Gramatika Holandskog Jezika

Spelling
Well, Dutch has all the usual letters of the alphabet, plus one.
That is: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz and ÿ (ij)
-
Yep, that new letter "ÿ" is very hard to enter on a normal QWERTY keyboard.
That's why we normally use "ij" (an "i" and an "j") in typed documents (in
handwritten documents usually the "ÿ" is used).
So "ij" actually counts as one letter in Dutch (we even have it in Scrabble :-).
-
Of course, we also have the i and j as separate letters, but I can't come up with a word
in which j follows i and isn't used as an "ij". So whenever you see "ij" in a word it's
the ÿ.
For example: "hij" {he}, "IJsselmeer" (name of a lake).
The capital "ij" is written as "IJ"; so both letters are capitalized.
-
The "y" is like in English, sometimes vowel, and sometimes a consonant.
It is only used in words derived from a foreign language, like Greek, e.g. "hypnose"
{hypnosis} or "yoghurt" {yogurt}.
-
As in most languages the first character of a sentence starts with a capital (well
almost all of the time).
Also names of persons, geographical names start with a capital. Nouns don't normally
start with a capital (it does so in the German language for instance).
-
Sentences end with a "."
-
The Dutch language has many diphthongs (two or more vowels forming one sound
together). They are:
"aa", "aai", "au", "ee", "eeu", "ei", "eu", "ie", "ieu", "oe", "oei", "oi", "oo", "ooi",
"ou", "ui", "uu"
-
Dutch also has some sorta consonant diphthongs. They are:
"ch", "ng", "sch"
-
Why have two things for the same sound? In the old times (before 1920) the "g" and
the "ch" sounded different, this also is valid for other letters and diphthong, like "ij"
and "ei" which have the same sound. We call "ij" 'long' and "ei" short.
Pronunciation
In this text and following lessons we'll use /Word/ to give an example of an English
word which contains one more (capitalized) letters which have an approximate
pronunciation as the Dutch letters, syllable or word. We'll use (and already have)
{word} to denote the English translation of a Dutch word.
The consonants are:
 B as in "bad" /Bath/ (B at end of words sounds like
"P")
 D as in "dom" /Doll/ (D at end of words sounds like
"T")
 F as in "fijn" /Fix/ and "laf" /lauGH/
 G as in "god" (sounds somewhat like the "ch" in
/loCH ness/, very throaty,
and "dag"
 G as in "garage" /SHow/ only used in words
originating from the French.
 H as in "help" /Help/
 J as in "jas" /Yes/ (not like J in /Jet/, that's more a DJ
sound)
 J as in "journaal" /CHopin/
 K as in "kat" /Cat/ and "ik" /liCK/
 L as in "los" /Lot/ and "tol" /toLL/
 M as in "mijn" /Mine/ and "dom' /suM/
 N as in "niet" /Not/ and "tin" /tiN/
 P as in "pas" /Pen/ and "sop" /cuP/
 Q as in "quiz" /Quiz/
 R as in "rot" /Run/ and "kar" /faR/ (don't roll it)
 S as in "sop" /Sob/ and "los" /boSS/
 T as in "tin" /Tin/ and "rot" /weT/
 V the same as "F", "V" can't be at the end of a word
or syllable.
 W as in "wat" /Where/ and "ruw" /hoW/
 X as in "sex" /seX/
 Z as in "zak" /Zoo/ and "quiz" /quiZ/
The vowels differ more from the English, and they are so many ways to pronounce
them!!
Pffff. To make it more difficult is that the sound of a vowel depends (just like in
English) on the surrounding consonants and other vowels. Two or three adjacent
vowels can also form diphthongs, i.e. they makes one sound together.
The vowels are:
 A as in "kat", sounds something like /cUt/
 E as in "ben" /zEn/
 E as in "gokken", this is another sound for the single
E, it sound like the mute "e" in English, like in
{givEn}, it is used mostly when the syllable with the
"e" doesn't have the emphasis (stress handled in
further lesson)
 I as in "ik" /dIck/
 O as in "dom" /sOld/
 U as in "put" (sounds a bit like /wOrd} or {bIrd}, say
the "i" sound and round your lips to a small circle)
 IJ as in "hij", sounds not entirely not like /whY/
The diphthongs are:
 AA as in "daar" (a bit like /jA/ or /fAther/, but not
really)
 AAI as in "saai", a bit like the "ij" sound, only longer
 AU as in "rauw" (same sound as OU)
 CH as in "lach" (same sound as "G")
 CH as in "douchen" /SHow/ (pronounced like "sj"),
from the French, always pronounced like this before
the "OU" difhthong
 EAU as in "bureau" /gO/ (pronounced like an "oo"),
it's a French word, in previous spelling also written
with "o" instead of "eau"
 EE as in " reet" /rAte/, sounds different before an
"R", more like a long "i", like as in "meer" /gEAr/
 EI as in "zeik" /dIke/, sounds like the "ij"
 EEU as in "eeuw", almost like the long "ee" sound.
It's always followed by a "w"
 EU as in "neus" (a sound not known in English, just
listen), sounds different before an "R", more like a
long mute "E", like in "deur".
 IE as in "lief" /sEE/
 IEU as in "nieuw" a bit like /sEAl/, always before a
'w'
 NG as in "zingen" and "lang" /loNG/
 OE as in "boek" /lOOk/
 OEI as in "groeien" /OOJ/
 OI as in "hoi" /bOY/, not many words with this
sounds though.
 OO as in "hoop" /hOpe/, sounds different before an
"R", more like a long "o", like as in "door" /dOOr/
 OOI as in "mooi", a long OI
 OU as in "goud" /lOUd/
 OU as in "douchen" /lOOse/ (pronounced like an
"oe"), from the French, always prononced like this
before "CH", and in some other French words
 SCH as in "schip", the "s" followed by the "CH"
sound, but when an "r" follows "sch", as in
"schreeuwen".
At the end of a word its always preceded by a "i" and
sounds like the "ies" sound, like in "logisch"
(sometimes even written with "ies", like "logies", but
only in 'rebelian', non-standard Dutch texts).
 SJ as in "sjaal" /SHow/
 TS as in "tsaar" /TSar/
 UI as in "huis" (a sound not present in English, a bit
like saying the mute "e" followed by the "UU" sound,
but very smooth)
 UU as in "muur" (a sound not present in English,
sounds like the French 'lune', try to say the "ie" /sEE/
sound, and round your lips)
The short vowels "a", "e", "o" and "u" are pronounced as the long vowels "aa", "ee",
"oo" rsp. "uu" when they are in a so-called 'open' syllable. An open syllable ends with
a single consonant and is followed by another vowel.
So examples are: "tAken", "gOdin", "gEven", "Uren".
NOT open syllables are: "lAchen", "wErken", "hEbben", "hEb".
But the "e" is pronounced as a mute "e" when the emphasis (stress) is not on the
syllable (more about this in another lesson).
-
The "a", "o" and "u" are also pronounced long when the are at the end of a word (or
used as a single letter, but then the word would consist of this single letter, and would
therefore end with the letter, so what am I getting on about?), like in "ja", "zo" and
"nu".
-
Finally the letters of the alphabet as promounced:
-
Vocabulary
0, nul" nul
1, een"
(Also written as "e e n" or
een
"één" to distinguish it
from the article "een")
2, twee" twee
3, drie" drie
4, vier" four
5, vijf" five
6, zes" six
7, zeven"
(also pronounced as seven
"zeven)
8, acht" eight
9, negen" nine
10, tien" ten
11, elf
eleven
(also pronounced as elf)
12, twaalf (also
twelve
pronounced as twaalf)
13, dertien thirteen
14, veertien fourteen
15, vijftien fifteen
16, zestien sixteen
17, zeventien seventeen
18, achttien eightteen
19, negentien nineteen
20, twintig twenty
21, eenentwintig twenty one
22, tweeëntwintig twenty two
23, drieëntwintig twenty three
24, vierentwintig twenty four
25, vijfentwintig twenty five
26, zesentwintig twenty six
27, zevenentwintig twenty seven
28, achtentwintig twenty eight
29, negenentwintig twenty nine
30, dertig thirty
40, veertig fourty
50, vijftig fifty
60, zestig sixty
70, zeventig seventy
80, tachtig eighty
90, negentig ninety
honderd hundred [het, honderden]
duizend thousand [het, duizenden]
aan (give) to,
at (her bedside),
on (board),
on (the wall)
achter behind, after, at the back of
alle all (all objects)
als if (also some other usages)
alsjeblieft here you are, if you please, yes please
here you are, if you please, yes please
alstublieft
(polite form)
altijd always
april April [de (m)]
arm poor (also the noun arm)
augustus August [de (m)]
auto car [de (m), auto's]
avond evening [de (m), avonden]
's avonds in the evening, in the night
bathroom (not the lavatory) [de,
badkamer
badkamers]
bah bah, pooh, pah
balkon balcony [het, balkons]
couch (also bank (the money thingy)) [de,
bank
banken]
bed bed [het, bedden]
to thank, to return thanks, to decline
bedanken [bedank, bedankt, bedanken, bedankte(n),
bedankt (no ge)]
bedankt thanks
to understand, comprehend [begrijp,
begrijpen begrijpen, begreep, begrepen, begrepen (no
extra 'ge')]
to promise [beloof, beloven, beloofde(n),
beloven
beloofd]
beneden below, beneath, under, downstairs
blauw blue [blauwe]
bloem flower [de, bloemen]
boek book [het, boeken]
boven above, over (upwards of), upstairs
brief letter [de (m), brieven]
brood bread [het, broden]
desk, bureau, (police) station, (travel)
bureau
agency [het, bureaus]
computer (watch the special 'pu'
computer
pronounciation) [de (m), computers]
daar there
dag day, 24 hours [de (m), dagen]
dag bye
dank thanks [de (m), danken]
to thank [dank, dankt, danken, dankte(n),
danken
gedankt]
dank je thank you
dank u thank you
dank u wel thank you kindly
dank u zeer thank you very much
da's that is (short for "dat is")
dat that, or: that, which
de the (male/female/unisex)
december December [de (m)]
deur door [de, deuren]
deze these
die those/that
dik big, bulky, fat
dinsdag Tuesday [de (m), dinsdagen]
dit this
dochter daughter [de (v), dochters]
doeg bye
doei bye
to do, work,
to put (it one's pocket),
doen to do (one's hair, a room),
to make (a promise), and some more [doe,
doet, doen, deed, deden, gedaan]
dom dumb
donderdag Thursday [de (m), donderdagen]
through (the door), by (the author),
door
due to (the rain)
doordat because, on account of
to take a shower [douch, doucht, douchen,
douchen
douchte, douchten, gedoucht]
to drink [drink, drinken, dronk, dronken,
drinken
gedronken]
dun thin
een a/an
eergisteren day before yesterday
eetkamer dining room [de, eetkamers]
en and
Engels English [het, no plural
eten to eat [eet, eet, eten, at, aten, gegeten]
februari February [de (m)]
to whisper [fluister, fluisteren,
fluisteren
fluisterde(n), gefluisterd]
foto fotograph [de, foto's]
to go, go to ... [ga, gaat, gaan, ging, gingen,
gaan
(zijn) gegaan]
passage of a house (and some other uses)
gang
[de, (m), gangen]
garage garage [de (v), garages]
to happen, occur, come about [gebeur,
gebeuren gebeuren, gebeurden, (zijn) gebeurd (no
extra "ge")]
geel yellow [gele]
geen no, none
you're welcome (literally: no thanks
geen dank
(needed))
crazy, weird, mad, silly, silly, nuts (also
gek
the noun madman)
geld money [het]
to give [geef, geeft, geven, gaf, gaven,
geven
gegeven]
gisteren yesterday
good, correct, kind, well, goodly [goede,
goed
goeie]
goedemiddag good afternoon
goedemorgen good morning
goedenacht good night
goedenavond good evening/night
goeiemorgen good morning
to gamble [gok, gokken, gokte, gokten,
gokken
gegokt]
graag with pleasure, gladly, readily, willingly
you're welcome (literally: done with
graag gedaan
pleasure)
grijs grey [grijze]
to grow [groei, groeit, groeien, groeide(n),
groeien
(zijn) gegroeid]
groen green [groene]
groot big
haar her, hers, also hair [de and het, haren]
hal hall [de hallen]
hallo hello
to have [heb, hebt, (hij heeft), hebben, had,
hebben
hadden, gehad]
hem him
them (after "aan" or "voor" in directional,
hen
cooperative way)
it/the (neutral), or
het
it (possesive)
het's its
hier here
hij he
hoe how
how are you doing? (literally: how are you
hoe gaat het?
going?)
how are you doing? (literally: how is it
hoe gaat het met je?
going with you?)
hoi hi
hond dog [de, (m), honden]
to cry [huil, huilen, huilde, huilden,
huilen
gehuild]
huis house [het, huizen]
hun them, their
ie he
iets something
ik I
in (a house), at (a plane),
in
on (a committee)
if, in case ("als" is used more often,
indien "indien" is more used in official
documents)
ja yes
jaar year [het, jaren]
januari January [de (m)]
je you (singular)
jij you (singular)
jong young, or: young one, litter [het, jongen]
boy, lad [de (m), jongens], or: "jongen,
jongen!" dear, dear!, oh dear!, or: to bring
jongen
forth young animals [jong, jongen,
jongde(n), gejongd]
jou you (possesive)
juli July [de (m)]
juni June [de (m)]
you (plural), or
jullie
you, yours (plural, possesive)
kamer room [de, kamers]
cupboard, wardrobe, chest, cabinet [de,
kast
kasten]
kat cat [de, katten]
kelder cellar [de, (m), kelders]
to know, be acquinted with [ken, kennen,
kennen
kende, kenden, gekend]
keuken kitchen [de, keukens]
kijken to look [kijk, kijken, keek, keken, gekeken]
kind child [het, kinderen]
klein small
kleur color [de, kleuren]
to boil, or: to cook food [kook, koken,
koken
kookte(n), gekookt]
to come (lotsa other uses, we'll come (no
komen pun intented) to them later) [kom, komen,
kwam, kwamen, (zijn) gekomen]
to be able [kan, jij/u kunt/kan, hij kan,
kunnen
kunnen, kon, konden, gekund]
kus kiss [de (m), kussen]
kussen to kiss [kus, kussen, kuste, kusten, gekust]
lamp lamp [de, lampen]
lekker nice, delicious, good, fine, nicely
lepel spoon [de (m), lepels]
leren to learn [leer, leren, leerde(n), geleerd]
les lesson [de, lessen]
leuk amusing, funny or: jolly, pleasant
lezen to read [lees, lezen, las, lazen, gelezen]
lief sweet, nice, beloved, dear
to lie, be situated [lig, liggen, lag, lagen,
liggen
gelegen]
lopen to walk [loop, lopen, liep, liepen, gelopen]
maandag Monday [de (m), maandagen]
maart March [de (m)]
mamma, mommy, mom [de, (v), mama's,
mama (mamma, ma)
mamma's, ma's]
man man [de, (m), mannen]
mei May [de (m)]
maid, girl [de (v), meiden] ({girl} on its
meid
own is usually "meisje")
meisje girl, missy [het, meisjes]
mens human [de (m), mensen]
mes knife [het, messen]
met with
to be allowed, be permitted, may, or to like
mogen
[mag, mag, mogen, mocht(en), gemogen]
middag noon [de (m), middagen]
's middags in the afternoon
mij me
mijn mine, also the mine [de, mijnen]
moeder mother [de, (v), moeders]
to must/have to [moet, moet, moeten,
moeten
moest(en), gemoeten]
mooi beautiful, fine, pretty, handsome
morgen tomorrow, morning [de (m), morgens]
's morgens in the morning
muur wall [de (m), muren]
na after, in succession (and some others)
at/to (a directional point of view)look at go
naar
to
nacht night [de (m), nachten]
's nachts in the night
nadat after (we had seen it)
namiddag afternoo [de (m), namiddagen]n
Nederlands Dutch [het, no plural]
nee no
niet not
niets nothing
nieuw new
november November [de (m)]
ochtend morning [de (m), ochtenden]
's ochtends in the morning
oktober October [de (m)]
oma grandma, granny [de (v), oma's]
omdat because, as
onder under, beneath, below
us, ours, also 100-gram ounce (official no
ons longer used, but still present in spoken
language) [het, onsen, onzen]
to discover, find out [ontdek, ontdekken,
ontdekken
ontdekten, ontdekt (no extra "ge")]
on (the chair), upon (the roof),
op
at (school), in (an island)
opa grandad [de (m), opa's]
opdat that, in order that
oud old
papa, daddy, dad [de, (m), papa's, pappa's,
papa (pappa, pa)
pa's]
papier paper [het, papieren]
pen pen [de, pennen]
plafond ceiling [het, plafonds]
potlood pencil [het, potloden]
to talk [praat, praat, praten, praatte,
praten
praatten, gepraat]
radio radio [de, (m), radio's]
raam window [het, ramen]
rood red< [rode]
schip ship [het, schepen]
to write [schrijf, schrijven, schreef,
schrijven
schreven, geschreven]
september September [de (m)]
sjonge same as "tjonge", even more slang
slaapkamer bedroom [de slaapkamers]
to sleep [slaap, slapen, sliep, sliepen,
slapen
geslapen]
sommige some (some objects)
to speak [spreek, spreken, sprak, spraken,
spreken
gesproken]
to stand [sta, staat, staan, stond, stonden,
staan
gestaan]
stoel chair [de, (m), stoelen]
taal language [de, talen]
tafel table [de, tafels]
tegen against (and some more)
tellen to count [tel, tellen, telde, telden, geteld]
terwijl while, whilst, as, or: meanwhile
thuis at home, home
tja well!
well!, have you ever! (slang for "jongen,
tjonge
jongen")
toen when, as, or: then, at that time
tot until
tot ziens (see you)
tussen de middag noon (literally: between the noon)
typen to type [typ, typen, typte(n), getypt]
tuin garden [de (m), tuinen]
tv tv [de, (v), tv's]
u you (polite form, singular and plural)
vader father [de, (m), vaders]
van of, from, belonging to
vanavond this evening, tonight
vandaag today
vanmiddag this afternoon
vanmorgen this morning
vannacht tonight or last night
vanochtend this morning
to paint (a house, not a painting) [verf,
verven
verven, verfde(n), geverfd]
vet fat
vies dirty, grubby, nasy, filthy
vijand enemy, foe [de (m), vijanden]
voor for, before, in front of (and some more)
voordat before (we had seen it)
vork fork [de, vorken]
vriend friend, boy friend [de (m), vrienden]
friend, girl friend, lady friend [de (v),
vriendin
vriendinnen]
vrijdag Friday [de (m), vrijdagen]
vrouw woman, wife [de, (v), vrouwen]
waarom why
waar where
wanneer when
want for (we must do so) (comjugation)
wat what
to work [werk, werken, werkte, werkten,
werken
gewerkt]
wc (w.c.) lavatory, w.c. [de, (m), wc's]
to know, be aware of [weet, weet, weten,
weten
wist, wisten, geweten]
wie who
wij we
to want [wil, wilt, willen, wilde(n) (bad:
willen
wou(den)), gewild]
wit white [witte]
woensdag Wednesday [de (m), woensdagen]
woord word [het, woorden]
to become, going to be, to grow (old)
worden [word, wordt, worden, werd(en), (zijn)
geworden]
zaterdag Saturday [de (m), zaterdagen]
ze she/they
to say [zeg, zegt, zeggen, zei, zeiden,
zeggen
gezegd]
ziek sick
zien to see [zie, ziet, zien, zag, zagen, gezien]
zij she/they
to be [ben, bent, (hij is), zijn, was, waren,
zijn (zijn) geweest], or
his
to sing [zing, zingen, zong, zongen,
zingen
gezongen]
zitkamer sitting-room [de, zitkamers]
zitten to sit [zit, zit, zitten, zat, zaten, gezeten]
so, like that, such, or: thus, like this, in this
zo
way, or: presently, and: many other usages
zolder loft, attic [de, (m), zolders]
zondag Sunday [de (m), zondagen]
zoon son [de (m), zonen]
to shall/will [zal, jij/u zal (zult) (zal jij), hij
zullen
zal, zullen, zou(den) (no past perfect)]
zwart black [zwarte]
Sentences
Ik ben niet ziek. I am not sick.
Het is vies. It is dirty.
Zij is niet rijk. She isn't rich.
Hij is dom. He is dumb.
Jij bent lief You are sweet.
Wij hebben geld. We have money.
Jullie zijn arm. You (multiple) are poor.
Zij zijn niet gek. They aren't crazy.
Hij gokt niet. He doesn't gamble.
Zij is niet klein. She isn't small.
Ik ben dun. I am thin.
De man kijkt naar het kind. The man looks at the child.
Hij kust de vrouw. He kisses the woman.
Jullie kijken door het raam. You look through the window.
Jij ziet de hond. You see the dog.
Wij kijken door een raam naar de We look through a window to the
kat. cat.
Ben jij vies? Nee, ik ben niet vies.
Are you dirty? No, I'm not dirty.
De man en de vrouw zitten op een The man and the woman are
stoel. sitting on a chair.
Ik sta in het huis. I'm standing in the house.
Jij loopt, hij staat en ik zit. You walk, he stands and I sit.
Ja, jullie zingen mooi. Yes, you sing beautifully.
The children kiss grandma in the
De kinderen kussen oma in de auto.
car.
Waar zijn de lepels en de vorken Where are the spoons and the
van de zoon? forks of the son?
Hij geeft de messen aan opa. He gives the knifes to grandad.
Grandmas and grandads have
Oma's en opa's hebben foto's van
pictures of the children on the
de kinderen aan de muur.
wall.
Ik ga naar bed. I'm going to bed.
Moeder en vader hadden twee Mother and father had two beds
bedden in de slaapkamer. in the bedroom.
Wat is er? What's the matter?
There was a couch in the sitting-
Er stond een bank in de zitkamer.
room
Waarom heb je gehuild? Why have you cried?
Hoe heb je dat gedaan? How have you done that?
Wat is er gebeurd? What has happened?
Ruud, are you coming
Ruud, kom je naar beneden?
downstairs?
Waarom bent u in de hal geweest? Why have you been in the hall?
I have given mother eleven
Ik heb moeder elf boeken gegeven.
books.
De hond heeft de kat onder de tafel The dog has discovered the cat
ontdekt. below the table.
Spreekt u Engels? Do you speak English.
Ik kan Nederlands lezen en
I can read and write Dutch.
schrijven.
Ken jij Johanna? Do you know Johanna?
Weet jij waar mama is? Ze is niet Do you know where mom is?
boven in bed. She is not upstairs in bed.
Heeft u begrepen wat ik in het Have you understood what I said
Nederlands zei? in Dutch?
Jullie hadden achtentachtig You had eighty eight pencils and
potloden en pennen. pens
Kunt u mij het boek geven? Can you give me the book?
Hij heeft het gele huis rood He has painted the yellow house
geverfd. red.
Zij typte een brief aan hen op mijn She typed a letter to them on my
computer. computer.
In de tuin staan rode, gele en In the garden are (stand) red,
blauwe bloemen. yellow and blue flowers.
Jullie brood is voor jullie, hun Your bread is for you, their bread
brood is voor hen, en mijn brood is is for them, and my bread is for
voor mij. me.
Alle kinderen zijn lief. All children are sweet.
Has something happened
Is er gisteren iets gebeurd?
yesterday?
Hallo, hoe gaat het met je? Hello, how are you doing?
I'm doing fine, thanks. (With me
Met mij gaat het goed, dank je.
it's going good)
's Morgens loopt hij altijd naar de In the morning he always walks
garage. to the garage.
Today it is December the 3rd,
Het is vandaag 31 december 1999.
1999.
We deden het graag voor je. We did it gladly for you.
Mag ik u bedanken voor May I thank you for this
vanmorgen? morning?
Als haar vriendin komt, zal zij het If her girl friend comes, she will
doen. do it.
We moeten het doen, want we We must (have to) do it, for we
hebben 't beloofd. have promised it.
Omdat zij het niet willen, moet ik 't Because they don't want to, I
doen. must (have to) do it.
Ik beloof je dat ik morgen zal I promise you that I'll cook
koken. tomorrow.
Zo zo! Waarom ben jij hier? So so! Why are you here?
Jongen, jongen, wat is dat lekker! Dear, dear, that is delicious!
Bah, da's vies! Bah, that's filthy!
Tja, da's niet zo mooi. Well, that's not so fine.
Ik word niet goed. I'm becoming unwell.
Lesson 1: It's a start

In the first lesson we'll start slow. We'll learn about a special 'y'-ish letter in the Dutch
alphabet. The sound of most of the consonants and simple vowels can be heard.
-
Some of the personal pronouns are listed and used along with out first, and
immediately irregular verb.
We'll learn very short sentences with this verb and some adjectives to use with it.
And finally some abusive language.
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Well, Dutch has all the usual letters of the alphabet, plus one.
That is: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz and ÿ (ij)
-
Yep, that new letter "ÿ" is very hard to enter on a normal QWERTY keyboard.
That's why we normally use "ij" (an "i" and an "j") in typed documents (in
handwritten documents usually the "ÿ" is used).
-
So "ij" actually counts as one letter in Dutch (we even have it in Scrabble :-).
Of course, we also have the i and j as separate letters, but I can't come up with a word
in which j follows i and isn't used as an "ij". So whenever you see "ij" in a word it's
the ÿ.
-
For example: "hij" {he}, "IJsselmeer" (name of a lake).
The capital "ij" is written as "IJ"; so both letters are capitalized.
The "y" is like in English, sometimes vowel, and sometimes a consonant.
It is only used in words derived from a foreign language, like Greek, e.g. "hypnose"
{hypnosis} or "yoghurt" {yogurt}.
-
As in most languages the first character of a sentence starts with a capital (well
almost all of the time).
Also names of persons, geographical names start with a capital. Nouns don't normally
start with a capital (it does in the German language for instance).
-
Sentences end with a "."
Back to start
Pronunciation
-
The more common (with English) consonants are:
 B as in "bad" /Bath/ (B at end of words sounds like
"P")
 D as in "dom" /Doll/ (D at end of words sounds like
"T")
 F as in "fijn" /Fix/ and "laf" /lauGH/
 H as in "help" /Help/
 J as in "jas" /Yes/ (not like J in /Jet/, that's more a DJ
sound)
 K as in "kat" /Cat/ and "ik" /liCK/
 L as in "los" /Lot/ and "tol" /toLL/
 M as in "mijn" /Mine/ and "dom' /suM/
 N as in "niet" /Not/ and "tin" /tiN/
 P as in "pas" /Pen/ and "sop" /cuP/
 Q as in "quiz" /Quiz/
 R as in "rot" /Run/ and "kar" /faR/ (don't roll it)
 S as in "sop" /Sob/ and "los" /boSS/
 T as in "tin" /Tin/ and "rot" /weT/
 V the same as "F", "V" can't be at the end of a word
or syllable.
 W as in "wat" /Where/ and "ruw" /hoW/
 X as in "sex" /seX/
Z as in "zak" /Zoo/ and "quiz" /quiZ/

The vowels differ more from the English, and they are so many
ways to pronounce them!!
Pffff. To make it more difficult is that the sound of a vowel depends
(just like in English) on the surrounding consonants and other
vowels. Two or three adjacent vowels can also form diphthongs, i.e.
they makes one sound together.
-
But let's make an attempt at the more easy ones, the ones we'll use
for the moment in the next of this lesson.
 A as in "kat", sounds something like /cUt/
 E as in "ben" /zEn/
 I as in "ik" /dIck/
 O as in "dom" /sOld/
IJ as in "hij", sounds not entirely not like /whY/

And finally one easy diphthong:

 IE as in "lief" /sEE/
Back to start
Grammar
We'll start of easy with most of the single personal pronouns, the verb {to be} and the
general layout of simple sentence. The single personal pronouns are (we'll skip one
for now, which is used in the form of etiquette):
 "ik" {I}
 "jij" {you}
 "hij" {he}
 "zij" {she}
"het" {it}

There are also other forms of "jij", "hij" and "zij", which we'll tell in
another lesson.
The verb {to be} is "zijn" in Dutch. This is a very irregular verb, but
it's the most used one, as in all languages. We'll give the single
present forms:
 ik ben
 jij bent /bend/
 hij is
 zij is
het is

In general, "hij", "zij" and "het" have the same verb forms, so we'll
only use "hij" or "zij" in future verb lists.
The general form of a simple sentence is:
-
subject verb object
or
subject verb adjective
-
Since we only have the verb {to be} for now, we'll use the adjective
form only, like:
{You are sweet.}
Jij bent lief.
-
To negate an adjective use the form: NOT ADJECTIVE
The word for {not} is "niet", so:
{He is not sweet.}
Hij is niet lief.
Back to start
Vocabulary
dik big, bulky, fat
dom dumb
het it
hij he
ik I
jij you
lief sweet, nice, beloved, dear
niet not
vet fat
vies dirty
ziek sick
zij she
zijn to be
Back to start
Sentences
Ik ben niet ziek. I am not sick.
Het is vies. It is dirty.
Zij is niet rijk. She isn't rich.
Hij is dom. He is dumb.
Jij bent lief. You are sweet.
Back to start
Bad language
Unlike the English, Dutch doesn't normally use anal words to express one's anger
with something. We, the Dutch, are more genital oriented, both male and female
genitals are used (the male ones are generally used for male persons, the female ones
for female persons and also for general things).
Of course, the English (mostly American) influence is present in the common Dutch
language. Words like 'shit' are commonly used, especially by the youth.
We also have blasphemous words which are generally in the same format as the
English.
Another good (or bad) habit of us is to diagnose people we don't like as sufferers of a
particular illness or sickness.
We will only list and translate the words below, not try to pronounce them, since we
haven't had most of the vowel and consonant sounds yet. Also don't use them in a
sentence yet, just shout them: "Eikel!!!"
eikel {dickhead}
godverdomme {goddamned}
{cholera sufferer} ("klere" is slang
klerelijer
for "cholera")
klootzak {scrotum}
kutwijf {cunt vixen/shrew}
lul {dick}
Back to start
Lesson 2: BeHave
In this lesson we'll finish off the verb "zijn" {to be} with the plural personal
pronouns. We'll introduce the verb "hebben" {to have} and a regular verb "werken"
{to work} (yeah, I know, work work work).
Some more vowel sounds and difficult consonants will be handled.
Some diphthongs are given.
And finally some abusive language..
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together). We already had the "ie" diphthong. We'll introduce some more:
"aa", "ee", "oo", "ei"
-
Dutch also has some sorta consonant diphthong: one of them is "ch", it usually
sounds just like "g" (see below). Why have two things for the same sound? In the old
times (before 1920) the "g" and the "ch" sounded different, this also is valid for other
letters and diphthong, like "ij" and "ei" which have the same sound.
Back to start
Pronunciation
-
The less common (with English) consonants are:
 G as in "god" (sounds somewhat like the "ch" in
/loCH ness/, very throaty,
and "dag"
CH as in "lach" (same sound as "G")

Some weirder sounding vowels and diphthongs:

 E as in "gokken", this is another sound for the single
E, it sound like the mute "e" in English, like in
{givEn}, it is used mostly when the syllable with the
"e" doesn't have the emphasis (stress handled in
further lesson)
 U as in "put" (sounds a bit like /wOrd} or {bIrd}, say
the "i" sound and round your lips to a small circle)
 AA as in "daar" (a bit like /jA/ or /fAther/, but not
really)
 EE as in " reet" /rAte/, sounds different before an
"R", more like a long "i", like as in "meer" /gEAr/
 OO as in "hoop" /hOpe/, sounds different before an
"R", more like a long "o", like as in "door" /dOOr/
 EI as in "zeik" /dIke/, sounds like the "ij"
Back to start
Grammar
The multiple personal pronouns are (we'll skip one for now, which is used in the form
of etiquette):
 "wij" {we}
 "jullie" {you}
"zij" {they}

There are also other forms of "wij" and "zij", which we'll tell in
another lesson.
As you may have noticed, "zij" is used for both {they} and {she}.
You must determine from the context or the verbs used which form
is meant.
-
Let's finish "zijn" {to be}:
 ik ben
 jij bent
 hij/zij/het is
 wij zijn
 jullie zijn
zij zijn

The forms for all the plurals are the same, so in future we'll only
show "wij" form.
The Dutch word for {to have} is "hebben":
 ik heb
 jij hebt
 hij heeft
wij hebben

The first regular verb we'll introduce is "werken" {to work}:

 ik werk
 jij werkt
 zij werkt
wij werken

The more general form of the present tense of a regular verb is:
 ik STEM
 jij STEMt
 hij STEMt
wij STEMen
Where STEM is the stem of the verb, the stem for "werken" would
be "werk". When the stem ends with a single consonant, this
consonant is usually doubled, like in "hebben" where the stem is
"heb".
In future new regular verbs, we'll just list the "ik" and "wij" form of
the verb, so you'll know when to double the last consonant. For
irregular verbs we'll list the "ik", "jij" and "wij" form, because in
general
the forms of "jij" and "hij"/"zij" are the same, except for some cases
in which we'll mention this.
Back to start
Lesson 3: P'Articles
We'll introduce the articles in the Dutch language. We'll handle some exceptions to
the 'STEMen' rule introduced in lesson 2. Some prepositions are given.
Some more diphthongs are given.
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together).
We'll introduce some more:
"uu", "ou", "au", "ui"
Back to start
Pronunciation
Some weirder sounding diphthongs:
 UU as in "muur" (a sound not present in English,
sounds like the French 'lune', try to say the "ie" /sEE/
sound, and round your lips)
 OU as in "goud" /lOUd/
 AU as in "rauw", same sound as OU
 UI as in "huis" (a sound not present in English, a bit
like saying the mute "e" followed by the "UU" sound,
but very smooth)
Back to start
Grammar
In this lesson we'll introduce the articles. English only has two articles, the definite
{the} and the indefinite {a} (and {an}).
Dutch has two forms for the definite article and one for the indefinite.
The Dutch language assigns genders to nouns. They can be either male, female,
male/female or neutral. So neutral is not the same as male/female, more like unisex or
something.
-
There are not many general rules on which is male, female, male/female or neutral. In
general things being of the male type, like {man} or {father}, are male, female things
like {woman}, {sister} are female.
We'll introduce some finer rules in further lessons. Just learn them by heart for now.
-
Currently it doesn't matter whether a noun is male or female, since they both use the
definite article "de", the neutral definite article is "het" (same word as for {it},
remember?), the indefinite article is "een".
(The sound of "een" differs from the general EE sound - it uses the mute E form, like
in "de" - to distinguish it from the sound for {one} which is written the same.)
-
In written form also another form for "een" is used, the "ee" is replaced by a single
quote, like in " 'n " (it is pronounced the same).
-
There is also a different written form for "het", just like "'n" the first two characters
are replaced by a single quote, like in " 't ". This is pronounced differently than "het",
it uses a mute "e". In spoken language the " 't " form is frequently used, since it's
shorter and easier to say.
-
The article is placed before the noun, like in: "de man", "het huis", "een dag". In the
vocabulary list we'll place the articles before the new nouns and use (v) for female
words and (m) for male words.
-
In lesson 2 we introduced the STEMen rule:
The more general form of the present tense of a regular verb is:
 ik STEM
 jij STEMt
 hij STEMt
 wij STEMen
Where STEM is the stem of the verb, the stem for "werken" would be "werk". When
the stem ends with a single consonant, this consonant is usually doubled, like in
"hebben" where the stem is "heb".
-
An amendment is:
When STEM ends with a "t", the second and third person (jij/hij/zij/het) don't get an
extra "t" following the STEM. So for example the verb "zitten" {to sit} will be:
 ik zit
 jij zit
 hij zit
 wij zitten
Another amendment is:
When the STEM ends with a single consonant the consonant is doubled in the
STEMen form, only if the preceding vowel is one of the single vowels: "a", "e", "i",
"o" or "u".
So "ij" isn't one of them.
-
Finally we'll introduce some prepositions. Prepositions are usually placed between
the verb and the subject, like in English:
{he looks through the window}
"Hij kijkt door het raam"
Back to start
Vocabulary
de the (male/female/unisex)
through (the door), by (the author),
door
due to (the rain)
een a/an
het the (neutral)
hond dog [de (m)]
huis house [het]
kat cat [de]
kijken to look [kijk kijkt kijken]
kind child [het, 't]
kussen to kiss [kus kust kussen]
man man [de (m)]
at/to (a directional point of view)look at go
naar
to
raam window [het]
vrouw woman/wife [de (v)]
zien to see [zie ziet zien]
zitten to sit [zit zit zitten]
Back to start
Sentences
De man kijkt naar het kind. The man looks at the child.
Hij kust de vrouw. He kisses the woman.
Jullie kijken door het raam. You look through the window.
Jij ziet de hond. You see the dog.
Wij kijken door een raam naar We look through a window to
de kat. the cat.
Back to start
Lesson 4: And?
The letters of the alphabet will be pronounced. We will look at the question form of a
sentence.
Some more prepositions will be given and the word "en" {and} is used.
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together).
"eu", "oi", "ooi"
-
Dutch also has some sort-a consonant diphthong: one of them is "ng", it sounds the
same as in English.
Back to start
Pronunciation
 EU as in "neus" (a sound not known in English, just
listen), sounds different before an "R", more like a
long mute "E", like in "deur".
 OI as in "hoi" /bOY/, not many words with this
sounds though.
 OOI as in "mooi", a long OI
 NG as in "zingen" and "lang" /loNG/
The short vowels "a", "e", "o" and "u" are pronounced as the long vowels "aa", "ee",
"oo" rsp. "uu" when they are in a so-called 'open' syllable. An open syllable ends with
a single consonant and is followed by another vowel.
-
So examples are: "tAken", "gOdin", "gEven", "Uren".
NOT open syllables are: "lAchen", "wErken", "hEbben", "hEb".
-
But the "e" is pronounced as a mute "e" when the emphasis (stress) is not on the
syllable (more about this in another lesson).
-
The "a", "o" and "u" are also pronounced long when the are at the end of a word (or
used as a single letter, but then the word would consist of this single letter, and would
therefore end with the letter, so what am I getting on about?), like in "ja", "zo" and
"nu".
-
Finally the letters of the alphabet as promounced:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X IJ Y Z
Back to start
Grammar
Dutch uses the word "en" like the English use the word {and}, to concatenate two
sentences, like in
{the cat eats the fish and the dog eats the cat}
"de kat eet de vis en de hond eet de kat"
or two objects, like in
{the dog eats the cat and the fish}
"de hond eet de kat en de vis"
-
Questions are only a bit different from the English. The English uses the {do} verb a
lot in questions.
{Do you think so?}
The Dutch doesn't have this concept, it justs reverses the object and the verb, like
with the English verbs {are}, {can} and {will} ({Are you sweet?})
-
The normal form is: SUBJECT VERB OBJECT
The question form is: VERB SUBJECT OBJECT?
Like in: "Is hij lief?"
-
The verb keeps the same form as in the normal form, with an exception of the second
person singular,
the "jij" form, this changes to the "ik" form, so without the "t", like in:
"Jij bent lief. Ben jij dik?"
-
Like we mentioned in the pronounciation chapter, the vowels "a", "e', "o" and "u" in
an open syllable are pronounced long. In written form the opposite applies, the
diphthongs "aa", "ee", "oo" and "uu" in an open syllable are written in the short form.
This happens when the verb STEM has this form and is conjugated in the multiple
form with the "en", like in:
"loop" - "lopen"
"raad" - "raden"
"leer" - "leren"
Back to start
Vocabulary
deur door [de]
en and
in (a house), at (a plane),
in
on (a committee)
ja yes
lopen to walk [loop lopen]
mooi beautiful, fine, pretty, handsome
nee no
on (the chair), upon (the roof),
op
at (school), in (an island)
staan to stand [sta staat staan]
stoel chair [de (m)]
zingen to sing [zing zingen]
Back to start
Sentences
Ben jij vies? Nee, ik Are you dirty? No, I'm not
ben niet vies. dirty.
De man en de vrouw The man and the woman are
zitten op een stoel. sitting on a chair.
Ik sta in het huis. I'm standing in the house.
Jij loopt, hij staat en ik You walk, he stands and I
zit. sit.
Ja, jullie zingen mooi. Yes, you sing beautifully.
Back to start
Lesson 5: Where are you all?
We will handle the plural form of nouns.

The adjective {where} and the other forms of 'jij', 'zij' and 'hij' are given.
And some more dirty words.
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together).
"oe", "aai", "eeu"
-
Dutch also has some sort-a consonant diphthong: one of them is "sch".
Back to start
Pronunciation
 OE as in "boek" /lOOk/
 AAI as in "saai", a bit like the "ij" sound, only longer
 EEU as in "eeuw", almost like the long "ee" sound.
It's always followed by a "w"
 SCH as in "schip", the "s" followed by the "CH"
sound, but when an "r" follows "sch", as in
"schreeuwen".
At the end of a word its always preceded by a "i" and
sounds like the "ies" sound, like in "logisch"
(sometimes even written with "ies", like "logies", but
only in 'rebelian', non-standard Dutch texts).
Back to start
Grammar
The Dutch word for {where} is "waar", the word for {there} is "daar".
Because adjectives like "waar" are used in questions, sentences have the form:
"waar VERB OBJECT?"
like:
"Waar is hij?" {where is he?}
-
The answer to this question has the same form, unlike the English which would be:
{There he is} with the form {ADJECTIVE OBJECT VERB}
but:
"Daar is hij." with the form "ADJECTIVE VERB OBJECT".
or: "Hij is daar.", like the English {He is over there}
-
There are other forms for the pronouns "jij", "hij" and "zij" (singular and plural).
They are:
"je" - "jij"
"ie" - "hij"
"ze" - "zij"
-
"je" and "ze" are normally used in most of the cases. "jij" and "zij" are used when
stress or emphasis is used on the objects.
For example: {Where is Susan? She is there.}, but
{Who did it? SHE did it!}, or
{Did Paul and Susan do it? No, SHE did it!}
-
The "ie" pronoun can't be used in this form. It's only used in sentences with forms
like:
"Hier is ie." {Here he is.}
-
Basically, the plural of nouns, are the singular form followed by either "en" or "s".
When do you get "en" and when "s", you may wonder. Well, usually you get "en",
but when the word ends with a vowel or with "el", "en" or "er" (with a mute "e"), it
gets an "s".
With "en" the doubling of a single consonant after a single vowel "a", "e", "i", "o",
"u" applies, and the 'singling' of the diphthongs "aa", "ee", "oo" and "uu" in an open
syllable applies, just like with the verbs.
Another rule is that the "s" plural form gets a preceding quote (like in: 's) when the
singular form ends with a "a", "e", "i", "o", "u" or "y" in which this vowel isn't part of
a diphthong, and the "e" should be the mute one.
To complete it, yet another rule for the "en" form: when the singular form ends with
an "f" which wouldn't be doubled in the plural form (see above) the "f" is changed to
a "v" in the plural form.
The same goes for the "s" which is changed to a "z" (btw. these two rules also apply
for verbs).
And of course there are words which are irregular and follow their own rule.
Examples: "vrouw/vrouwen", "man/mannen", "stoel/stoelen", "lepel/lepels",
"muur/muren", "opa/opa's", "auto/auto's", "lente/lentes", "huis/huizen", "kus/kussen",
"graf/graven", "verf/verven", "schip/schepen", "kind/kinderen".
The plural form always gets the "de" article.
Finally, some words don't have a plural form, just like in English, which are things
you can't count, like "water".
Back to start
Vocabulary
(give) to,
at (her bedside),
aan
on (board),
on (the wall)
auto car [de (m), auto's]
boek book [het, boeken]
daar there
dochter daughter [de (v), dochters]
foto fotograph [de, foto's]
geven to give [geef geeft geven]
hier here
ie he
je you (singular)
kus kiss [de (m), kussen]
lepel spoon [de (m), lepels]
mes knife [het, messen]
muur wall [de (m), muren]
oma grandma, granny [de (v), oma's]
opa grandad [de (m), opa's]
schip ship [het, schepen]
van of, from, belonging to
vork fork [de, vorken]
waar where
ze she/they
zoon son [de (m), zonen]
Back to start
Sentences
De kinderen kussen oma in de The children kiss grandma in the
auto. car.
Waar zijn de lepels en de Where are the spoons and the forks
vorken van de zoon? of the son?
Hij geeft de messen aan opa. He gives the knifes to grandad.
Oma's en opa's hebben foto's Grandmas and grandads have
van de kinderen aan de muur. pictures of the children on the wall.
Back to start
Bad language
We'll give you some dirty words regarding sex this time.
borst {breast}
tepel {nipple}
tiet {tit}
kont {ass}
penis {penis}
vagina {vagina}
kut {cunt}
pik {dick}
lul {cock}
neuken {to fuck}
naaien {to screw}
beffen {to suck pussy}
pijpen {to suck cock}
Back to start
Lesson 6: Who was there on two?
We will handle the past present form of verbs.

The words for {who} and {what} will be given.
The much used word "er" will be used.
Some more sounds.
We'll count from 0 to 10.
Pronunciation
Grammar
Vocabulary
Sentences
Back to main
Pronunciation
Some consonants or diphthongs which are used rarely and mostly in words
originating from foreign words:
 SJ as in "sjaal" /SHow/
 J as in "journaal" /CHopin/
 TS as in "tsaar" /TSar/
Back to start
Grammar
The Dutch word for {who} is "wie", the word for {what} is "wat".
There used the same as "waar".
-
The Dutch word "er" is used for many things (probably because it is so small).
The most frequently usage is for {there}, as in {there are ...} - "Er zijn ..."
Also: {What's the matter?} - "Wat is er?"
And: {Here we are} - "We zijn er"
And some more, you'll see them as we use them in sentences.
-
The simple numbers are:
 0 - "nul"
 1 - "een"
(Also written as "e e n" or "één" to distinguish it from
the article "een")
 2 - "twee"
 3 - "drie"
 4 - "vier"
 5 - "vijf"
 6 - "zes"
 7 - "zeven" (also pronounced as "zeven
 8 - "acht"
 9 - "negen"
 10- "tien"
-
The regular form of the past present form is the STEM followed by "te(n)" or "de(n)".
The "n" is used in the plural form. Whether a "t" or "d" is used depends on the last
vowel of the STEM. Normally, the "d" is used, but if the STEM ends with one of "k",
"f", "s", "ch", "p" the "t" is used. Remember that the 'transformed' "z" (to an "s") and
"v" (to an "f") are not one of these. A mnemonic for the "t" or "d" rule is the word
"fokschaap" {breeding sheep} in which all the "t" vowels are present (also the word
"kofschip" is used).
So:
ik/jij/hij/zij/het STEMde - STEMte wij/jullie/zij
STEMden - STEMten
The irregular verbs (which are of course the most used) don't have any real rules,
except that they have the same form for all the singular forms, and the same form for
all the plural forms.
Verbs we defined in previous lessons:
werken - ik/jij/hij/zij/het werkte - wij/jullie/zij
werkten tellen - ,, telde - ,, telden kussen - ,, kuste - ,,
kusten gokken - ,, gokte - ,, gokten zijn - ,, was - ,,
waren hebben - ,, had - ,, hadden staan - ,, stond - ,,
stonden geven - ,, gaf - ,, gaven kijken - ,, keek - ,,
keken lopen - ,, liep - ,, liepen zien - ,, zag - ,, zagen
zingen - ,, zong - ,, zongen zitten - ,, zat - ,, zaten
Back to start
Vocabulary
0, nul" zero
1, een"
(Also written as "e e n"
one
or "één" to distinguish it
from the article "een")
2, twee" two
3, drie" three
4, vier" four
5, vijf" five
6, zes" six
7, zeven"
(also pronounced as seven
"zeven)
8, acht" eight
9, negen" nine
10, tien" ten
bathroom (not the
badkamer lavatory) [de,
badkamers]
couch (also bank (the
bank money thingy)) [de,
banken]
bed bed [het, bedden]
to drink [drink,
drinken drinken, dronk,
dronken]
dining room [de,
eetkamer
eetkamers]
to eat [eet, eet, eten,
eten
at, aten]
kamer room [de, kamers]
cellar [de, (m),
kelder
kelders]
keuken kitchen [de, keukens]
to lie, be situated [lig,
liggen
liggen, lag, lagen]
mother [de, (v),
moeder
moeders]
onder under, beneath, below
bedroom [de
slaapkamer
slaapkamers]
slapen to sleep [slaap,
slapen, sliep, sliepen]
to count [tel, tellen,
tellen
telde, telden]
father [de, (m),
vader
vaders]
wat what
lavatory, w.c. [de,
wc (w.c.)
(m), wc's]
wie who
sitting-room [de,
zitkamer
zitkamers]
loft, attic [de, (m),
zolder
zolders]
Back to start
Sentences
Ik ga naar bed. I'm going to bed.
Moeder en vader hadden twee Mother and father had two beds
bedden in de slaapkamer. in the bedroom.
Wat is er? What's the matter?
There was a couch in the
Er stond een bank in de zitkamer.
sitting-room
Back to start
Lesson 7: Why have you cried?
We will handle the past perfect form of verbs.

The words for {why} and {how} will be given.
The polite form for {you} will be given.
Some more sounds.
We start with an experiment: exercises! You can try them on paper and then check
the answers immediatly. Pardon the somewhat crude interface. Also there will be
more in future lessons.
Pronunciation
Grammar
Vocabulary
Sentences
Exercises
Back to main
Pronunciation
Some vowels, consonants or diphthongs which are used rarely and mostly in words
 EAU as in "bureau" /gO/ (pronounced like an "oo"),
it's a French word, in previous spelling also written
with "o" instead of "eau"
 OU as in "douchen" /lOOse/ (pronounced like an
"oe"), from the French, always prononced like this
before "CH", and in some other French words
 CH as in "douchen" /SHow/ (pronounced like "sj"),
from the French, always pronounced like this before
the "OU" difhthong
Back to start
Grammar
The Dutch word for {why} is "waarom", the word for {how} is "hoe".
There used the same as "waar" and "wat".
-
The next numbers are:
 11 - "elf" (also pronounced as "elf")
 12 - "twaalf" (also pronounced as "twaalf")
 13 - "dertien"
 14 - "viertien"
 15 - "vijftien"
 16 - "zestien"
 17 - "zeventien"
 18 - "achttien"
 19 - "negentien"
-
The polite form for {you} is "u". It is used for both the singular and plural form. It
uses the verb form of "hij"/"zij"/"het", but for "zijn" usually the "jij" form ("bent") is
used. Whether the singular or plural form is used, must be deduced from the context.
The polite form is used when talking to older people or people higher in the
hierarchy, ie. people who need respect. There may come a moment when you start
using the "jij" or "jullie" form when you get to know people better.
It is written with a capital "U" when talking to divine and god-like creatures.
Today's society (especially the youth) is using the polite form less and less (here talks
an old dude :-).
-
The regular form of the past perfect form is the STEM followed by "t" or "d" and
prefixed with "ge", ie. geSTEMt or geSTEMd. The "t" or "d" depends on the
"fokschaap" rule from lesson 6.
The "ge" is omitted for verbs of which the STEM starts with one of the sylables:
"ge", "be", "her", "ver" or "ont" (maybe I missed one). So "geven" isn't one of them,
since the stem is "geef" (or "gev" if you want), so the first sylable is "geef", not "ge".
The "ge" prefix is also handled diferently for compound verbs starting with a
preposition (these will be handled in a later lesson).
Just like in English an auxilary verb is used, this can be either "zijn" or "hebben". The
first one is used when the subject is the direct object of the sentence (the victim so to
speak), the latter is used when the subject 'does' the action. Like in English: {I am
struck} and {I have struck}, or {I am killed} and {I have killed}.
In most cases "hebben" is used, and for "zijn" only "zijn" is used.
So (using last "d" or "t" at random):
ik heb geSTEMd - ben geSTEMt
jij hebt geSTEMt - bent geSTEMd
u heeft geSTEMd - bent/is geSTEMt
hij/zij/het heeft geSTEMd - is geSTEMt
wij/jullie/zij hebben geSTEMd - zijn geSTEMt
The irregular verbs (which are of course the most used) all use the "ge" prefix (except
for the exceptions given above), but the STEM and "t/d" part may change.
Unlike in English the auxilary verb and the participle (the "geSTEMt" word) can be
separated by some other words, like the object.
Verbs we defined in previous lessons:
werken - gewerkt
tellen - geteld
kussen - gekust
gokken - gegokt
zijn - ben geweest
hebben - gehad
staan - gestaan
geven - gegeven
kijken - gekeken
lopen - gelopen
zien - gezien
zingen - gezongen
drinken - gedronken
eten - gegeten
liggen - gelegen
slapen - geslapen
zitten - gezeten
Back to start
Vocabulary
11, elf
(also pronounced eleven
as elf)
12, twaalf (also
pronounced as twelve
twaalf)
13, dertien thirteen
14, veertien fourteen
15, vijftien fifteen
16, zestien sixteen
17, zeventien seventeen
18, achttien eightteen
19, negentien nineteen
beneden below, beneath, under, downstairs
boven above, over (upwards of), upstairs
to take a shower [douch, doucht,
douchen
douchen, douchte, douchten, gedoucht]
passage of a house (and some other uses)
gang
[de, (m), gangen]
to happen, occur, come about [gebeur,
gebeuren gebeuren, gebeurden, (zijn) gebeurd (no
extra "ge")]
hal hall [de hallen]
hoe how
to cry [huil, huilen, huilde, huilden,
huilen
gehuild]
cupboard, wardrobe, chest, cabinet [de,
kast
kasten]
to come (lotsa other uses, we'll come (no
komen pun intented) to them later) [kom,
komen, kwam, kwamen, (zijn) gekomen]
lamp lamp [de, lampen]
les lesson [de, lessen]
met with
to discover, find out [ontdek, ontdekken,
ontdekken
ontdekten, ontdekt (no extra "ge")]
radio radio [de, (m), radio's]
tafel table [de, tafels]
thuis at home, home
tv tv [de, (v), tv's]
u you (polite form, singular and plural)
waarom why
Back to start
Sentences
Waarom heb je gehuild? Why have you cried?
Hoe heb je dat gedaan? How have you done that?
Wat is er gebeurd? What has happened?
Ruud, kom je naar beneden? Ruud, are you coming downstairs?
Waarom bent u in de hal
Why have you been in the hall?
geweest?
Ik heb moeder elf boeken
I have given mother eleven books.
gegeven.
De hond heeft de kat onder de The dog has discovered the cat
tafel ontdekt. below the table.
Back to start
Exercises
Translate into Dutch/English (select answer to view it):
Question Answer
We walked to the house. We liepen naar het huis.

Why are you at home, mother? Waarom bent u thuis, moeder?
De kinderen aten op de bank. The children ate on the couch.
Wij hebben veertien auto's
We have had fourteen cars.
gehad.
Hoe kom ik naar beneden? How do I get downstairs?
Jullie kijken door het raam You are looking through the window
naar de kat. at the cat.
Les acht: I know the can-can
We'll handle the difference between the Dutch words for {know} and {can}.
Some more sounds.
We'll continue with the experiment: exercises! You can try them on paper and then
check the answers immediatly.
Pronunciation
Grammar
Vocabulary
Sentences
Exercises
Back to main
Pronunciation
 OND as in "plafond" /On/ (pronounced like "on"), it's
a French word, also and more frequently pronounced
as the more Dutchie "plafond"
Back to start
Grammar
The Dutch verb for {know} is "kennen", the verb for {can} is "kunnen".
You can see they are very alike, and lots of Dutch people have the bad habit of using
"kennen" instead of "kunnen" when speaking, especially in some dialects. You
shouldn't do this yourself (unless you want to be a real Dutchie :-) but be prepared for
it (and don't correct them!! :-). "Kunnen" is an highly irregular verb, so much that I'm
not really sure myself about the "jij" form. It's like:
ik kan, jij/u kan (or jij/u kunt) (kun/kan jij), hij/zij/het kan, wij kunnen, ik kon, wij
konden, gekund
I hope so at least (any Dutch language wizard with some feedback?).
-
The next numbers are:
 20 - "twintig"
 21 - "eenentwintig"
 22 - "tweeëntwintig"
 23 - "drieëntwintig"
 24 - "vierentwintig"
 25 - "vijfentwintig"
 26 - "zesentwintig"
 27 - "zevenentwintig"
 28 - "achtentwintig"
 29 - "negenentwintig"
 30 - "dertig"
 40 - "veertig"
 50 - "vijftig"
 60 - "zestig"
 70 - "zeventig"
 80 - "tachtig"
 90 - "negentig"
Note that it's not like in English, but first the singles, then the decades.
Also note the diaeresis above the "e" in "tweeëntwintig" en "drieëntwintig". It's to
stress the point where the next sylable begins in a juxtaposition where the first sylable
ends with a vowel (diphthong) and the next starts with one. In other cases an '-' is
used, but this will be handled in a further lesson.
The numbers 31, 32, etc, till 99 are like the 20 numbers.
Note the start 't' in 80 "tachtig".
Back to start
Vocabulary
20, twintig twenty
21, eenentwintig twenty one
22, tweeëntwintig twenty two
23, drieëntwintig twenty three
24, vierentwintig twenty four
25, vijfentwintig twenty five
26, zesentwintig twenty six
27,
twenty seven
zevenentwintig
28, achtentwintig twenty eight
29,
twenty nine
negenentwintig
30, dertig thirty
40, veertig fourty
50, vijftig fifty
60, zestig sixty
70, zeventig seventy
80, tachtig eighty
90, negentig ninety
achter behind, after, at the back of
to understand, comprehend [begrijp,
begrijpen begrijpen, begreep, begrepen, begrepen
(no extra 'ge')]
Engels English [het, no plural
to go, go to ... [ga, gaat, gaan, ging,
gaan
gingen, (zijn) gegaan]
to know, be acquinted with [ken, kennen,
kennen
kende, kenden, gekend]
to can, be able [kan, jij/u kunt/kan, hij
kunnen
kan, kunnen, kon, konden, gekund]
lezen to read [lees, lezen, las, lazen, gelezen]
mama (mamma, mamma, mommy, mom [de, (v), mama's,
ma) mamma's, ma's]
na after, in succession (and some others)
Nederlands Dutch [het, no plural]
papa, daddy, dad [de, (m), papa's, pappa's,
papa (pappa, pa)
pa's]
papier paper [het, papieren]
pen pen [de, pennen]
plafond ceiling [het, plafonds]
potlood pencil [het, potloden]
to talk [praat, praat, praten, praatte,
praten
praatten, gepraat]
to write [schrijf, schrijven, schreef,
schrijven
schreven, geschreven]
to speak [spreek, spreken, sprak, spraken,
spreken
gesproken]
taal language [de, talen]
tegen against (and some more)
voor for, before, in front of (and some more)
to know, be aware of [weet, weet, weten,
weten
wist, wisten, geweten]
woord word [het, woorden]
to say [zeg, zegt, zeggen, zei, zeiden,
zeggen
gezegd]
Back to start
Sentences
Spreekt u Engels? Do you speak English.
Ik kan Nederlands lezen en
I can read and write Dutch.
schrijven.
Ken jij Johanna? Do you know Johanna?
Weet jij waar mama is? Ze is Do you know where mom is? She is
niet boven in bed. not upstairs in bed.
Heeft u begrepen wat ik in het Have you understood what I said in
Nederlands zei? Dutch?
Jullie hadden achtentachtig You had eighty eight pencils and
potloden en pennen. pens
Back to start
Exercises
Question Answer
Ik schreef met een potlood. I wrote with a pencil.

De lamp hangt aan het plafond. The lamp hangs on the ceiling.
Ze gaf papa pen en papier. She gave daddy pen and paper.
The pencil lies on the paper. De pen ligt op het papier.
The chairs are standing behind the De stoelen staan achter de
table. tafel.
Why are you crying? Waarom huil je?
Back to start
Les negen: My small mistake
We'll get to adjectives and the possesive pronouns.

More exercises! You can try them on paper and then check the answers immediatly.
Pronunciation
Grammar
Vocabulary
Sentences
Exercises
Back to start
Pronunciation
 G as in "garage" /SHow/ only used in words
originating from the French.
Back to start
Grammar
Adjectives describe a subject or object. They can proceed the noun or follow a verb
describing the subject or object. They are used almost the same as in English.
Like: {A red house is big} - Een rood huis is groot.
Both {red} and {big} are adjectives as are "rood" en "groot".
An exception (you've been waiting for it) is when the adjective is
placed between the definite article ("de" and "het") and a noun, or
between the undefinite article ("een") and a non-neutral noun
(which get the "de" article).
The adjective is then followed by "e", and the usual rules of long
vowels changing into short vowels ("aa", "ee", "oo" and "uu" into
"a", "e", "o" and "u" rsp) and the doubling of the ending single
consonant when the last sylable has a short vowel and ends with a
single consonant ("a", "e", "i", "o" and "u"), and "s" changing into
"z" and "f" into "v".
So: Het rode huis, de dikke man, een groot huis, een grote man,
een vies huis, het vieze huis.
This is for the single nouns. Before plural nouns the "e" rule always
applies.
So: De rode huizen, de dikke mannen, grote huizen, grote mannen.
The past perfect of verbs (the "ge" verb) may also be used as
adjective, like in English.
So: {the kissed woman} - de gekuste vrouw.
-
The possesive pronouns are as follows in Dutch:
 mij - me, mijn - mine
 jou - you, jouw - your
 hem - him, zijn - his
 haar - her, haar - her
 het - it, het's - its
 ons - us, ons - ours
 jullie - you, jullie - your
 hun - them, hun - their
Note that "ons" (as an exception) follows the adjective rule, so: ons huis, onze
moeder.
Also note that "mijn" is often abbreviated to m'n, "zijn" to z'n, "haar" to 'r. These
forms are usually used in the non-stressed form.
Also also note that "mij" has a non-stressed form me, and "jou" the non-stressed form
je.
So: {It's YOUR mother} - Het is jouw moeder.
{It's your mother} - Het is je moeder.
{The mother of you} - De moeder van jou.
An (almost accepted) error made by many Dutch people is to use
"hun" instead of "zij" (plural) in the subject form, like:
"Hun zijn ziek." instead of "Zij zijn ziek."
Don't do it yourself, but be prepared.
Finally another exception: after the pronouns "aan" and "voor",
when they are used in a directional, cooperative way (rsp. to and
for), "hun" is replaced by hen". This is also valid when the pronoun
"aan" is left out, but you could insert it (like the English {to} in: I
gave it (to) them).
So: Ik praat tegen hun. Ik geef het boek aan hen. Ik geef hen het
boek. Het is voor hen.
Back to start
Vocabulary
mij me
mijn mine, also the mine [de, mijnen]
jou you (possesive)
hem him
zijn his
haar her, hers, also hair [de and het, haren]
het it (possesive)
het's its
us, ours, also 100-gram ounce (official no longer
ons used, but still present in spoken language) [het,
onsen, onzen]
jullie you, yours (plural, possesive)
hun them, their
them (after "aan" or "voor" in directional,
hen
cooperative way)
garage garage [de (v), garages]
tuin garden [de (m), tuinen]
balkon balcony [het, balkons]
computer (watch the special 'pu' pronounciation)
computer
[de (m), computers]
desk, bureau, (police) station, (travel) agency [het,
bureau
bureaus]
rood red< [rode]
blauw blue [blauwe]
groen green [groene]
geel yellow [gele]
zwart black [zwarte]
wit white [witte]
grijs grey [grijze]
alle all (all objects)
sommige some (some objects)
kleur color [de, kleuren]
brief letter [de (m), brieven]
bloem flower [de, bloemen]
brood bread [het, broden]
mens human [de (m), mensen]
to whisper [fluister, fluisteren, fluisterde(n),
fluisteren
gefluisterd]
typen to type [typ, typen, typte(n), getypt]
to paint (a house, not a painting) [verf, verven,
verven
verfde(n), geverfd]
leren to learn [leer, leren, leerde(n), geleerd]
Back to start
Sentences
Kunt u mij het boek geven? - Can you give me the book?
Hij heeft het gele huis rood - He has painted the yellow house
geverfd. red.
Zij typte een brief aan hen op mijn - She typed a letter to them on my
computer. computer.
In de tuin staan rode, gele en - In the garden are (stand) red,
blauwe bloemen. yellow and blue flowers.
Jullie brood is voor jullie, hun - Your bread is for you, their
brood is voor hen, en mijn brood is bread is for them, and my bread is
voor mij. for me.
Alle kinderen zijn lief. - All children are sweet.
Back to start
Exercises
Question Answer
Waarom ligt mamma niet in bed? Why doesn't mummy lie in bed?
Sommige mensen zijn groot. Some people are tall (big).
Alle witte bloemen waren klein. All white flowers were small.
I have learned the Dutch
Ik heb de Nederlandse taal geleerd.
language.
De grijze, grote computer staat op The grey, small computer stands
het bureau van vader. on the desk of father.
De rode pennen zijn van mij, niet The red pencils are mine, not
van jou. yours.
Have you seen their house? Heb je hun huis gezien?
We gave some yellow letters to We gaven enkele gele brieven
them. aan hen.
All breads lay in the cupboard. Alle broden lagen in de kast.
Back to start
Les tien: 1999
Some more about adjectives.

We'll learn all about the date.
Some greetings will be made.
Pronunciation
Grammar
Vocabulary
Sentences
Exercises
Back to start
Pronunciation
Some more diphthongs:
 OEI as in "groeien" /OOJ/
Back to start
Grammar
In the previous lesson we handled adjectives, like "rood" and "rode". Some word
having a vowel or diphthongs followed by "de", like "rode" can also be written and
pronounced using the "i" letter instead of the "d", and therefor transform to the "OOI"
sound instead of the "OO", like "rooie".
Or "goeie" instead of "goede".
Or "raaien" instead of "raden" (very very very slang).
Note that this is not proper 'schoolbook' Dutch, more like slang, although the word
"goeie" is very frequently used by everyone (but still can't be found in dictionaries).
We'll note the alternatives in future vocabulary lists when appropiate.
In a previous lesson we noted that the past perfect verb (the "ge"
form, like "geverfd") can also be used as an adjective, much like in
English (the "ed" form like {painted}).
In English the "ing" form (like {talking}) can also be used as an
adjective, having an active meaning; the subject is currently
performing the task (talking in the case of the example).
The Dutch form of this construction is the full verb, like "praten"
followed by a "d". This again follows the "e" form as handled before,
like: "de pratende man" {the talking man}.
-
Because a date also contains a year, we'll handle the numbers in
the range 100 - 999999 first. The word for 100 is "honderd".
The word for 1000 is "duizend".
The word for X00 (X is 2 - 9) is X concatenated with "honderd", like
"tweehonderd". If X is 1, you can leave out "een" unless you really
really want to stress it.
The word for XX000 (XX is 2 - 99) is XX concatenated with
"duizend", like "drieduizend". If XX is 1, you can leave out "een"
unless you want to stress it.
You can also use the XY00 form (XY is 11 - 99), but not when Y is 0.
You concatenate XY with "honderd", like "zevenentachtighonderd".
The word for XXZZ (XX is 1 - 99, y is not 0) is XX (if not 1),
optionally concatenated with the word "en", concatenated with
"honderd", concatenated with the ZZ word like
"vierhonderdvijfendertig" or like "honderdentweeëntwintig".
The word for XXXZZZ (XXX is 2 - 999) is the XXX word concatenated
with "duizend", optionally concatenated with the word "en",
concatenated with the ZZZ word if not 0. like
"driehonderdeenentwintigduizendvierhonderdzesenzestig".
When pronouncing years in a date (so not as in an interval, e.g. the
number of years between two occurences) we can leave out the
"honderd" and "en" part.
So the current years are "negentiennegenennegentig",
"tweeduizend" en "tweeduizendeen", and it's
"negentienhonderdnegentig" years ago.
You may have noticed that I use 3 years as the current years, I
hope this course is about finished in 2002 :-)
Now the months. They are:
 januari (January)
 februari (February)
 maart (March)
 april (April)
 mei (May)
 juni (June)
 juli (July)
 augustus (August)
 september (September)
 oktober (October)
 november (November)
 december (December)
As you can see, they're very much alike in English and Dutch, propably because they
origin from the Latin language (or Greek or whatever). We don't use capitals with the
month names.
Instead of saying MONTH DAY, like in English, e.g. {November the 3rd}, we use
DAY MONTH in Dutch, like "3 November".
A complete date will have the format DAY MONTH YEAR, like "28 februari 2001".
We usually also use this sequence in the 'digit-only' form, like: "22/07/61" or
"28/02/2001".
Now the weekdays. They are:
 maandag (Monday)
 dinsdag (Tuesday)
 woensdag (Wednesday)
 donderdag (Thursday)
 vrijdag (Friday)
 zaterdag (Saturday)
 zondag (Sunday)
Again, no capitals. We'll give ordinal numbers, like {Friday the 13th} in another
lesson.
Days and part of the days. They are:
 vandaag (today)
 morgen (tomorrow)
 gisteren (yesterday)
 eergisteren (day before yesterday)
 ochtend (morning)
 middag (noon)
 namiddag (afternoon)
 avond (evening)
 nacht (night)
 dag (day, 24 hours)
 vanochtend (this morning)
 vanmiddag (this afternoon)
 vanavond (this evening, tonight)
 vannacht (tonight or last night)
 's ochtends (in the morning)
 's middags (in the afternoon)
 's avonds (in the evening, in the night)
 's nachts (in the night)
The "'s" word is an abbreviation of an old Dutch word "des", meaning {of the},
which is almost never used anymore in the full form.
When a sentence starts with a "'", like "'s" or "'t" the letter following the quote is
lower cased, the following letter will be upper cased, like "'s Morgens", or "'t Huis".
This is the original version of the day-part words. As you may have guessed we have
come another weird thing in the Dutch language. Most people use the word morgen
instead of ochtend, although that has an altogether different meaning originally.
This brings us to the more popular:
 vanmorgen (this morning)
 's morgens (in the morning)
Also you may have noticed that the word "middag" {noon} is brutally misused in the
meaning of "namiddag" {afternoon}. The latter word being rarely used and then
usually in the meaning of: the latter part of the afternoon.
Because of this misusage we lack a word which actually means {noon}. To
compensate we came up with the illogical sentence "tussen de middag" {between the
noon}, which actually makes no sense.
When using words or phrases that have a meaning of date or time,
it is placed as close to the verb as possible, opposite to the English,
like:
"Morgen gaan we naar huis." {Tomorrow we are going home.}
"We gaan morgen naar huis." {We are going home, tomorrow.}
-
Some greetings which are very frequently used are:
 hallo (hello)
 hoi (hi)
 dag (bye)
 doei (bye)
 doeg (bye)
 goedemorgen (good morning)
 goeiemorgen (good morning)
 goedemiddag (good afternoon) (the "goeie" form also
applies for the rest)
 goedenavond (good evening/night)
 goedenacht (good night)
 tot ziens (see you)
 hoe gaat 't? (how are you doing?) (literally: how are
you going?)
 hoe gaat 't met je? (how are you doing?) (literally:
how is it going with you?)
 alstublieft (here you are, if you please, yes please)
 alsjeblieft (here you are, if you please, yes please)
 dank u (thank you)
 dank je (thank you)
 bedankt (thanks)
 dank u wel (thank you kindly)
 dank u zeer (thank you very much)
 geen dank (you're welcome) (literally: no thanks
(needed))
 graag gedaan (you're welcome) (literally: done with
pleasure)
Back to start
Vocabulary
honderd hundred [het, honderden]
duizend thousand [het, duizenden]
januari January [de (m)]
februari February [de (m)]
maart March [de (m)]
april April [de (m)]
mei May [de (m)]
juni June [de (m)]
juli July [de (m)]
augustus August [de (m)]
september September [de (m)]
oktober October [de (m)]
november November [de (m)]
december December [de (m)]
maandag Monday [de (m), maandagen]
dinsdag Tuesday [de (m), dinsdagen]
woensdag Wednesday [de (m), woensdagen]
donderdag Thursday [de (m), donderdagen]
vrijdag Friday [de (m), vrijdagen]
zaterdag Saturday [de (m), zaterdagen]
zondag Sunday [de (m), zondagen]
vandaag today
morgen tomorrow, morning [de (m), morgens]
gisteren yesterday
eergisteren day before yesterday
ochtend morning [de (m), ochtenden]
middag noon [de (m), middagen]
namiddag afternoo [de (m), namiddagen]n
avond evening [de (m), avonden]
nacht night [de (m), nachten]
dag day, 24 hours [de (m), dagen]
vanochtend this morning
vanmiddag this afternoon
vanavond this evening, tonight
vannacht tonight or last night
's ochtends in the morning
's middags in the afternoon
's avonds in the evening, in the night
's nachts in the night
vanmorgen this morning
's morgens in the morning
tussen de
noon (literally: between the noon)
middag
hallo hello
hoi hi
dag bye
doei bye
doeg bye
goedemorgen good morning
goeiemorgen good morning
goedemiddag good afternoon
goedenavond good evening/night
goedenacht good night
alstublieft here you are, if you please, yes please
alsjeblieft here you are, if you please, yes please
good, correct, kind, well, goodly [goede,
goed
goeie]
tot until
iets something
niets nothing
altijd always
geen no, none
dank thanks [de (m), danken]
to thank [dank, dankt, danken, dankte(n),
danken
gedankt]
to thank, to return thanks, to decline
bedanken [bedank, bedankt, bedanken, bedankte(n),
bedankt (no ge)]
tot ziens (see you)
how are you doing? (literally: how are you
hoe gaat het?
going?)
hoe gaat het met how are you doing? (literally: how is it
je? going with you?)
dank u thank you
dank je thank you
bedankt thanks
dank u wel thank you kindly
dank u zeer thank you very much
you're welcome (literally: no thanks
geen dank
(needed))
to do, work,
to put (it one's pocket),
doen to do (one's hair, a room),
to make (a promise), and some more [doe,
doet, doen, deed, deden, gedaan]
to be allowed, be permitted, may, or to like
mogen
[mag, mag, mogen, mocht(en), gemogen]
to grow [groei, groeit, groeien, groeide(n),
groeien
(zijn) gegroeid]
graag with pleasure, gladly, readily, willingly
you're welcome (literally: done with
graag gedaan
pleasure)
Back to start
Sentences
Is er gisteren iets gebeurd? Has something happened yesterday?
Hallo, hoe gaat het met je? Hello, how are you doing?
I'm doing fine, thanks. (With me it's
Met mij gaat het goed, dank je.
going good)
's Morgens loopt hij altijd naar In the morning he always walks to
de garage. the garage.
Het is vandaag 31 december
Today it is December the 3rd, 1999.
1999.
We deden het graag voor je. We did it gladly for you.
Mag ik u bedanken voor
May I thank you for this morning?
vanmorgen?
Back to start
Exercises
Question Answer
ik ben, jij bent, hij/zij/het is, u bent/is,

Conjugate: to be.
zijn, was, waren, geweest
Hallo, hoe gaat het met je? Hello, how are you?
Waar was je gisteren? Where were you, yesterday?
Ik ben morgen en I'm not home tomorrow and the day
overmorgen niet thuis. after tomorrow.
I have worked on my Ik heb vanmorgen op mijn computer
computer this morning. gewerkt.
In the morning I eat with my 's Morgens eet ik met mijn vrouw en
wife and children. kinderen.
On the 1st of April we
Op 1 april lachen we altijd.
always laugh.
maandag, dinsdag, woensdag,
List: the weekdays
donderdag, vrijdag, zaterdag, zondag
ik heb, jij hebt, hij/zij/het heeft, u
Conjugate: to have.
hebt/heeft, hebben, had, hadden, gehad
Back to start
Les elf: I want, you should
A difficult and boring lesson, I fear, lots of grammar.

We will learn 'this/that/these' words.
We will handle the Dutch verbs for 'to must', 'to want' and 'to will/shall'
Conjunctions will pass.
Pronunciation
Grammar
Vocabulary
Sentences
Exercises
Back to start
Pronunciation
Some more diphthongs:
 IEU as in "nieuw" a bit like /sEAl/, always before a
'w'
Back to start
Grammar
The words for {this}, {that}, {these} and {those} depend partly on the article of the
noun and partly whether they are used as a pronoun before a noun, or on their own as
the object or on their own as the subject (with or without the noun they refer to).
As a pronoun before a noun, or on their own as the subject, or on their own as an
object without the noun they refer to:
For the neutral article 'het' they are:
this - dit
that - dat
For the male and female article 'de' they are:
this - deze
that - die
The plural forms are the same for all articles:
these - deze
those - die
On their own as an object when the noun they refer to is in the same sentence:
this, these - dit
that, those - dat
So, some examples:
These books lie on this table - Deze boeken liggen op deze tafel.
That man writes with those pencils - Die man schrijft met die
pennen.
This woman sleeps in that bed - Deze vrouw slaapt in dat bed.
Or on their own as an object (without referred noun):
This is mine - Dit is van mij.
These are yours - Deze zijn van jou.
Or on their own as a subject:
Ik give these to you - Ik geef deze aan jou.
We ate this - We aten dit.
Or on their own as an object (with referred noun):
Is this your book? - Is dit jouw boek?
Are those your books? - Zijn dat jouw boeken?
-
We use the same Dutch verb for {will/shall} (they've basically the
same meaning in English too). The Dutch verb is: "zullen", it's very
irregular, almost like the verb "kunnen". It's like:
ik zal, jij/u zal (or jij/u zult) (zal jij), hij/zij/het zal, wij zullen, ik zou,
wij zouden
There is no past perfect form. It's an auxilary verb, so always used
with the full form of another verb (although it's also used in another
meaning as a normal verb, more about that later).
Examples:
I shall work tomorrow - Ik zal morgen werken.
Will you do it tonight? - Zal je het vanavond doen?
We would do it this morning - We zouden het vanmorgen doen.
When used as {should} it is used in conjunction with the {must}
verb: "moeten":
ik moet, jij/u/hij/zij/het moet, wij moeten, ik moest, wij moesten, wij
hebben gemoeten
Always the full verb is used in constructions like this:
We should do this - We zouden dit moeten doen.
But: We shall do this - We zullen dit doen.
Should I eat at the table? - Zou ik aan de tafel moeten eten?
But: Shall I eat at the table? - Zal ik aan de tafel eten?
These sentences can also be constructed with only the "moeten"
verb:
We must do this - We moeten dit doen.
Must I eat at the table? - Moet ik aan de tafel eten?
Without the "moeten" verb it has more a meaning of {were
supposed to}, as in:
We were supposed to do this - We zouden dit doen.
We were supposed to eat tonight - We zouden vanavond eten.
All in all a very complicated verb.
-
The Dutch verb for {want} is: "willen", it's not irregular (surprise!),
but the past present tense is often used in a gramaticly bad form
(no surprise).
It's like:
ik wil, jij/u wilt, hij/zij/het wil, wij willen, ik wilde, wij wilden, gewild
The bad past present form is (looking like the past perfect for
"zullen" ("zouden")):
ik wou, wij wouden, gewild
Examples:
I want that dog - Ik wil die hond.
Did you want the red book? - Wilde (wou) u het rode boek?
We didn't want to do this - We wilden (wouden) dit niet doen.
-
Conjunctions are used like in English. See the vocabulary for a list.
Examples:
If you will write it, I'll read it - Als jij het zal schrijven, zal ik het
lezen.
I'll read it if you'll write it - Ik zal het lezen als jij het zal schrijven.
We do it because we must - Wij doen het omdat we (het) moeten.
Back to start
Vocabulary
als if (also some other usages)
bah bah, pooh, pah
beloven to promise [beloof, beloven, beloofde(n), beloofd]
da's that is (short for "dat is")
dat that, or: that, which
deze these
die those/that
dit this
doordat because, on account of
if, in case ("als" is used more often, "indien" is
indien
more used in official documents)
jaar year [het, jaren]
jong young, or: young one, litter [het, jongen]
boy, lad [de (m), jongens], or: "jongen, jongen!"
jongen dear, dear!, oh dear!, or: to bring forth young
animals [jong, jongen, jongde(n), gejongd]
to boil, or: to cook food [kook, koken, kookte(n),
koken
gekookt]
lekker nice, delicious, good, fine, nicely
leuk amusing, funny or: jolly, pleasant
maid, girl [de (v), meiden] ({girl} on its own is
meid
usually "meisje")
meisje girl, missy [het, meisjes]
to must/have to [moet, moet, moeten, moest(en),
moeten
gemoeten]
nadat after (we had seen it)
nieuw new
omdat because, as
opdat that, in order that
oud old
sjonge same as "tjonge", even more slang
terwijl while, whilst, as, or: meanwhile
tja well!
tjonge well!, have you ever! (slang for "jongen, jongen")
toen when, as, or: then, at that time
vijand enemy, foe [de (m), vijanden]
voordatbefore (we had seen it)
vriend friend, boy friend [de (m), vrienden]
vriendin
friend, girl friend, lady friend [de (v), vriendinnen]
wanneerwhen
want for (we must do so) (comjugation)
to want [wil, wilt, willen, wilde(n) (bad:
willen
wou(den)), gewild]
to become, going to be, to grow (old) [word, wordt,
worden
worden, werd(en), (zijn) geworden]
so, like that, such, or: thus, like this, in this way, or:
zo
presently, and: many other usages
to shall/will [zal, jij/u zal (zult) (zal jij), hij zal,
zullen
zullen, zou(den) (no past perfect)]
Back to start
Sentences
Als haar vriendin komt, zal zij If her girl friend comes, she will do
het doen. it.
We moeten het doen, want we We must (have to) do it, for we
hebben 't beloofd. have promised it.
Omdat zij het niet willen, moet ik Because they don't want to, I must
't doen. (have to) do it.
Ik beloof je dat ik morgen zal I promise you that I'll cook
koken. tomorrow.
Zo zo! Waarom ben jij hier? So so! Why are you here?
Jongen, jongen, wat is dat lekker! Dear, dear, that is delicious!
Bah, da's vies! Bah, that's filthy!
Tja, da's niet zo mooi. Well, that's not so fine.
Ik word niet goed. I'm becoming unwell.
Back to start
Exercises
Question Answer
Conjugate: to be able ik kan, jij kan/kunt, hij/zij/het kan, u kunt,

(can). kunnen, kon, konden, gekund
Het meisje en de jongen The girl and the boy are walking through the
lopen door het huis. house.
Je mag eten wanneer ik
You may eat when I say so.
het zeg. <
's Morgens loopt hij altijd naar de garage. -
Listen. In the morning he always walks to the
garage.
Ik wil dat niet doen. Or: Dat wil ik niet
I don't wanna do that.
doen.
You (plural) shouldn't Jullie zouden niet moeten praten met die
talk to those girls. meisjes.
Your father is growing
Jouw vader wordt oud.
old.
januari, februari, maart, april, mei, juni, juli,
List: the months augustus, september, oktober, november,
december
Back to start
Bad language
Unlike the English, Dutch doesn't normally use anal words to express one's anger
with something. We, the Dutch, are more genital oriented, both male and female
genitals are used (the male ones are generally used for male persons, the female ones
for female persons and also for general things).
Of course, the English (mostly American) influence is present in the common Dutch
language. Words like 'shit' are commonly used, especially by the youth.
We also have blasphemous words which are generally in the same format as the
English.
Another good (or bad) habit of us is to diagnose people we don't like as sufferers of a
particular illness or sickness.
Also some dirty words will be listed here.
We will only list and translate the words below, not try to pronounce them, since we
haven't had most of the vowel and consonant sounds yet. Also don't use them in a
sentence yet, just shout them: "Eikel!!!"
-
beffen {to suck pussy}
borst {breast}
eikel dickhead
godverdomme goddamned
hoer whore
jezus! jesus!
kankerlijer cancer sufferer
cholera sufferer ("klere" is slang for
klerelijer
"cholera")
klerehoer cholera suffering whore
"klere" can be placed before almost
each noun, just like fucking)
klootzak scrotum
kont {ass}
kut {cunt}
kutwijf cunt vixen/shrew
lul cock
naaien {to screw}
neuken {to fuck}
penis {penis}
pijpen {to suck cock}
pik {dick}
slet slut
tepel {nipple}
tiet {tit}
vagina {vagina}
Back to main

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Lesson 1: It's a start

And finally one easy diphthong:

Some weirder sounding vowels and diphthongs:

The first regular verb we'll introduce is "werken" {to work}:

Lesson 5: Where are you all?

We will handle the plural form of nouns.

We will handle the past present form of verbs.

We will handle the past perfect form of verbs.

We walked to the house. We liepen naar het huis.

Les acht: I know the can-can

Ik schreef met een potlood. I wrote with a pencil.

Les negen: My small mistake

We'll get to adjectives and the possesive pronouns.

Some more about adjectives.

ik ben, jij bent, hij/zij/het is, u bent/is,

A difficult and boring lesson, I fear, lots of grammar.

Conjugate: to be able ik kan, jij kan/kunt, hij/zij/het kan, u kunt,

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