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Dutch grammar, explained lesson by lesson

188 free lessons, A1 to B2: articles (de/het), word order, verbs, pronouns, prepositions and more. Read the rule, then practise it in the games.

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How to learn Dutch grammar so it sticksA1Grammar words you need, in English and DutchA1Dutch for English speakers: what is easy and what is hardA1False friends between Dutch and EnglishA2

Sounds and spelling

The Dutch alphabet and how to spell your nameA1Short and long vowelsA1Why maan becomes manen: open and closed syllablesA1Doubling consonants after a short vowelA1ui, eu, ij, ei, ou, au, oe, ieA1The Dutch g and chA1Why d sounds like t at the end of a wordA1v and f, z and s: huis and huizenA2The neutral e and the endings -en, -ig and -lijkA1The Dutch rA2Word stressA2The trema in ë and ï, and the hyphenA2Capital lettersA1When Dutch uses an apostropheA2How sounds blend in fast speechB1Writing compound wordsB1

Nouns and de or het

De or het: the two words for "the"A1Een: the word for "a"A1When Dutch uses no articleA2Plurals with -enA1Plurals with -sA1Irregular pluralsA2Diminutives: -je, -tje, -pje, -etje, -kjeA2What diminutives really meanB1Clues that a noun is a het-wordA2Clues that a noun is a de-wordA2Compound nouns take the article of the last partA2How to actually learn de and hetA2Countable and uncountable nounsA2Showing possession: van, -s and zijn/haarA2Making nouns from verbs and adjectivesB1Male and female forms: leraar and leraresB1Group nouns and verb agreementB1Nouns with two plurals or only a pluralB1

Pronouns

Subject pronouns: ik, jij, hij, zijA1Jij or je? Stressed and unstressed pronounsA1U or jij: formal and informal youA1Object pronouns: me, je, hem, haarA1Hen, hun or ze: themB1Hij, het or zij for thingsA2Possessive pronouns: mijn, jouw, zijn, haarA1Ons or onze?A2Mine and yours: van mij and de mijneB1Reflexive pronouns: me, je, zichA2Reflexive verbs: zich vergissen, zich voelenA2Elkaar: each otherB1Deze, die, dit, datA1Dit is, dat is, het isA2Die and dat instead of hij and het in speechB1Relative pronouns: die and datB1Wie, wat and waar- in relative clausesB2Waarmee, waarover, waaraanB2Iemand, niemand, iets, niets, alles, iedereenA2Men, je and ze: people in generalB1Het as an empty subject: het regentA2Question words: wie, wat, waar, wanneer, hoe, waaromA1Welk or welke, and wat voorA2Zo'n, zulk and zulke: suchB2

Verbs now

Finding the stem of a verbA1The present tense: ik werk, jij werkt, wij werkenA1Werk jij? Where the t disappearsA1Zijn and hebben in the presentA1Gaan, doen, komen, willen, kunnen, zullen and mogenA1D, t or dt: spelling verbs in the presentA2Modal verbs: kunnen, moeten, willen, mogen, zullenA1Niet hoeven te: you don't have toA2Kunnen, mogen and durvenA2Separable verbs: opbellen, meenemenA1Inseparable verbs: be-, ver-, ont-, her-, ge-, er-A2One verb, two meanings: when stress decidesB1The imperative: Kom binnen!A1Aan het + infinitive: I am doing it right nowA2

Verbs in time

The perfect tense: ik heb gewerktA1Regular past participles: ge- plus stem plus t or dA1't kofschip: choosing t or dA1Irregular past participlesA2Hebben or zijn in the perfect tenseA2Participles without ge-A2The simple past of regular verbs: -te and -deA2The simple past of irregular verbsA2Patterns in irregular verbsB1Perfect or simple past: which one whenB1The past perfect: ik had gegetenB1Talking about the future with gaanA1Zullen: promises, suggestions and assumptionsB1Zou and zouden: wouldB1Infinitives with teB1Om te: in order toB1Laten: let, and having something doneB1Worden: become, and the passiveB1The passive with wordenB1The passive in the perfect: is gebouwdB2Er wordt gedanst: the passive without a subjectB2Verbs with a fixed prepositionB1Verb clusters: heb kunnen komenB2Zien, horen, voelen plus an infinitiveB2The present participle: lachend, slapendB2Past participles as adjectivesB1Must have, should have, could haveC1Old verb forms in fixed phrases: Leve de koning!C1

Word order

Verb second: the golden ruleA1Inversion: Morgen ga ikA1Yes or no questions: the verb comes firstA1Questions with a question wordA1The verb bracket: two verbs, two placesA1Time, manner, placeA2Where does niet go?A2Geen or niet?A1En, maar, of, want, dusA2Subordinate clauses: the verb goes to the endA2Omdat or want: two ways to say becauseA2When the subordinate clause comes firstB1Als, wanneer or toen: when and ifB1Dat clauses: Ik denk dat...A2Indirect questions: Weet jij of...?B1Relative clauses inside a sentenceB1The order of verbs at the endB2Separable verbs in subordinate clausesA2Two objects and short pronounsB1The four jobs of erB1Er is and er zijn: there is, there areA2Er with numbers: Ik heb er drieB1Erop, ervan, daarmee: er plus a prepositionB1Splitting er and its prepositionB2Starting with the object for emphasis or contrastB2Where adverbs go: al, nog, graag, vaak, ookB1What can come after the final verbsB2Questions with a prepositionB1Zowel ... als, niet alleen ... maar ookB2Daarom, toch, dan, daarna: linking words that invertB1Hoe meer, hoe beterB2Hoewel, ook al, zelfs als: although and even ifB2Zodat, opdat, zo ... datB2Voordat, nadat, terwijl, sinds, totdat, zodraB1Reporting what someone saidB2Leaving words out in spoken DutchC1

Adjectives and adverbs

Adjective endings: when to add -eA1Spelling changes when an adjective gets -eA2Adjectives after zijn, worden and blijvenA1Adjectives that never take -eB1Comparatives: groter, mooier, duurderA2Superlatives: de grootste, het grootstA2Goed, beter, best and other irregularsA2Meer and meest instead of -er and -stB1Adverbs: no -ly neededA2Graag: the Dutch way to say you like doing somethingA1Heel, erg, echt, best, nogal, vrijA2Altijd, vaak, soms, nooitA1Iets leuks, niets nieuws: the extra -sB1Dan, als and zo ... alsA2Adjectives used as nounsB1Ander, andere and andersB1Heel, al and alle: whole and allB2Veel, weinig, een paar, een beetjeA2

Small words

In, op, aan, bij: where things areA1Naar, uit, door, langs, overA2Om, op, in: talking about timeA1Telling the time: half drie means 2:30A1Numbers: eenentwintig, not twenty-oneA1Days, months and datesA1Al, nog, pas, nog niet, niet meerA2Geleden, sinds, al and overA2Even, maar, eens: making requests friendlyA2Toch, wel, hoor, nou, gewoonB1Particle combinations: maar even, toch maar, nou eensB2Ja, nee, jawel and toch welA2Ook, alleen, maar, zelfs: focus wordsB1Adjectives with a fixed prepositionB1Met de trein, op de fiets, te voetA2Ten, ter and te in fixed phrasesC1Fixed prepositional phrasesB2

Style and register

Formal and informal DutchB2Writing an email in Dutch: openings and closingsB1Spoken shortcuts: 't, 'k, m'n, z'n, d'rB1Nominalisation: turning actions into nounsC1When to use the passive, and when notB2Building words with prefixes: on-, her-, mis-, oud-B2Building words with suffixes: -baar, -loos, -achtig, -ig, -lijkB2Linking ideas in writing: bovendien, echter, kortomB2If only: Als ik het had gewetenB2Conditions without als: Mocht je vragen hebbenC1Wishes with maar: Was het maar vrijdagB2Wiens, wier, hetgeen: formal relativesC1Dutch in the Netherlands and in FlandersB2
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