For an English speaker, Dutch starts out friendly: many words look familiar, nouns do not change for subject or object, and verbs have few forms. The hard parts are word order, the two words for "the" (_de_ and _het_), and some new sounds.
The pattern
Words and endings come easily. Your real effort goes into word order, _de_ or _het_, and a few sounds.
- Easy: shared words such as _water_, _hand_, _bed_ and _warm_.
- Easy: no case endings (endings that mark subject or object): _de man_ stays _de man_.
- Fairly easy: present-tense verbs. Most add _-t_ for _jij_ and _hij_; the plural is the dictionary form: _ik werk_, _hij werkt_, _wij werken_. When _jij_ comes right after the verb, drop the _-t_: _werk jij?_
- Hard: word order. In a statement, the working verb (the one that changes for the person) comes second; a second verb usually goes to the end. Yes-or-no questions and commands normally start with the verb.
- Hard: _de_ or _het_, and sounds such as _g_, _ui_ and _eu_.
Examples
| Het water is warm. | The water is warm. |
|---|---|
| Werk jij morgen? | Are you working tomorrow? |
| Vandaag werkt Sanne thuis. | Sanne is working from home today. |
| Fatima wil een fiets kopen. | Fatima wants to buy a bike. |
| Ik zie de man. De man ziet mij. | I see the man. The man sees me. |
| De trein is laat en het weer is koud. | The train is late and the weather is cold. |
Why it works this way
Dutch and English share old roots, and both lost most case endings on nouns long ago. Pronouns still change, as in English: _ik_ and _mij_ work like I and me.
English keeps a trace of the [verb-second rule](#/lesson/verb-second) in "Here comes the bus". Dutch does this all the time: start a statement with _vandaag_, and the subject moves behind the verb.
_De_ and _het_ follow no reliable meaning, so learn each noun with its article (more in [de and het](#/lesson/de-and-het)).
The _g_ in _goed_ is a rough throat sound, like the "ch" in Scottish "loch" (softer in the south). _Ui_ in _huis_ and _eu_ in _leuk_ have no English twin; see [vowel pairs](#/lesson/vowel-combinations). Vowel length changes meaning: _man_ is a man, _maan_ is the moon.
Remember: in a statement, the working verb sits in seat two, and extra verbs ride at the back.
Watch out
- Not: _Vandaag ik werk thuis._ Say: _Vandaag werk ik thuis._ (the verb comes second)
- Not: _Ik wil kopen een fiets._ Say: _Ik wil een fiets kopen._ (the second verb goes to the end)
- Not: _Hij werk in Amsterdam._ Say: _Hij werkt in Amsterdam._ (_hij_ needs _-t_)
- Not: _de huis_ Say: _het huis_ (_huis_ takes _het_)
Quick check
- Fill in the right form of _werken_: _Lotte ... bij de supermarkt._
- Choose: _Morgen (ik ga / ga ik) naar de huisarts._
- Fix the sentence: _Ahmed wil drinken koffie._
- Fill in _de_ or _het_: _... huis van Priya is klein._
Answers
- _werkt_ (a name works like _hij_ or _zij_, so add _-t_)
- _ga ik_ (after _Morgen_, the verb comes second)
- _Ahmed wil koffie drinken._ (the second verb goes to the end)
- _Het_ (_huis_ takes _het_)
Use it today
At the supermarket, find three products with English-looking names, like _de melk_, and say them with their article. Then say one sentence about your day that starts with _Vandaag_.