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Tag Archives: Dutch grammar

Curious Dutch Words – Monnikenwerk Posted by on Mar 28, 2022

Monnikenwerk monk's work drudgery donkey work

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…

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We or Wij? How To Use Dutch Personal Pronouns Posted by on Aug 16, 2021

Jij Personal pronouns

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)…

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Curious Dutch Words: Are You The Hostage Or Hostage Taker? Posted by on Aug 2, 2021

In Dutch, we have a pretty straightforward rule. If the word ends with -aar, that means that this person does whatever verb it is derived from: makelaar is a realtor (from makelen). An aarzelaar is a hesitator (from aarzelen). A handelaar is a trader (from handelen). A gijzelaar is a hostage (from gijzelen). But wait… gijzelen means to…

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All You Need To Know About the Dutch Tussen-n Posted by on Apr 19, 2021

Dutch tussen-n grammar in between-n

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…

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Dutch Fillers Part 2 – 8 Very Common Dutch Stopwoorden Posted by 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…

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Dutch Fillers Part 1 – Why do We Use Stopwoorden? Posted by on Mar 10, 2021

So, you’ve tried to learn Dutch, right? Well, you know, there are words that make sentences unnecessarily long, right? Like, without them, you could, like, still say the same thing, you know, with fewer words. You can probably tell by now, I am talking about stopwoorden (“fill words”, fillers). We have them in Dutch, too! Here’s why…

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Back to Basics: Possession and Pronouns Posted by on Jan 24, 2018

One of the mistakes I’ve caught myself consistently making is to mix up all of the pronouns when it comes to talking about people’s things. If it isn’t using ik or je, I cannot seem to get them straight in my head. Ik heb hun auto gebruikt…zij auto….de auto van wie?!?!? What is a pronoun? The first question…

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