To add a point in written Dutch, use _bovendien_ (moreover) or _daarnaast_ (in addition); to contrast, use _echter_ (however) or _daarentegen_ (on the other hand); to wrap up, use _kortom_ (in short) or _al met al_ (all in all). _Ten eerste_ (firstly) and _ten slotte_ (finally) number your arguments. Most of these words are followed straight by the verb when they open a sentence, while _echter_ usually sits after the verb: _Het plan is echter duur._
The pattern
These linking adverbs (words that connect a sentence to the one before it) show your reader where the text is going. When one opens a sentence, the conjugated verb (the verb that changes with the subject) usually follows it directly.
- Adding: _bovendien_ and _daarnaast_: _Bovendien is het goedkoper._
- Contrasting: _echter_ usually stands in the middle of the sentence, after the verb: _Het plan is echter duur._ _Daarentegen_ sets two people or things against each other and also tends to come after the verb.
- Concluding: _kortom_ is usually followed by a comma and normal word order; _al met al_ takes the verb right after it.
- Listing: _ten eerste_, _ten tweede_, _ten derde_, _ten slotte_, each followed by the verb.
Useful extras for exam writing
Exam writing tasks, for example in the NT2 exams, often ask for an opinion with reasons. Keep these ready too:
- Adding: _ook_, _verder_ (furthermore)
- Contrasting: _maar_, _toch_ (still, even so), _aan de ene kant_ and _aan de andere kant_ (on the one hand, on the other hand)
- Cause and result: _daarom_ (that's why), _dus_ (so)
- Closing: _tot slot_ (to finish)
A few well-placed linking words do more than one in every sentence.
Examples
| De nieuwe wijk ligt dicht bij het station. Bovendien zijn de huren er lager. | The new neighbourhood is close to the station. What's more, the rents are lower there. |
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| Ik werk vier dagen per week. Daarnaast volg ik een avondcursus Nederlands. | I work four days a week. In addition, I'm taking an evening course in Dutch. |
| Het voorstel van de gemeente is goed doordacht. Het is echter erg duur. | The municipality's proposal is well thought out. However, it is very expensive. |
| Fatima wil een groot feest geven. Ahmed viert zijn verjaardag daarentegen liever rustig thuis. | Fatima wants to throw a big party. Ahmed, on the other hand, prefers to celebrate his birthday quietly at home. |
| Ten eerste is de fiets sneller dan de bus. Ten tweede is hij goedkoper. | Firstly, the bike is faster than the bus. Secondly, it is cheaper. |
| Ten slotte wil ik u bedanken voor uw snelle reactie. | Finally, I would like to thank you for your quick reply. |
| De trein had vertraging en het regende. Kortom, ik kwam een uur te laat op mijn werk. | The train was delayed and it was raining. In short, I was an hour late for work. |
| Al met al was het een geslaagde buurtbarbecue. | All in all, it was a successful neighbourhood barbecue. |
| We moeten Lotte even helpen. Ze werkt hier tenslotte pas een week. | We should give Lotte a hand. After all, she has only been working here for a week. |
Why it works this way
These words are adverbs: words like _morgen_ or _vaak_ that add information inside the sentence. A conjunction, a joining word like _maar_ or _en_, stands outside the sentence, so the word order stays normal: _Maar het plan is duur._ An adverb counts as a full part of the sentence. When it takes the first slot, the [verb second rule](#/lesson/verb-second) puts the verb right after it, just as with _daarom_ and _toch_ ([linking words that invert](#/lesson/linking-adverbs)).
_Kortom_ is the odd one out. It usually works like a label in front of the sentence, so a comma follows and the sentence starts afresh: _Kortom, we moeten verhuizen._
Picture your text as a Dutch cycle route. _Bovendien_ and _daarnaast_ say keep going, _echter_ and _daarentegen_ say the road turns, _ten eerste_ to _ten slotte_ are the numbered _knooppunten_, and _kortom_ tells the reader they have arrived.
As a tendency, _bovendien_ adds an extra argument for the same point (what's more), while _daarnaast_ adds a separate fact (besides that). In everyday writing they often swap without any problem.
_Echter_ and _daarentegen_ belong to written, fairly [formal Dutch](#/lesson/formal-informal). In conversation, people mostly say _maar_ or _aan de andere kant_; an _echter_ over the garden fence sounds like a letter from _de gemeente_. In formal writing, _echter_ has two other possible positions: right after a fronted subject for a sharp contrast (_Joris echter was niet overtuigd._), or at the very start, followed by a comma and normal word order (_Echter, de trein had vertraging._). Both are correct, but the position after the verb is the most common and the safest choice.
Remember: _echter_ goes where English puts a mid-sentence however. "The plan is, however, expensive" becomes _Het plan is echter duur_, without the commas.
Watch out
- Not: _Bovendien het huis is te klein._ Say: _Bovendien is het huis te klein._ (_bovendien_ fills the first place, so the verb comes next)
- Not: _Het plan is goed, echter het is te duur._ Say: _Het plan is goed, maar het is te duur._ (_echter_ cannot join two sentences after a comma the way _maar_ does)
- Not: _Tenslotte wil ik u bedanken voor uw hulp._ Say: _Ten slotte wil ik u bedanken voor uw hulp._ (finally is two words; _tenslotte_ means after all)
- Not: _Op de andere hand is een huurhuis flexibeler._ Say: _Aan de andere kant is een huurhuis flexibeler._ (Dutch uses _kant_, side, not hand)
Quick check
- Choose _bovendien_ or _daarentegen_: _Joris is blij met zijn nieuwe appartement. Het is ruim en licht. ... is de huur lager dan hij had verwacht._
- Fix the word order and keep _al met al_ at the start: _Al met al het was een nuttige vergadering._
- Add _echter_ to the second sentence, directly after the verb: _Mei wilde de trein van acht uur nemen. De trein was vol._
- Sanne ends her farewell speech. Choose _ten slotte_ or _tenslotte_: _... wil ik jullie allemaal bedanken voor de fijne samenwerking._
Answers
- _Bovendien_: both facts are plus points for the flat, so there is nothing to contrast.
- _Al met al was het een nuttige vergadering._ The verb follows _al met al_ directly.
- _De trein was echter vol._ _Echter_ comes straight after the verb _was_.
- _Ten slotte_: two words means finally; _tenslotte_ means after all.
Use it today
Write a five-sentence message to a friend about your neighbourhood: two good points with _ten eerste_ and _bovendien_, one drawback with _echter_, and a final verdict with _kortom_. Then check that every verb stands where this lesson puts it.