Archive for 'Dutch Grammar'
Curious Dutch Words – Monnikenwerk Posted by Sten on Mar 28, 2022
It’s a situation we’re probably all too familiar with: You know you have that paper to write, but it is saaaaai (booooring). This eentonig (monotonous) subject and the ridiculous length that you are required to write about it… Come on! Daar heb ik geen tijd voor! (I don’t have time for that!) In Dutch, we sometimes…
Wat móét ik nou hiermee? Accents on Dutch Words, Explained Posted by Sten on Feb 21, 2022
Dutch is pretty straightforward. Unlike German, French, Spanish or some Nordic languages, we don’t put accents on our letters! But then words like ingeënt, kopiëren, reünie, drieënvijftig, geïnd and tweeën say hello. This is what we call het trema (diaeresis), and in the Netherlands, it doesn’t signify that we pronounce the letter differently, but it’s rather an indication that…
Er en daar: The (not so) confusing Dutch versions of “there” Posted by Sten on Aug 27, 2021
Like many other languages, Dutch has a differentiation between er and daar, which in English both translate to “there”. So what is that difference, how can you keep them apart, and what do you use when? “There” is the culprit Like the English word “some”, which has quite a range of translations in Dutch, “there” seems to be the reason…
We or Wij? How To Use Dutch Personal Pronouns Posted by Sten on Aug 16, 2021
Persoonlijke voornaamwoorden (personal pronouns) in Dutch are pretty straightforward. There’s ik, jij, hij/zij/het, wij, jullie and zij. But then there are also je, ze, we and ze (plural). What are those? Basic personal pronouns in Dutch Before we get to that difference, let’s start with the basics. Ik – I Jij – You Hij/zij/het – He/she/it Wij – We Jullie – You (plural)…
What’s “some” in Dutch? Posted by Sten on Aug 10, 2021
A few days ago, a friend of mine who’s learning Dutch right now told me about how een paar, enkele, sommige, wat, een beetje and soms are confusing, because they all mean some! I was taken aback – is that true? I had never thought about how confusing that can be. She gave me some examples, and I…
All You Need To Know About the Dutch Tussen-n Posted by Sten on Apr 19, 2021
It’s Monday, so let’s talk about everybody’s favorite language subject: Grammar! I’m kidding of course, it’s nobody’s favorite. But it’s a pretty important part to convey what you want to say in Dutch. Today, let’s discuss something that even confuses native Dutch speakers at times. Let’s talk about the tussen-n (“in between-n”). The general rule So what…
Dutch Fillers Part 2 – 8 Very Common Dutch Stopwoorden Posted by Sten on Mar 11, 2021
So, yesterday we talked about why we actually use stopwoorden (fillers). And while we explained there why we even use these stopwoorden, I want to give you a few very common Dutch stopwoorden and their meanings! Click here to read Dutch Fillers Part 1. 8 of the most often used fillers in Dutch, of zo Like…