertien 13th dertiende
14 veertien 14th veertiende
15 vijftien 15th vijftiende
16 zestien 16th zestiende
17 zeventien 17th zeventiende
18 achttien 18th achttiende
19 negentien 19th negentiende
20 twintig 20th twintigste
21 eenentwintig 21st eenentwintigste
22 tweeëntwintig 22nd tweeëntwintigste
23 drieëntwintig 23rd drieentwintigste
30 dertig 30th dertigste
40 veertig 40th veertigste
50 vijftig 50th vijftigste
60 zestig 60th zestigste
70 zeventig 70th zeventigste
80 tachtig 80th tachtigste
90 negentig 90th negentigste
100 honderd 100th honderdste
101 honderd en een 101st honderd en eerste
110 honderd tien 110th honderd tiende
200 tweehonderd 200th tweehonderdste
1,000 duizend 1,000th duizendste
1,001 duizend en een 1,001st duizend en eerste
million een miljoen millionth miljoenste
billion een miljard billionth miljardste
de helft half een keer once
een derde one third twee keer twice
een kwart one quarter drie keer three times
In the word for twenty-two, the ë is necessary because there are three of the same vowels in a row, and the accent mark shows that the third one needs to be pronounced separately. The use of commas and decimals is reversed in Dutch. Also note that I speak American English, so billion means 1,000,000,000 and not the British counterpart.
11. DAYS OF THE WEEK
Monday maandag
Tuesday dinsdag
Wednesday woensdag
Thursday donderdag
Friday vrijdag
Saturday zaterdag
Sunday zondag
day dag
morning ochtend
afternoon middag
evening avond
night nacht
today vandaag
tomorrow morgen
tonight deze nacht
yesterday gisteren
last night (de) afgelopen nacht
day after tomorrow overmorgen
day before yesterday eergisteren
week week
last week afgelopen week
weekend weekend
daily dagelijks
weekly wekelijks
12. MONTHS OF THE YEAR
January januari
February februari
March maart
April april
May mei
June juni
July juli
August augustus
September september
October oktober
November november
December december
month maand
year jaar
last year het afgelopen jaar
monthly maandelijks
yearly jaarlijks
13. SEASONS
Winter de winter
Spring de lente / het voorjaar
Summer de zomer
Autumn de herfst / het najaar
14. DIRECTIONS
Compass/Wind Location/Movement
North noord noorden right rechts
South zuid zuiden left links
East oost oosten straight rechtdoor
West west westen
15. COLORS & SHAPES
orange oranje square vierkant
pink roze circle cirkel
purple paars triangle driehoek
blue blauw rectangle rechthoek
yellow geel oval ovaal
red rood box vak
black zwart sphere bol
brown bruin cube kubus
gray grijs pyramid piramide
white wit cone kegel
green groen cylinder cilinder
silver zilver heart hart
gold goud star ster
beige beige diamond diamant
light licht crescent halvemaan
dark donker
Licht and donker are added to the colors to mean light and dark: lichtbruin - light brown.
16. TIME
What time is it? Hoe laat is het?
It's 1:00 Het is een uur.
2:00 Het is twee uur.
3:30 Het is half vier.
5:45 Het is kwart voor zes.
7:03 Het is drie (minuten) over zeven.
at 9:30 om half tien
noon twaalf uur 's middags
midnight twaalf uur 's nachts / middernacht
In the morning 's ochtends
During the day 's middags
In the evening 's avonds
At night 's nachts
Minuten can be omitted, just as in English.
17. WEATHER
How's the weather today? Wat voor weer is het vandaag?
It's cold Het is koud
beautiful Het is mooi
hot Het is heet
clear Het is helder
icy Het is ijzig
warm Het is warm
windy Het is windig
cloudy Het is bewolkt
hazy Het is mistig
muggy Het is drukkend / benauwd
humid Het is vochtig
foggy Het is mistig
It's snowing Het sneeuwt
It's raining Het regent
It's freezing Het vriest
18. FAMILY & PETS
family familie sister-in-law schoonzuster
parents ouders brother-in-law zwager
mother moeder / mamma godmother meter
father vader / papa godfather peetvader
child / children kind / kinderen boy jongen
son zoon girl meisje (n)
daughter dochter child kind
brother broeder / broer man, husband man
Sister zuster / zus woman, wife vrouw
grandparents grootouder friend (m) vriend
grandfather grootvader / opa friend (f) vriendin
grandmother grootmoeder / oma adult volwassene
grandchildren kleinkinderen relative bloedverwant
grandson kleinzoon siblings broers en zusters
granddaughter kleindochter twin tweeling
niece / cousin (f) nicht birth geboorte
nephew / cousin (m)
neef death dood
uncle oom marriage huwelijk (n)
aunt tante divorce echtscheiding
stepmother stiefmoeder
stepfather stiefvader dog hond
stepdaughter stiefdochter cat poes
stepson stiefzoon bird vogel
stepsister stiefzuster goldfish goudvis
stepbrother stiefbroeder gerbil woestijnrat
mother-in-law schoonmoeder hamster hamster
father-in-law schoonvader ferret fret
daughter-in-law schoondochter horse paard
son-in-law schoonzoon pony pony
In the vocabulary lists, (n) after the noun means that the gender is neuter and the definite article is het (rather than de.)
19. TO KNOW PEOPLE AND FACTS
kennen - to know people weten - to know facts
Present: ken ken kennen ken-nuh
weet vayt weten vay-tuh
Past: kende ken-duh
kenden ken-duh
wist vist wisten vist-uh
20. FORMATION OF PLURAL NOUNS
Most plural nouns are formed by adding either -en or -s. Remember that the definite article is always de before plural nouns.
1. -en (the n is pronounced softly) is added to most nouns, with a few spelling changes
boek - boeken book(s) jas - jassen coat(s) haar - haren hair(s) huis - huizen house(s)
Spelling changes: Words with long vowels (aa, ee, oo, and uu) drop the one vowel when another syllable is added. Words with the short vowels (a, e, i, o and u) double the following consonant to keep the vowels short. The letters f and s occur at the end of words or before consonants, while the letters v and z occur in the middle of words before vowels. (These spelling rules are also used for conjugating verbs, so it's best to memorize them as soon as possible.)
2. -s is added to nouns ending in the unstressed syllables -el, -em, -en, and -er (and -aar(d), -erd, -ier when referring to people), foreign words and to most nouns ending in an unstressed vowel
tafel - tafels table(s) jongen - jongens boy(s) tante - tantes aunt(s) bakker - bakkers baker(s)
Nouns ending in the vowels -a, -o, and -u add an apostrophe before the s: foto's, paraplu's
Irregular forms
3. Some nouns containing a short vowel do not double the following consonant in the plural before -en. The plural vowel is then pronounced as long.
bad - baden bath(s) dag - dagen day(s) spel - spelen game(s) (like the Olympics, smaller games are spellen) glas - glazen glass(es) weg - wegen road(s)
4. A few neuter nouns take the ending -eren (or -deren if the noun ends in -n)
blad - bladeren leaf (leaves) kind - kinderen child(ren) ei - eieren egg(s) been - beenderen bone(s) [Note: been - benen leg(s)] lied - liederen song(s) volk - volkeren nation(s), people
5. Nouns ending in -heid have a plural in -heden.
mogelijkheid - mogelijkheden possibility (possibilities)
6. Some other common irregular plurals are:
stad - steden town(s) schip - schepen ship(s) lid - leden member(s) koe - koeien cow(s)
21. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES
Singular
Plural
mijn (m'n) jouw (je) uw
my your (informal) your (formal)
ons / onze jullie (je) uw
our your (informal) your (formal)
zijn (z'n) haar zijn (z'n)
his her its
hun their
Ons is used before singular neuter/het nouns, and onze is used elsewhere (before singular common/de nouns, and all plural nouns.) Je, the unstressed form of jouw, is commonly used in spoken and written Dutch, unless the speaker/writer wants to stress the pronoun. In the plural, jullie is the norm, unless jullie has already been used in the sentence, then je is used to avoid the redundancy. The other unstressed forms are not commonly written in the standard language, but are commonly spoken and written in informal communication.
Like in English, Dutch possessive adjectives are used in front of a noun to show possession: mijn boek (my book). There are a few ways to express the -'s used in English too.
-s can be added to proper names and members of the family: Jans boek (John's book) The preposition van can be used to mean of: het boek van Jan (the book of John = John's book) And in more colloquial speech, the unstressed forms in parentheses above (agreeing in gender and number) can be used in place of the -s: Jan z'n boek (John's book)
To form the possessive pronouns, add -e to the stressed forms (except for jullie) and use the correct article. The only way to show possession with jullie is to use van jou (literally meaning "of you"), although all the others can be used with van too.
de/het mijne, jouwe, uwe, zijne, hare, onze, hunne (mine, yours, yours, his/its, hers, ours, theirs)
22. TO DO AND TO MAKE
doen - to do maken - to make
doe doo doen doon maak mahk maken mah-kuh
doet doot doen doon maakt mahkt maken mah-kuh
doet doot doen doon maakt mahkt maken mah-kuh
Expressions with doen:
doen alsof - to act as though doen denken aan - to remind of dichtdoen - to close opendoen - to open pijndoen - to hurt, cause pain
23. WORK
male
female (if different from male)
actor acteur actrice
actor (stage) toneelspeler toneelspeelster
author/writer schrijver schrifster
baker bakker bakster
bookkeeper boekhouder boekhoudster
bookseller boekhandelaar boekhandelaarster
butcher slager
cashier kassajongen kassameisje
dentist tandarts
doctor dokter
engineer ingenieur
hairdresser kapper kapster
journalist journalist journaliste
judge rechter
lawyer advocaat
mail man postbode
mechanic monteur
musician muzikant muzikante
nurse verpleger verpleegster
office worker kantoormedewerker kantoormedewerkster
officer officier
painter schilder schilderes
photographer fotograaf fotografe
salesperson verkoper verkoopster
secretary secretaris secretaresse
singer zanger zangeres
soldier soldaat
surgeon chirurg
teacher leraar lerares
24. PREPOSITIONS
about over in in, over (used with time)
above / over
boven / over in front of voor
according to
volgens inside / within binnen
after na in spite of ondanks
against tegen near bij
along langs next to naast
around rond(om) of van
at bij, om, aan on top of / on op / aan
because of vanwege opposite tegenover
before voor out (of) uit
behind achter since sinds, sedert
between tussen through door
by met, door to aan, naar(toe) (direction towards something)
during gedurende, tijdens under onder
except for behalve voor until tot, totdat
for voor with met
from van, uit, vandaan without zonder
At translates as bij when it's a personal location, such as ik ben bij Jan (I'm at Johns place/I am with John). Om refers to time: om 12 uur (at noon); and aan refers to an impersonal location: aan tafel (at the table). By is met in the sense of ik doe het met de hand (I do it by hand) or ik ga met het vliegtuig (I go by plane). From is van when it refers to a person, een kado van jou (a gift from you); and uit when it is a location, ik kom uit Japan (I come from Japan.) Vandaan indicates from where, as in waar kom jij vandaan (where are you from?)
25. COUNTRIES AND NATIONALITIES
Country Nationality (masc. / fem.)
Africa Afrika Afrikaan / Afrikaanse
America Amerika Amerikaan / Amerikaanse
Argentina Argentinië Argentijn / Argentijnse
Asia Azië Aziaat
Austria Oostenrijk Oostenrijker / Oostenrijkse
Belgium België Belg / Belgische
Brazil Brazili Braziliaan / Braziliaanse
China China Chinees / Chinese
Denmark Denemarken Deen / Deense
England Engeland Engelsman / Engelse
Europe Europa Europeaan
France Frankrijk Fransman / Française
Germany Duitsland Duitser / Duitse
Great Britain Groot Brittani Brit / Britse
Greece Griekenland Griek / Griekse
Holland Holland Hollander / Hollandse
Hungary Hongarije Hongaar / Hongaarse
India India Indir / Indische
Ireland Ierland Ier / Ierse
Italy Italië Italiaan / Italiaanse
Japan Japan Japanner / Japanse
Netherlands Nederland Nederlander / Nederlandse
Norway Noorwegen Noor / Noorse
Poland Polen Pool / Poolse
Portugal Portugal Portugees / Portugese
Russia Rusland Rus / Russin
Spain Spanje Spanjaard / Spaanse
Sweden Zweden Zweed / Zweedse
Switzerland Zwitserland Zwitser / Zwitserse
Turkey Turkije Turk / Turkse
United States Verenigde Staten Amerikaan / Amerikaanse
The feminine form of many occupations and nationalities is indicated by one of five endings. For most nationalities, -e is added, as in Nederlandse (Dutch woman). The endings -in, -es, -esse and -ster are also used to form female counterparts. -ster is added to verbs while -esse replaces the -is ending of some nouns.
boer - boerin (farmer - female farmer/farmer's wife) leeuw - leeuwin (lion - lioness) koning - koningin (king - queen) Rus - Russin (Russian man - Russian woman) leraar - lerares (male teacher - female teacher) prins - prinses (prince - princess)
student - studente (male student - female student) secretaris - secretaresse (male secretary - female secretary) bibliothekaris - bibliothekaresse (male librarian - female librarian) schrijfer - scrijfster (write - female author) verpleeger - verpleegster (nurse - female nurse)
26. NEGATIVE SENTENCES
The word niet (not) is used to negate sentences, and is generally placed at the end of the clause. However, niet precedes a preposition, an adjective that follows a noun, and the words binnen (inside), buiten (outside), beneden (downstairs), boven (upstairs) and thuis (at home).
Een is usually not preceded by niet or any phrase ending with niet (ook niet - not either, nog niet - not yet). Instead, geen, ook geen and nog geen replace the article. Geen is translated by not a, not any or no when followed by a noun in English. Geen also negates nouns that cannot be counted, such as water, bier and wijn.
Jan leest niet. Jan does not read. Hij werkt volgende week ook niet. He is not working next week either. Ik wil geen kopje koffie. I don't want a cup of coffee. Zij hebben nog geen huis gevonden. They have not found a house yet.
27.TO COME AND TO GO
komen - to come gaan - to go
kom kawm komen koh-muh
ga gah gaan gahn
komt kawmt komen koh-muh
gaat gaht gaan gahn
komt kawmt komen koh-muh
gaat gaht gaan gahn
Expressions with komen and gaan:
Hoe komt het dat.. ? How is it that.. ? Hoe gaat het met u? How are you? Het gaat goed met me. I am fine. gaan zitten - to sit down, be seated
28. TO AND FROM COUNTRIES AND CITIES
to from
naar uit
Ik kom uit Nederland. I come from the Netherlands. Zij gaat naar New York. She's going to New York.
29. CONJUGATING REGULAR VERBS
English has three ways of expressing the present tense, such as I run, I am running, I do run. All three of these tenses are translated as one tense in Dutch. Most verbs are regular in Dutch in the present tense, and it is formed by using the verb stem (the infinitive minus the -en), and adding these endings (Note that there is no ending for the first person singular form, and all the plural forms are identical to the infinitive):
Verb endings
drinken - to drink
- -t -t
-en -en -en
drink drinkt drinkt
drinken drinken drinken
There is, however, an alternative present tense to express an action that is currently happening: use zijn aan het with the infinitive. Ik ben aan het koken would translate as I am cooking (right now.)
The perfect tense in English of expressions of "for," "since" and "how long?" are rendered by the present tense in Dutch: Ik woon hier al vijf jaar. I have lived here for five years. Hij werkt sinds april met zijn broer. He has been working with his brother since April.
Graag is an adverb used with verbs to express "to like to.." instead of using the verb houden van, which literally means to like or love.
To form questions, simply invert the subject and verb. For the second person singular form (jij), the -t ending of the conjugated verb is dropped. Dutch does not have an equivalent of the English "do" in questions, so Woon jij in Rotterdam? means Do you live in Rotterdam? although it literally is Live you in Rotterdam?
30. IRREGULARITIES IN REGULAR VERBS
When you add the present tense endings, you must observe the regular spelling rules in Dutch. Words with long vowels (aa, ee, oo, and uu) drop the one vowel when another syllable is added. Words with the short vowels (a, e, i, o and u) double the following consonant to keep the vowels short. The letters f and s occur at the end of words or before consonants, while the letters v and z occur in the middle of words before vowels. Notice how the infinitive is still identical to the plural conjugations for wij, jullie, and zij, and the stem is identical to the ik form.
Infinitive
Stem & ik form
jij, hij, etc. wij, jullie, etc.
betalen blijven hopen raden geloven schrijven kiezen haten leven lezen praten rijden wassen gaan staan slaan
to pay to stay to hope to guess to believe to write to choose to hate to live to read to talk to ride to wash to go to stand to hit
betaal blijf hoop raad geloof schrijf kies haat leef lees praat rijd was ga sta sla
betaalt blijft hoopt raadt gelooft schrijft kiest haat leeft leest praat rijdt wast gaat staat slaat
betalen blijven hopen raden geloven schrijven kiezen haten leven lezen praten rijden wassen gaan staan slaan
One verb that does not follow the spelling rule is komen. The singular forms are all written and pronounced with the short o, while the plural forms are written and pronounced with the long o: kom, komt and komen. (According to the spelling rules, the singular forms should be the long o, but they are not.)
There are five verbs whose ending is only -n: gaan (to go), staan (to stand), slaan (to hit), doen (to do) and zien (to see); the first three change according to the spelling rules.
If a stem ends in -t, you do not add another -t for the second and third person singular forms. zitten - to sit; hij zit - he sits
Verb stems that end in -oud and -ijd drop the -d in the first person singular and in question forms of the second person singular form. The -d can be written, but it is not pronounced. rijden - to ride; ik rij(d) - I ride; rij(d) jij? - do you ride?
31. MODAL VERBS
In Dutch, there are four modals: kunnen - to be able to, can; moeten - to have to, must; mogen - to be allowed to, may; and willen - to want to. Modals can be used with other infinitives without the use of prepositions.
kunnen moeten mogen willen
ik jij / u hij / zij / het wij jullie zij
kan kan / kunt kan kunnen kunnen kunnen
moet moet moet moeten moeten moeten
mag mag mag mogen mogen mogen
wil wil / wilt wil willen willen willen
The -t of kunt and wilt are dropped in inversions with jij, but not with moet. Kan and kunt are used interchangeably for the second person singular form of kunnen, so jij kan and jij kunt as well as jij wil and jij wilt are both possible. The main difference is that kan and wil are considered slightly more informal with jij than kunt or wilt.
Common verbs, such as doen and gaan, can be omitted in Dutch after modals, but not in the English translation. In addition, impersonal constructions with het/dat + modals are used.
Dat kan. That's possible/can be done. Het moet. It must be done.
When modals are used with other verbs, the other verb is in the infinitive and placed at the end of the clause or sentence.
32. REFLEXIVE VERBS
Reflexive verbs express an action that reciprocates back to the subject. In other words, whoever is speaking is doing an action to himself. Examples in English would be: I wash
myself, he hurts himself, we hate ourselves. The reflexive pronouns always follow the subject and verb.
Reflexive Pronouns
me je / u zich
ons je zich
The reflexive pronoun u is often replaced by zich to avoid the double occurrence of u.
Verbs that are always reflexive:
zich afvragen zich bevinden zich ergeren zich gedragen zich generen zich haasten zich herinneren zich herstellen zich schamen voor zich vergissen in zich verheugen op zich verslapen zich voorstellen
ask oneself find oneself get annoyed by behave be embarrassed hurry remember recover be ashamed of be mistaken about look forward to oversleep imagine, introduce oneself
Verbs that can be reflexive or used with other direct objects
aankleden amuseren bewegen ergeren opwinden scheren snijden uitkleden verbazen verdedigen verkleden
get dressed enjoy oneself move make angry get excited shave (oneself) cut oneself undress (oneself) be amazed defend oneself change clothes
verontschuldigen verschuilen vervelen voelen wassen
excuse oneself/apologize hide (oneself) to be bored feel wash (oneself)
Emphatic Forms
mezelf jezelf zichzelf
onszelf jezelf zichzelf
The emphatic forms of the reflexive pronouns can only be used with the verbs that can be reflexive or used with other direct objects, and never with verbs that are always reflexive.
Elkaar is used when there is a reciprocal meaning of "each other" in English.
33. VERBS FOLLOWED BY PREPOSITIONS
afhangen van depend on
bang zijn voor be afraid of
deelnemen aan take part in
denken aan think of/about
feliciteren met congratulate on
gebrek hebben aan be short of
herinneren aan remind
houden van like, love (things or people)
huilen om cry at/about
kijken naar look at/watch
lachen om laugh at
letten op pay attention to
lijden aan suffer from
luisteren naar listen to
praten/spreken met talk to
reageren op react to
rekenen op rely on
sterven aan die of
trek/zin hebben in want
trouwen met marry
twijfelen aan doubt
vragen om ask for
weten van know about
zeggen tegen say to
zorgen voor care for
34. SEPARABLE PREFIXES
aan- af- binnen- in- na- onder- over- toe- voor-
achter- bij- door- mee- om- op- tegen- uit- -weg
When verbs with separable prefixes are conjugated, the prefixes go to the end of the clause or sentence. For example, uitgaan (to go out) and weggaan (to go away):
Gaan jullie niet meer uit? Don't you go out anymore? Hij gaat vandaag weg. He's going away today.
35. INSEPARABLE PREFIXES
be- ont- ge-
her- ver- er-
These prefixes always remain attached to their infinitives. The inseparable prefixes are unstressed syllables, as compared to the separable prefixes, of which most can stand alone as prepositions. -ann, -onder, -over, -door, -voor and -om can also be inseparable prefixes if they are unstressed.
36. PRESENT PERFECT OR PAST INDEFINITE TENSE
This tense is used more often than the simple past, especially in conversation, and is equivalent to I have asked or I asked. Regular verbs use a form of hebben or zijn and a past participle. Past participles are made by adding ge- to the beginning of the verb stem and -t or -d to the end. Verb stems are the infinitives minus the -en, with the appropriate spelling changes. The stems are identical to the first person singular present tense form.
-t is added to stems ending in t, k, f, s, ch, and p (note that if the stem ends in -t already, you do not double the consonant), while -d is added to all other stems, except those already ending in -d. (If a stem ends in -f or -s, but the infinitive contained -v or -z, then still add a -d)
Verbs with inseparable prefixes do not add ge- in this tense. Verbs with separable prefixes add the ge after the prefix and before the stem (afgemaakt).
Verb
Stem Past Participle
hopen to hope hoop gehoopt
maken blaffen missen dromen bellen loven vrezen praten koken blaffen kuchen bouwen horen branden bedoelen bepraten geloven verhuizen afmaken
to make to bark to miss to dream to ring to praise to be afraid to talk to cook to bark to cough to build to hear to burn to mean to discuss to believe to move house to finish
maak blaf mis droom bel loof vrees praat kook blaf kuch bouw hoor brand bedoel bepraat geloof verhuis af...maak
gemaakt geblaft gemist gedroomd gebeld geloofd gevreesd gepraat gekookt geblaft gekucht gebouwd gehoord gebrand bedoeld bepraat geloofd verhuisd afgemaakt
Hebben vs. Zijn Some verbs of motion can take either hebben or zijn depending on whether it is the action that is stressed (hebben) or the destination/direction (zijn.) Verbs taking zijn are generally intransitive (they do not take direct objects) and denote a change in motion/position or change in state/condition. Most verbs derived from zijn verbs also take zijn in the perfect tense.
Modals The past participles of the modals (kunnen: gekund; moeten: gemoeten; mogen: gemoogd, willen: gewild) are only used when the modal is used independently of another verb. Ik heb het gemoeten. I had to (do it).
If the perfect tense of a modal is used with another verb, then the past participle of the modal is replaced by its infinitive. This double infinitive construction (infinitive of modal + other infinitive) is always placed at the end of the clause or sentence. Ik heb gisteren kunnen komen. I was able to come yesterday.
37. IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLES
Infinitive
Past Participle
Infinitive Past Participle
begin beginnen begonnen walk lopen gelopen
understand begrijpen begrepen must, have to
moeten gemoeten
offer bieden geboden may mogen gemogen
remain blijven gebleven call roepen geroepen
break breken gebroken write schrijven geschreven
bring brengen gebracht sleep slapen geslapen
think denken gedacht hit slaan geslagen
do doen gedaan stand staan gestaan
drink drinken gedronken speak spreken gesproken
eat eten gegeten die sterven gestorven
go gaan gegaan forget vergeten vergeten
give geven gegeven lose verliezen verloren
have hebben gehad find vinden gevonden
help helpen geholpen ask vragen gevraagd
be called heten geheten know weten geweten
hold houden gehouden show wijzen gewezen
look kijken gekeken want willen gewild
come komen gekomen become worden geworden
buy kopen gekocht say zeggen gezegd
get krijgen gekregen see zien gezien
can, be able to
kunnen gekund be zijn geweest
let laten gelaten sing zingen gezongen
read lezen gelezen sit zitten gezeten
lie liggen gelegen look for zoeken gezocht
38. ZIJN VERBS
A few common verbs take zijn instead of hebben in the present perfect tense:
blijven blijken gaan gebeuren komen
to stay to appear/seem to go to happen to come
stoppen/ophouden verdwijnen verschijnen worden zijn
to stop to disappear to appear to become to be
39. FOOD AND MEALS
breakfast ontbijt (n) bread brood (n)
lunch middagmaal (n), lunch
pepper peper
dinner avondeten (n) salt zout (n)
glass glas (n) ice ijs
fork vork vinegar azijn
spoon lepel oil olie
knife mes (n) sugar suiker
napkin servet (n) butter boter
plate bord (n) table tafel
silverware bestek (n) dish schotel
tea thee juice sap
steak biefstuk water water
cake taart / cake / koek wine wijn
ice cream roomijs (n) beer bier (n)
coffee koffie beverage drank
pie vlaai milk melk
mustard mosterd egg ei (n)
rice rijst honey honing
jam jam snack snack, tussendoortje
soup soep cheese kaas
salad salade cookies koekje
40. FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND MEATS
fruit vrucht cabbage kool
pineapple ananas pumpkin pompoen
apple appel olive olijf
apricot abrikoos radish radijs
banana banaan lettuce sla
pear peer tomato tomaat
strawberry aardbei onion ui
raspberry framboos meat vlees (n)
cherry kers veal kalfsvlees (n)
lime limoen lamb lam (n)
lemon citroen beef rundvlees (n)
orange sinaasappel ham ham
peach perzik pork varkensvlees (n)
grapes druif bacon bacon
vegetables groente sausage worst
cauliflower bloemkool poultry pluimvee (n)
bean boon duck eend
pea erwt goose gans
cucumber komkommer chicken kip
carrot wortel, peen turkey kalkoen
potato aardappel fish vis
The National Anthem of the Netherlands: Wilhelmus van Nassouwe By Marnix van St. Aldegonde (2 stanzas out of 15)
Wilhelmus van Nassouwe ben ik van Duitsen bloed den vaderland getrouwe blijf ik tot in den dood. Een Prinse van Oranje ben ik, vrij onverveerd, den Koning van Hispanje heb ik altijd geëerd.
Mijn schild ende betrouwen zijt Gij, o God mijn Heer, op U zo wil ik bouwen, verlaat mij nimmermeer. Dat ik doch vroom mag blijven, uw dienaar t'aller stond, de tirannie verdrijven die mij mijn hert doorwondt.
William of Nassau am I, of Dutch blood; True to the fatherland I remain until death. Prince of Orange am I, free and fearless. To the King of Spain I have always given honour. You, my God and Lord, are my shield, on You I rely. On You I will build; never leave me, So that I may remain pious, your servant at all moments, Dispelling the tyranny that wounds my heart.
The National Anthem of Belgium: De Brabançonne By Alexandre Dechet, 1830
O dierbaar België O heilig land der vaad'ren Onze ziel en ons hart zijn u gewijd. Aanvaard ons hart en het bloed van onze adren, Wees ons doel in arbeid en in strijd. Bloei, o land, in eendracht niet te breken; Wees immer u zelf en ongeknecht, Het woord getrouw, dat ge onbevreesd moogt spreken: Voor Vorst, voor Vrijheid en voor Recht. (x3)
O beloved Belgium, sacred land of our fathers, Our heart and soul are dedicated to you. Our strength and the blood of our veins we offer, Be our goal, in work and battle. Prosper, O country, in unbreakable unity, Always be yourself and free. Trust in the word that, undaunted, you can speak: For King, for Freedom and for Law. (x3)
41. WORD ORDER
Dutch word order requires Time - Manner - Place. English generally uses place before time, but Dutch cannot. Hij gaat morgen met de trein naar Londen. He's going to London tomorrow by train. (Literally: he's going tomorrow by train to London.)
The verb must always be in the second position in a Dutch sentence. This not does not mean that it must always be the second word, however. (Inversion of subject and verb to form questions is an exception.) In de winter gaat hij met de trein naar Londen. In the winter he's going to London by train. (Literally: In the winter goes he by train to London.)
Separable prefixes, past participles and infinitive always go to the end of the clause or sentence. The double infinitive construction always goes to the end of the clause or sentence as well.
42. COMMANDS
The stem with the appropriate spelling changes is most commonly used as the command form. When being polite, the u form is used (with u following the verb.) If a verb has a separable prefix, it is sent to the end of the clause. The "let's" form plus a verb is rendered in Dutch by laten we + infinitive. When the command is general and no one in particular is being addressed, the infinitive is used, especially on signs.
Kijk! Look! Laat mij het doen! Let me do it! Blijft u zitten. Please remain seated. Kijk uit! Look out! Laten we gaan. Let's go. Niet roken. No smoking. Trekken / Duwen. Pull / Push.
Note that zijn has an irregular imperative form: wees (and the polite form: weest u)
43. COORDINATING AND SUBORDINATING
CONJUNCTIONS
Coordinating conjunctions join two sentences together. Word order is not affected by coordinating conjunctions. Examples are en (and), dus (so, thus), maar (but), of (or) and want (for, because).
Subordinating conjunctions are used to connect an independent and dependent clause together, and they do affect word order. An independent (or main) clause contains a subject and verb and can stand alone as its own sentence.
A dependent (or subordinate) clause also contains a subject and verb, but is introduced with a subordinating conjunction and cannot stand alone as its own sentence.
Mijn zoon was ziek, toen hij klein was. My son was sick when he was little. Ik weet dat jij mij leuk vindt. I know that you like me.
When a subordinating conjunction introduces a clause, the next clause must begin with a verb.
Hoewel hij jong is, is hij erg rijk. Although he is young, he is very rich. Zodra ik klaar ben, kom ik even langs. As soon as I'm ready, I'll come over.
Subordinating Conjunctions
if/when as if except that that although to the extent that now whether because after since
als alsof behalve dat dat hoewel inzover(re) dat nu(dat) of omdat na(dat) sinds
unless while when (in past) until when before just so that as long as without as far as
tenzij terwijl toen tot(dat) wanneer voor(dat) zoals zodat zolang zonder dat zover
44. HOLIDAY PHRASES
Happy New Year Happy Easter Merry Christmas Happy Birthday
Gelukkig nieuwjaar Zalig pasen / Vrolijk Pasen Zalig kerstfeest Hartelijk gefeliciteerd (met je verjaardag)
Zalig is the word traditionally used by Catholics (the Pope uses it) when saying something in Dutch at Christmas. Protestants say Prettige kerstdagen (nice), Gelukkig kerstfeest (happy), or Vrolijk kerstfeest (cheerful); a lot of variation is possible.
45. BLIJVEN AND LATEN
Blijven (to remain) can be used with an infinitive to express a continuous or repeated action. Blijven acts like a modal verb in the sentence; blijven is conjugated and the other verb remains in the infinitive and goes to the end of the sentence.
De kat blijft naar de muis kijken. The cat keeps looking at the mouse. Blijft u maar zitten! Please remain seated!
Laten (to let, leave) can also behave like a modal verb when used with another verb. It corresponds to "to let" or "to have something done (by someone else)." In the perfect tense, laten also behaves like a modal because the infinitive is used instead of the past participle when it occurs with another verb.
Laten we naar huis gaan. Let's go home. Zij laat haar kamer verven. She's having her room painted. Hij heeft zijn auto laten wassen. He's had his car washed.
46. PLACES
airport luchthaven lane (town) steeg
bakery bakkerij library bibliotheek
bank bank market markt
barn schuur monument gedenkteken (n)
barracks kazerne museum museum
bridge brug palace paleis
bookstore boekwinkel path pad (n)
building gebouw (n) pavement trottoir (n)
castle slot (n) pharmacy apotheek
cathedral kathedraal police station politiebureau (n)
cemetery kerkhof (n) port haven
church kerk prison gevangenis
cinema bioscoop restaurant restaurant
consulate consulaat (n) road (highway)
landweg
corner straathoek school school
drugstore apotheek square plein (n)
embassy ambassade stadium stadium
factory fabriek store winkel
farm boerderij street straat
fountain fontein suburb voorstad
garage garage theater theater / schouwburg
hospital ziekenhuis (n)
tower toren
hotel hotel town stad
house huis (n) town hall stadhuis (n)
hut hut university universiteit
inn herberg village dorp
47. TRANSPORTATION
bus (auto)bus
train trein
airplane vliegtuig
ship schip
boat boot
motorcycle motorfiets
automobile automobiel
streetcar tram
moped bromfiets
bicycle fiets
car auto(mobiel)
48. SIMPLE PAST TENSE
The simple past tense in Dutch corresponds to the simple past tense in English. It is not a compound tense like the perfect tense, and some verbs have vowel changes, as in English. Generally, the simple past tense is indicated in English by adding -ed to the verb (for regular verbs, at least.) This tense is used for actions that happened in the past and that are completely done. To form the past tense, add -te (or -de) to the stem for the singular persons and -ten (or -den) to the stem for the plural persons. If the verb stem ends in p, t, k, f, s, or ch, add -te or -ten; for all other endings, add -de or -den. Verbs that have either v or z as the final consonant of the stem change them to f or s first and then add -de and -den.
ik, jij, u, hij, zij wij, jullie, zij
wonen - to live woonde woonden
geloven - to believe geloofde geloofden
praten - to talk praatte praatten
spelen - to play speelde speelden
trouwen - to marry trouwde trouwden
werken - to work werkte werkten
fietsen - to cycle fietste fietsten
49. IRREGULAR STEMS IN SIMPLE PAST TENSE
For some verbs, the internal vowel of the stem changes in the past tense. The stem with the changed vowel then acts as the past tense for all persons of the singular, while the plural adds -en to the changed stem. In addition, there are some irregular verbs that change more than the vowel, but still add nothing for the singular and -en for the plural.
ik, jij, u, hij, zij wij, jullie, zij
zijn - to be was waren
hebben - to have had hadden
gaan - to go ging gingen
weten - to know wist wisten
denken - to think dacht dachten
blijven - to stay bleef bleven
drinken - to drink dronk dronken
eten - to eat at aten
breken - to break brak braken
bijten - to bite beet beten
gieten - to pour goot goten
50. HOUSE AND FURNITURE
alarm clock
wekker desk bureau painting schilderij (n)
armchair leunstoel door deur pillow kussen (n)
ashtray asbak (n) drawer lade pipe (water)
pijpleiding
balcony balkon (n) dresser ladenkast radio radio
basement kelder fire vuur (n) refrigerator koelkast
basket korf flame vlam roof dak (n)
bathroom badkamer (n)
flat (apartment)
apartement room kamer
bed bed (n) floor vloer sheet laken (n)
bedroom slaapkamer flower bloem shovel schop
(door)bell (deur)bel furniture meubelen (pl.) shower douche
blanket deken garden tuin smoke rook
blinds rolgordijn (n)
ground floor
benedenverdieping sofa (zit)bank
box kist hearth haard stairs trap
broom bezem house huis (n) floor (of building)
verdieping
bucket emmer iron (flat) strijkijzer (n) stove kachel
candle kaars kerosene petroleum table tafel
carpet tapijt (n) key sleutel tap (faucet)
kraan
ceiling plafond (n) kitchen keuken television televisie
chair stoel ladder ladder toilet (WC) wc / toilet
chimney schoorsteen lamp lamp towel handdoek
closet kast lock slot (n) vacuum cleaner
stofzuiger
computer computer mattress matras vase vaas
corner hoek mirror spiegel wall (house)
muur
cupboard kast oven oven wall (room)
wand
curtain gordijn (n) pantry provisiekast window raam (n)
cushion kussen (n) paper basket
prullenmand yard (achter)tuin
51. STAAN, LIGGEN AND ZITTEN
These verbs are all translated as "to be" in certain cases. When an object is in an upright position, staan is used. When an object is lying down, liggen is used. When an object is inside of something else, zitten is used.
De auto staat voor het huis. The car is in front of the house. De krant ligt op de grond. The newspaper is on the floor. De pen zit in de tas. The pen is in the bag.
52. CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES
belt riem pants (trousers)
broek
boot laars pin speld
braces bretels (pl.) pipe pijp
brush borstel pocket zak
button knoop shirt overhemd (n)
cigar sigaar shoe schoen
cigarette sigaret shoelace schoenveter
clothes kleren silk zijde
coat jas skirt rok
collar boord sleeve mouw
comb kam soap zeep
cotton katoen (n) sock sok
dress jurk stick stok
fashion mode stocking kous
glasses bril (sing.) tie stropdas
glove handschoen toothbrush tandenborstel
handkerchief zakdoek toothpaste tandpasta
hat hoed umbrella paraplu
jeans spijkerbroek underwear onderbroek
match lucifer waistcoat vest (n)
needle naald watch horloge (n)
overcoat overjas wool wol
53. FUTURE TENSE
The future tense consists of a conjugated form of zullen and an infinitive placed at the end of the sentence. Except for the word order, this is similar to English will + an infinitive. The future tense can also be used to express probability. When it does, wel is added to the sentence.
ik zal wij zullen
jij, u zult / zal jullie zullen
hij, zij het zal zij zullen
Like the modals, either zult or zal can be used with jij and u. Both are considered correct.
De reis zal twee uur duren. The trip will last two hours. Wij zullen het wel weten. We will probably know it.
The regular present tense can also express a future event with the use of time expressions. This is common in English too.
Morgen gaan zij naar Rotterdam. They're going to Rotterdam tomorrow.
Gaan and an infinitive at the end of the sentence can also be used to express the future. This is equivalent to the English construction "going to + verb."
Ik ga een brief schrijven. I'm going to write a letter.
Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect expresses "will have + past participle" and is as uncommon in Dutch as it is in English. Zullen is still used at the conjugated verb, but the past participle and infinitive of hebben (or zijn) are put at the end of the sentence.
Hij zal de krant gelezen hebben. He will have read the newspaper.
54. VERB MEANINGS
Some verbs in English are expressed in Dutch as two different verbs and vice versa. The most common are:
kennen: to know a person or a place; to be acquainted with (general familiarity) weten: to know facts (specific knowledge)
leven: to be alive, to exist, to subsist wonen: to reside, to dwell
betekenen: to signify bedoelen: to intend
noemen: to call, name heten: to be called, be named
lenen aan: to lend to lenen van: to borrow from
leren: to teach (someone something) leren (van): to learn (from someone)
55. INFLECTIONS OF ADJECTIVES
When adjectives are placed before nouns, and not after, they add the ending -e. The spelling rules that affect pluralization of nouns and verb conjugations also apply when inflecting adjectives. However, the -e is not added when the adjective occurs before a neuter singular noun without an article (warm water) or a neuter singular noun preceded by een, geen, elk (each), ieder (each), menig (many a), veel (much), welk (which) or zo'n (such a). Adjectives that end in -en, as well as the adjectives linker (left) and rechter (right), do not add -e either.
het grote huis - the large house de lange muur - the long wall mijn mooie tuin - my beautiful garden snelle treinen - fast trains
een oud huis - an old house vers brood - fresh bread de houten trap - the wooden staircase zijn rechter oog - his right eye
When an adjective is placed directly after iets (something), niet (nothing), veel (much), weinig (little), and wat (something), it adds the ending -s.
iets moois - something beautiful niets nieuws - nothing new
If the noun following the adjective has been mentioned before, it may be omitted. In English, "one" is used in its place, but there is no equivalent word in Dutch. Dutch simply uses the article and adjective, with the -e inflection, if it is required.
Koop je een jurk? Ja, ik neem de blauwe. Are you buying a dress? Yes, I'll take the blue (one.)
56. ADJECTIVES
short kort high hoog light licht
long, tall lang wide wijd dark donker
loud luid fat, thick vet, dik terrible vreselijk
quiet stil thin dun sweet zoet
cute lief, schattig narrow nauw in love verliefd
perfect perfekt weak zwak serious serieus
sad triest, droevig
strong sterk clean proper, net
happy blij, gelukkig deep diep dirty vuil
dear beste lazy lui shy verlegen
famous bekend, beroemd
cheap goedkoop nervous nerveus, zenuwachtig
different verschillend, ander
dumb dom comfortable comfortabel
easy gemakkelijk early vroeg worried bezorgd
difficult moeilijk near nabij, dichtbij
right juist
pretty mooi nice mooi, aardig wrong verkeerd
ugly lelijk inexpensive goedkoop jealous jaloers
small klein expensive duur drunk dronken, zat
large groot crazy gek popular populair
good goed far ver(af) excellent excellent
bad slecht beautiful mooi valuable kostbaar
new nieuw curious nieuwsgierig alone alleen
tired vermoeid, moe
old oud important belangrijk
angry kwaad, boos young jong busy bezig, bezet
annoying vervelend, irritant
interesting interessant sick ziek, misselijk
wonderful wonderlijk fantastic fantastisch ready klaar
57. COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE
Comparisons of equality use the expression even + adjective + als and it translates to "as + adjective + as." In addition, you can use net zo + adjective + als to mean "as + adjective + as," but it is more emphatic.
dit hotel is even duur als de andere - this hotel is as expensive as the others
But note: zo veel mogelijk - as soon as possible / zo vlug mogelijk - as fast as possible
When comparing two things, the comparative form of the adjective is used. It is formed in Dutch by adding -er to the adjective (or -der if the adjective ends in -r). This is used for all adjectives; there is no "more + adjective" construction as there is for some adjectives in English. Comparative adjectives add the -e ending for the inflection according to the requirements above; however, adjectives with three or more syllables do not. When using comparative adjectives, dan translates as "than."
leuk - nice leuker - nicer vriendelijk - friendly vriendelijker - friendlier
When expressing the highest degree of a quality or characteristic, the superlative form of the adjective is used. Most adjectives add -st (or just -t if the adjective already ends in -s). Since the -st ending does not add a syllable to the adjective, the spelling rules do not apply. All superlatives are inflected like regular adjectives. However, if the superlative adjective is a predicate adjective (follows "to be" and does not precede a noun), then het precedes it and the -e is optional. With the superlative, van translates as "in" or "of." In contrast to English, Dutch does use the superlative to compare two or more things.
leuk - nice leukst - nicest het grootste huis - the biggest house de duurste kleren - the most expensive clothes Hij is de oudste van de twee. He is the older (literally: oldest) of the two.
For ease of pronunciation, adjectives ending in -st and -sch do not add -st to form the superlative, but use meest (most) before.
meest juist - most just meest logisch - most logical
Don't forget the spelling changes when dealing with long and short vowels:
groot, groter, grootst - big, bigger, biggest laat, later, laatst - late, later, latest
Some of the most common adjectives have irregular forms:
adjective good goed bad erg much veel little weinig
comparative better beter worse erger more meer less minder
superlative best best worst ergst most meest least minst
58. SPORTS
golf golf
soccer voetbal
volleyball volleybal
football rugby, American football
basketball basketbal
baseball honkbal
hockey hockey
tennis tennis
bowling bowlen, bowling
sailing zeilen
horseback riding paardrijden
boxing boksen
roller-skating rolschaatsen
ice-skating schaatsen
skiing skien
bicycle racing wielrennen
riding a bicycle fietsen
swimming zwemmen
59. NATURE
air lucht grass gras (n) rock rots
bank oever hail hagel sand zand (n)
bay baai hay hooi (n) sea zee
beach strand (n) heath heide shadow schaduw
bridge brug high tide vloed sky lucht
bush struik hill heuvel snow sneeuw
cave grot ice ijs (n) spring (water)
bron
city stad island eiland (n) star ster
cloud wolk lake meer (n) storm storm
coast kust leaf blad stream beek
country land (n) light licht (n) street straat
country(side) platteland (n)
lightning bliksem sun zon
current stroom low tide eb thaw (ont)dooi
darkness duisternis meadow weide thunder donder
desert woestijn moon maan tree boom
dew dauw mountain berg valley vallei
dust stof (n) mud modder view uitzicht (n)
earth aarde nature natuur water water (n)
farm boerderij peninsula schiereiland (n)
fresh water zoet water (n)
field veld (n) plain vlakte salt water zout water (n)
flower bloem plant plant waterfall waterval
foam schuim (n) pond vijver wave golf
fog mist rain regen weather weer (n)
forest bos (n) rainbow regenboog wind wind
frost vorst river rivier world wereld
60. OBJECT PRONOUNS
Subject Objects
I ik ('k) me mij (me)
you (fam.) jij (je) you jou (je)
you (form.) u you u
he hij him hem ('m)
she zij (ze) her haar (ze)
it hij / het it het ('t)
we wij (we) us ons
you (pl.) jullie you jullie (je)
you (form.) u you u
they zij (ze) them hen (ze) / hun (ze)
Direct and indirect object pronouns are the same in Dutch, except for "them." Hen is used if it is a direct object, and hun is used if it is an indirect object. Generally, indirect objects are preceded by "to" or "from" in English, and direct objects are not preceded by any prepositions. Additionally, these object pronouns are used in prepositional phrases.
An alternative way of showing possession without using the possessive pronouns is to use van + object pronoun. In fact,
this is the only way to show possession with the jullie form, as there is no possessive pronoun for it. This construction corresponds to "of + object" and occurs often in sentences with the verb "to be." Is deze pen van jou? Is this your pen? Die schoenen zijn niet van mij. Those shoes are not mine.
If the noun is not present in the clause, then die or dat + van + object pronoun is used. Mijn huis is klein; dat van hem is erg groot. My house is small; his is very large.
61. PARTS OF THE BODY
ankle enkel finger vinger nail nagel
arm arm flesh vlees (n) neck hals / nek
back rug foot voet nerve zenuw
beard baard forehead voorhoofd (n) pain pijn
belly buik gum tandvlees (n) nose neus
bladder blaas hair haar (n) palm handpalm
blood bloed (n) hand hand rib rib
body lichaam (n) head hoofd (n) shin scheen
bone bot / been (n) headache hoofdpijn shoulder schouder
brain hersenen (pl.)
health gezondheid skeleton skelet / geraamte
breath adem heart hart (n) skin huid
calf kuit heel hiel skull schedel
cheek wang hip heup sole voetzool
chest borst intestines ingewanden (pl.)
spine ruggengraat
chin kin jaw kaak stomach maag
cold verkoudheid kidney nier tear traan
cough hoest knee knie thigh dij
ear oor (n) leg been (n) throat keel
elbow elleboog lip lip thumb duim
eye oog (n) liver lever toe teen
eyebrow wenkbrauw lung long tongue tong
eyelid ooglid (n) moustache snor tooth tand
face gezicht (n) mouth mond wound wond
fever koorts muscle spier wrist pols
62. RELATIVE PRONOUNS
Relative clauses begin with relative pronouns - words that correspond to who, whom, that and which in English. These may be omitted in English, but must be included in Dutch. The relative pronoun is put into the correct gender
depending on the noun it refers to. The conjugated verb goes to the end of the sentence as well as with subordinate clauses. Die and dat are the relative pronouns in Dutch; die refers to people, singular common nouns and all plural nouns, whereas dat refers to singular neuter nouns.
Kent u de man die daar op de hoek staat? Do you know the man who is standing there on the corner? Dat is het boek dat ik las. That is the book (that) I read. Hier is de jurk die ik gisteren gekocht heb. Here is the dress (which) I bought yesterday.
Die is replaced by wie when the clause refers to people and is preceded by a preposition. In addition, whoever is translated as wie.
De jongen met wie ik praatte heet Piet. The boy with whom I spoke is called Peter.
No relative pronoun is used when the clause refers to things and is preceded by a preposition. In this case, waar- and the preposition are used instead. In some cases, waar- and a preposition can also replace the relative pronoun when referring to people.
Dat zijn mensen waarop je rekenen kunt. They are people upon whom you can count. (They are people you can count on.)
Wat replaces dat when the pronoun refers to the words alles (everything), iets (something), niets (nothing); to the superlative form of an adjective used as a noun; to the whole preceding clause. It is also used when there is no antecedent (no preceding noun/pronoun to refer to.)
Dat is alles wat ik heb. That is everything that I have. Zij komt altijd te laat, wat mij ergert. She always comes late, which annoys me.
63. USES OF ER
1. Personal pronouns are used after prepositions when referring to people. However, when you need to refer to a thing, a compound using er- plus the preposition (either written as one word, or separated by adverbial expression) is used. Daar (that) and hier (this) can also replace er when it is not written as one word.
De kinderen spelen er vaak mee. The children often play with it. De kinderen spelen daar/hier vaak mee. The children often play with that/this.
2. Er is used when talking about a quantity or an amount. It is translated as "of it" or "of them," though these expressions are not always used in English.
Ik heb er genoeg gehad. I've had enough (of it.) Hoeveel poesjes heb je? Ik heb er twee. How many kittens do you have? I have two (of them.)
3. In an unstressed position, er means there (an adverb of place). It is replaced by daar in stressed positions (such as the beginning of a sentence.)
4. Er can introduce sentences with an indefinite subject. In this case, er functions as there as a subject, as in "there is/are."
64. ANIMALS
animal dier (n) horse paard (n)
ant mier insect insekt
badger das kitten katje / poesje (n)
bat vleermuis lamb lam (n)
beak bek lion leeuw
bear beer lobster kreeft
bee bij louse luis
beetle tor mackerel makreel
bird vogel mole mol
blackbird merel monkey aap
bull stier mosquito muskiet
butterfly vlinder moth mot
calf kalf (n) mouse muis
carp karper octopus octopus
cat kat / poes ostrich struisvogel
caterpillar rups owl uil
chicken kip ox os
chimpanzee chimpansee oyster oester
claw klauw parrot papegaai
cockroach kakkerlak partridge patrijs
cod kabeljauw paw poot
cow koe pig varken
crab krab pigeon duif
crayfish rivierkreeft rabbit konijn (n)
crow kraai rat rat
deer hert rooster haan
dog hond salmon zalm
donkey ezel scale schub
duck eend (sea) gull (zee)meeuw
eagle arend seal zeehond
eel aal shark haai
elephant olifant sheep schaap (n)
feather veer shrimp garnaal
fin vin snail slak
fish vis snake slang
flea vlo sparrow mus
fly vlieg spider spin
fox vos squirrel eekhoorn
frog kikker stork ooievaar
fur vacht / pels swallow zwaluw
gill kieuw tail staart
giraffe giraffe tiger tijger
goat geit toad pad
goose gans trout forel
gorilla gorilla turkey kalkoen
grasshopper sprinkhaan wasp wesp
hare haas weasel wezel
hen kip / hen whale walvis
heron reiger wing vleugel
herring haring wolf wolf
hoof hoef worm worm
horn hoorn zebra zebra
65. INFINITIVE CONSTRUCTIONS
Some verbs require a preposition before an infinitive in Dutch, while others do not. This is true in English as well; e.g. I want to leave vs. I can read. Verbs that do not require te before an infinitive include: modal verbs, blijven, laten, zullen, zien (to see), horen (to hear), voelen (to feel), komen, gaan, vinden (to find), leren (to teach), and helpen.
Ik kan komen. I can come. Het zal morgen regenen. It will rain tomorrow. Zij gaat iedere dag zwemmen. She goes swimming everyday.
The preposition used in Dutch is te, although the om... te construction can also be used. Verbs that use only te before an infinitive include: zitten, staan, liggen, lopen (to walk), beginnen, proberen (to try), durven (to dare), hoeven (to need), weten. After these prepositions, te is used before an infinitive: zonder (without), in plaats van (instead of), and door (by.) When using om...te, all adjectives, adverbs, objects, and expressions of time, manner and place are placed between om and te. Om... te is always used when the
infinitive occurs at the beginning of the sentence, and when the infinitive refers to a preceding noun.
Hij stond op de bus te wachten. He stood waiting for the bus. Het begint te regenen. It's beginning to rain. Ik zei het zonder te denken. I said it without thinking. Het is erg moeilijk om te doen. It is very difficult to do. Hoeveel kost het om hier te parkeren? How much is it to park here? Het is een interessant programma om naar te kijken. It is an interesting program to watch.
English infinitives that follow an object are translated into clauses using conjunctions in Dutch.
Zij verwacht dat ik kom. She is expecting me to come. (Literally: She expects that I come.)
66. PAST PERFECT TENSE
The past perfect tense corresponds to the perfect tense, but the action occurred in the past before another action occurred in the past. In English, it translates to "had" instead of "have" before the past participle. To form this tense, simply use the simple past of hebben or zijn (whichever auxiliary the verb used in the present perfect tense) and the past participle.
Zij had de boeken niet gevonden. She had not found the books. Jullie hadden in Paris gestudeerd. You had studied in Paris.
67. CONDITIONAL
The conditional mood expresses doubt or uncertainty. In English, "would + infinitive" is used for the present conditional and "would have + past participle" is used for the past conditional. In Dutch, zou/zouden + infinitive is used for the present conditional, and zou/zouden + past participle + infinitive of hebben or zijn is used for the past conditional. (Zou and zouden are the singular and plural past tense forms of zullen.)
Ik zou graag thuis blijven. I would like to stay home. Als ik jou was, zou ik dat huis niet kopen. If I were you, I would not buy that house. Ik zou graag thuis gebleven zijn. I would have liked to stay home.
68. DIMINUTIVES
Diminutives are forms of a word that show smallness or endearment and are much more common in Dutch (especially spoken Dutch) than in English. All diminutives in Dutch are formed by adding -je to the noun, and all are neuter nouns and form the plural by adding -s.
kindje little child neusje little nose schaapje little sheep
Nouns endings in a vowel, y, w or j; nouns that contain a long vowel or diphthong followed by r, l, or n; and nouns ending in unstressed -er, -el, and -en add -tje to form the diminutive.
eitje little egg beentje little leg dekentje little blanket
Nouns containing a short vowel followed by r, l, n, m, or ng add -etje.
balletje little ball stemmetje little voice
Nouns ending in unstressed -ing drop the final -g and add -kje.
verrassinkje little surprise
Nouns ending in -m add -pje (unless m is preceded by short stressed vowel.)
bezempje little broom
69. PRESENT PARTICIPLE
The present participle is made by adding -d (or sometimes -de) to the infinitive of a Dutch verb. Present participles are not used as frequently in Dutch as in English. They are used mainly when another action takes place within the specific period of time we are talking about. So, every example sentence is about two actions that take place at the same time.
zingen to sing Ze liep zingend naar huis. She walked home singing. lopen to walk Kun jij lopend lezen? Can you read while walking? fluisteren to whisper Hij zei fluisterend dat hij eerder weg wilde. He said whispering that he wanted to leave earlier.
Most of the time an English present participle is not translated by a Dutch present participle. Usually, the Dutch simple present tense is used instead.
Ze leest een boek. She is reading a book.
70. PASSIVE VOICE
When the subject of the sentence does something, the sentence is in the active voice. If something happens to that person, we use the passive voice.
Replacing the auxiliary verb hebben (to have) by zijn (to be) or worden (to become, to be from this moment on), very often results in the passive voice.
The verb vinden (to find) is in the active voice: Ik heb gevonden. I have found. Ik had gevonden. I had found. And in the passive voice: Ik ben gevonden. I am found Ik ben gevonden. I have been found. Ik was gevonden. I was found. Ik was gevonden. I had been found. Ik word gevonden. I am found (right now).
Suppose that Peter finds you. Ik ben door Peter gevonden. I am found by Peter. Ik was door Peter gevonden. I was found by Peter. Ik word door Peter gevonden. I am found by Peter (right now). Ik word door Peter gevonden. I will be found by Peter.
"Ik word door Peter gevonden." in the present perfect has about the same meaning as "Peter vindt mij." in the simple present.