Contents

The following Help Topics are available:

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Spelling Rules

Nouns

Gender:  Neuter and Common

Number:  Singular and Plural

Diminutive Nouns

Definite and Indefinite Articles

Pronouns

Personal Pronouns (Subject and Object)

The word er

Reflexive Pronouns

Relative Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns

Demonstrative Pronouns

Interrogative Pronouns

Indefinite Pronouns

Verbs

Present Tense

Past Tense (Imperfect)

Present Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Tense (Pluperfect)

Future Perfect Tense

Future

Conditional Mood

Past Participle

Present Participle

Auxiliary Verbs (Helping Verbs)

Modal Verbs

Imperative

Active and Passive Voice

Prefixes

Adjectives

Adverbs

Comparison

Conjunctions

Prepositions

Suffixes

Numbers

Negative Constructions

Interrogatives

Sentences

Dates

Grammar Pages

Number

Person

Gender

Strong Verb Conjugation

Weak Verb Conjugation

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Alphabet and Pronunciation

The Dutch alphabet uses the same letters as English. Dutch spelling is highly phonetic. A list of the most common Dutch sounds as they are commonly spelled follows.

Vowels
a	(short) as in dot
a, aa*	(long) not unlike "aaaaah"
e	(short) as in hen
e, ee*	(long) as in spray or Monet
eu	formed like ee, but with rounded lips
i	(short) as in is or miss
ie	(long) as in fleet and bee
o	(short) as in hot or often
o, oo*	(long) as in go or doe
oe	(short)as in foot or soot (if before an -r, long)
u	(short) as in bus or stir
u, uu*	(long) like French u or German ü
y	(short) as Dutch i in: gym (long) as Dutch ie in: psyche
e, i, ij	as belief or saved; in unstressed syllables, such as prefixes or suffixes. Example: maken (make), dertig (thirty), gemakkelijk (easy).
Diphthongs	Combinations of two sounds.
ei, ij	sound combination of e (short) and ie; formed not unlike English ai, but start with e instead of a.
au, ou	as in mouse
ui	formed like ei sound, but instead of starting with e (short), start with unstressed e.
aai	start with aa moving to ie.
ooi	not unlike boy, but longer
oei	not unlike gooey
eeu(w)	start with ee move toward u, ending in a w.
ieu(w)	start with ie move toward u, ending in a w.

* See Also

Spelling Rules

Consonants
b	as in bread  after a consonant, at the end of a syllable or word as in lip
c	as s before an e or i; as k before a, o, u; as in civil and cold
d	as in drive  after a consonant or at the end of a word as in bent
f	as in fun
g, ch	as in Scottish loch; a deep guttural sound produced in the back of ones throat
h	as in hand
j	as in yes
k	as in kilo
l	as in land
m	as in milk
n	as in night
p	as in past
q	as in quick (q is always followed by u)
r	guttural rolled r as in the gggrrr
s	as in soap
t	as in tell
v	as in very
w	as in what
x	as in box
z	as in zero
Consonant Combinations

-tj-	in words like katje. A sharp version of the English gotcha.
-sj-	in words like huisje. As in machine.
-ng	as in English song.


Spelling Rules

Dutch makes a distinction between open and closed syllables with consequences for the spelling and pronunciation.

An open syllable is a syllable that ends in a vowel.

A closed syllable is a syllable that ends in a consonant.

Closed	Open
maan	ma-nen (manen)	(moon/moons)
groot	gro-te (grote)	(great/great)

1. In closed syllables, the long sounds 'a,' 'e,' 'o,' and 'u' are spelled as aa, ee, oo, and uu; in open syllables as a, e, o, and u.

Closed	Open
Ik maak.	maken	(I make/ to make)
meer	meren	(lake/lakes)
groot	grote	(big)
zuur	zure	(sour)

2. The short sounds 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o' and 'u' are kept short in the plural and before adjective endings by doubling the consonant to keep the syllable closed.

Closed	Closed
mat	matten	(mat/mats)
gek	gekke	(crazy)
wit	witte	(white)
kom	kommen	(bowl/bowls)
Ik ruk	rukken	(I pull/ to pull)

Conversely, the second double consonant is dropped, when there is no necessity for it to keep the vowel short.

zeggen	Ik zeg	(to say/ I say)
straffen	Hij straft	(to punish/ He punishes)

3. Nouns ending in a, i, o, u and y form the plural with the ending -s. To maintain an open syllable or long sound an apostrophe (') is inserted.

paprika	paprika's	(bell pepper)
alibi	alibi's	(alibi)
piano	piano's	(piano)
menu	menu's	(menu)
baby	baby's	(baby)

The same is true for the genitive -s after proper names ending in a vowel.

Sonja's auto	(Sonja's car) BUT:
Jans auto	(Jan's car)

4. a) f at the end of a syllable and before a vowel is pronounced and spelled v.

druif	druiven	(grape/grapes)
gaaf	gaave	(intact)

b) s at the end of a syllable and after a vowel is pronounced and spelled as z.

kaas	kazen	(cheese/cheeses)
reis	reizen	(trip/trips)

5. The same principles that govern the spelling of nouns, also apply to verbs.  It is important to keep in mind that for spelling the point of departure is the infinitive of the verb, whereas for the conjugation one works from the stem or root.

a.) in open syllables the long souns "a", "e", "o" and "u" are spelled as a, e, o and u; in closed syllables as aa, ee, oo, and uu.

maken	ik maak	(to make/ I make)
spelen	ik speel	(to play/ I play)
horen	ik hoor	(to hear/ I hear)
turen	ik tuur	(to look into the distance/ I look into the distance
b.) Infinitives that have a double consonant that keep the vowel short before the -en infinitive ending, drop one of the consonants when conjugated.  Dutch does not have double consonants at the end of words.

straffen	ik straf	(to punish/ I punish)
trekken	ik trek	(to pull/ I pull)
fokken	ik fok	(to raise…animals/ I raise…animals)
rukken	ik ruk	(to pull…violently/ I pull…violently)
c.) Infinitives that have -v or -z before the -en infinitive ending change that consonant into -f or -s respectively, as Dutch words cannot end in -v or -z.

durven	ik durf	(to dare/ I dare)
lezen	ik lees	(to read/ I read)


Nouns

Nouns (het zelfstandig naamwoord) name persons, places, things or concepts: boom (tree), man (man), straat (street), verlangen (longing).

Dutch nouns have gender (common or neuter) and number (singular or plural). Common gender nouns are the historically feminine and masculine nouns grouped together. Nouns can be used with definite and indefinite articles. They are the center of nominal phrases in sentences and can function as subjects of sentences and phrases, direct/indirect objects of verbs and of prepositional or adverbial phrases.

Gender:  Neuter and Common

Number:  Singular and Plural

Diminutive Nouns

See also

Definite and Indefinite Articles


Gender

Each noun in Dutch has one of two genders: common or neuter.

Singular common gender nouns (the old masculine and feminine nouns grouped together) use de as the definite article, singular neuter nouns use het as the definite article.

In the plural all nouns use de, as the definite article.

The indefinite article for both genders is een.

There are no easy descriptive rules to indicate which nouns are common or neuter. Some easy categories are:

Neuter Nouns, the following are always neuter:

1. All diminutives, i.e. all nouns ending in -je.

het hondje (the doggie), het eitje (the little egg), het boompje (the small tree), het meisje (the little girl), het jongetje (the little boy)

2. Infinitives used as nouns.

het wandelen (the hiking), het zeilen (the sailing), het geven (the giving)

This list is by no means complete. There are many more neuter nouns. It is always best to learn nouns with the appropriate article, which will indicate its gender.


Diminutives

Dutch makes frequent use of diminutives (verkleinwoorden). Besides indicating that an object is small, the diminutive form of a noun can sometimes also change its meaning or indicate a portion.

de stoel (the chair)	het stoeltje (the little chair)
de kaart (the map)	het kaartje (the ticket)
het ijs (ice, ice cream)	het ijsje (the ice cream cone)
Diminutives are always neuter!

The diminutive is formed by adding the suffix -je, -tje, -etje or -pje to the noun.

1. Basic form: add -je

de aap (monkey)	het aapje	het huis (house)	het huisje
het boek (book)	het boekje	het oog (eye)	het oogje
de voet (foot)	het voetje	de zak (bag)	het zakje

2. Add -tje when

A. Nouns ending in a long vowel or diphthong; or a long vowel or dphthong followed by 	-l, -n or -r.

het ei (egg)	het eitje	de oma (grandma)	het omaatje*
de vrouw (woman)	het vrouwtje	de teil (pail)	het teiltje
de trein (train)	het treintje	de deur (door)	het deurtje
B. the noun ends in the unstressed syllable -el, -en or -er:

de tafel (table)	het tafeltje	de kachel (heater)	het kacheltje
de deken (blanket)	het dekentje	de toren (tower)	het torentje
de kamer (room)	het kamertje	de knijper (clothes        pin)	het knijpertje
3. Add -etje to nouns with a short vowel ending in -l, -r, -m or -ng. (NOTE: See Spelling rules for closed syllables with short vowels!)

de bal (ball)	het balletje	de tor (beetle)	het torretje
de kom (bowl)	het kommetje	de ring (ring)	het ringetje
4. Add -pje when the noun ends in -m, but is not preceded by a stressed short vowel.

het raam (window)	het raampje	de riem (belt)	het riempje
de bezem (broom)	het bezempje	de bloem (flower)	bloempje

*See Also

Spelling Rules

Suffixes


Number:  Singular and Plural

A noun can be singular (one person or thing) or plural (more than one person or thing). Dutch nouns form the plural by adding either -en or -s to the noun.

1. -en: Most nouns form the plural by adding -en.

singular	plural
paard	paarden	(horse/horses)
straat	straten*	(street/streets)
ui	uien	(onion/onions)
zee	zeeën*	(sea/seas)
pen	pennen*	(pan/pans)
brief	brieven*	(letter/letters)
glas	glazen*	(glass/glasses)
2. -s: The plural is formed with the ending -s, if a noun ends in the unstressed syllables -el, -em, -er, -je or in the vowels -a, -i, -o, -u or -y.

singular	plural
tafel	tafels	(table/tables)
bezem	bezems	(broom/brooms)
kamer	kamers	(room/rooms)
meisje	meisjes	(girl/girls)
firma	firmas*	(firm/firms)
tosti	tostis*	(grilled sandwich)
auto	autos*	(car/cars)
menu	menus*	(menu/menus)
baby	babys*	(baby/babies)

3. Some exceptions:

- some nouns take the ending -eren

singular	plural
kalf	kalveren*	(calf/calves)
kind	kinderen	(child/children)
ei	eieren	(egg/eggs)
- some nouns change the vowel

singular	plural
stad	steden	(city/cities)
schip	schepen	(ship/ships)

* See Also

Spelling rules


Definite and Indefinite Articles

Articles (lidwoorden) that refer to specific persons or objects are called definite articles (English: the).  The Dutch definite articles are de for the common singular noun and het for the neuter singular noun. The Dutch definite article for plural nouns (common and neuter) is de.

Articles that refer to unspecified persons or objects are called indefinite articles (English: a, an). The Dutch indefinite article for both common and neuter nouns is een.

Gender	number	definite article	indefinite article
common	singular	de	een
	plural	de
neuter	singular	het	een
	plural	de

NOTE:

- Nouns not preceded by an article, possessive or demonstrative pronoun are treated as if they were preceded by an indefinite article. This affects both the ending of the adjectives that modify them and the word order of the phrase or sentence.


Pronouns

Pronouns (voornaamwoorden) are words which replace or stand for people, places, things or concepts already named: hij (he), zij (she), haar (her), etc.. There are several kinds of pronouns: personal (subject and object), possessive, demonstrative, relative, interrogative, indefinite and reflexive. In Dutch, the pronoun agrees in number and gender with the noun referred to and with whether the noun is animate or inanimate.

The most important difference with English is that pronouns which, in English, are strictly reserved for persons can, in Dutch, also refer to things. While English reserves it for things, Dutch uses personal pronouns (hij, haar, etc.) to refer to things.

Ziet u het boek? Ik zie het. (Do you see the book?  I see it.)

Wat vindt u van deze jas? Prima, ik koop hem. (What do you think of this coat?

Fine, Ill buy it.)

Another major difference is that pronouns for inanimate objects (het, hij or haar) cannot be used as objects of prepositions. This is not the case when they refer to people. Dutch, instead, uses the object pronoun er or daar. Cf. archaic English usage: thereof, therein, therewith, etc.

Ik wacht op de bus. Ik wacht erop. (I am waiting for the bus. I am waiting for it.)

Ik zit op dat krukje. Ik zit daarop. (I am sitting on that stool. I am sitting on it.)

See Also:

Person

Number

Personal Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns

Relative Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns

Demonstrative Pronouns

Interrogative Pronouns

Indefinite Pronouns


Personal Pronouns

Subject and Object Forms

Pronouns have different forms according to their function (subject or object) in the sentence. Subject pronouns are the subject of a sentence. Object pronouns are used for both direct and indirect objects and with prepositions.

Subject: Ik loop naar school. (I walk to school.)

Object: Jan ontmoet haar daar. (Jan meets her there.)

The Dutch subject and object pronouns are:

Singular
Subject	Object
ik	mij/me*	(I, me)
jij/je*	jou/je	(you, informal)
u	u	(you, formal)
hij	hem	(he, him/it)
zij/ze*	haar	(she, her/it)
het	het	(it)
Plural
Subject	Object
wij/we*	ons	(we, us)
jullie	jullie	(you, informal)
u	u	(you, formal)
zij/ze*	hen, hun, ze	(they, them)

* The unstressed forms (me, je, ze, and we) are commonly used. The stressed forms (mij, jij, jou, and zij) are used to add emphasis.

Use of Personal Pronouns

3rd Person pronouns can be used for both persons and things.

3rd Person Singular: When referring to things, hij (subject) and hem (object) refer to singular nouns of common gender, het refers to singular neuter nouns. Zij (subject) and haar (object) are used for things that are obviously female.

Waar is de krant? Daar ligt hij. (Where is the newspaper? There it is.)

Waar? Ik zie hem niet. (Where? I dont see it)

Hoe vind je het boek? Ik vind het erg goed. (How do you like the book. I think it is very good.)

3rd Person Plural: zij/ze (both subject and object) are used to refer to persons and things in the plural. As an object ze can be used for persons and things. Hen and hun can only be used for persons. Hun is reserved for the dative indirect object (instances where the preposition to would be used in English - give a present to them). In all other situations use hen.

Hoe duur waren die bloemen? Ze waren 5 gulden. (How much did those flowers cost? They were 5 guilders.)

Waar heb je die bloemen gekocht? Ik heb ze op de markt gekocht. (Where did you buy those flowers. I bought them at the market.)

Wacht jij op Jan en Marieke? Nee, ik wacht niet op hen. (Are you waiting for Jan and Marieke? No, I am not waiting for them.)

Geef je die bloemen aan Jan en Marieke? Ja, ik geef hun de bloemen. (Are you giving those flowers to Jan and Marieke. Yes, I'm giving them the flowers.)

Daar and er: The object pronouns hem, haar and ze can NEVER be used in combination with a preposition when they refer to things! Dutch uses er or daar in those situations.

Houd jij van voetballen? Nee, daar houd ik niet van.

(Do you like soccer? No, I don't like it.)

Kijk jij graag naar de televie? Ja, ik kijk er graag naar.

(Do you like to watch soccer? Yes, I like to watch it.)

See also:

The Word er


Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs which direct the action of the verb back to the subject. Reflexive pronouns can serve as either direct or indirect objects. Many verbs are reflexive in Dutch, where English does not use a reflexive pronoun.

Ik was me. (I wash up.)

Wij haasten ons. (We are hurrying.)

The Dutch reflexive pronouns are:

Singular
me	(myself)
je	(yourself, familiar)
u/zich	(yourself, formal)
zich	(himself, herself, itself, oneself)
Plural
ons	(ourselves)
je	(yourselves, familiar)
u/zich	(yourselves, formal)
zich	(themselves)
Some very common reflexive verbs:

zich haasten	De man haastte zich naar de trein. The man hurried to the train.
zich herinneren	Ik herinner me die dag nog goed. I still remember that day well.
zich verheugen	Ed verheugt zich op zijn verjaardag. Ed is looking forward to his birthday.
zich vergissen	Zij vergist zich zo vaak. She is often mistaken.
zich vervelen	Zij vervelen zich dood. They are bored to tears.
zich voelen	Ik voel me ziek. I feel sick.


Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns introduce subordinate clauses that modify a word (the antecedent) in the preceding main clause. The relative pronouns in Dutch are: die or dat, waar + preposition and preposition + wie, and wat.

die refers to nouns of common gender (singular and plural) & plural neuter nouns.

dat refers to singular neuter nouns.

Dit is de stoel die Rietveld ontwierp. (This is the chair that Rietveld designed.)

De Nachtwacht van Rembrandt is het bekendste schilderij dat in het Rijksmuseum hangt. (Rembrandt's Nightwatch is the most famous painting that hangs in the National Museum.)

Die and dat can never be combined with a preposition. In that case Dutch uses:

waar + preposition: to refer to things

preposition + wie: to refer to people

Verdi's Aida is een opera waarvan ik erg veel houd. (Verdi's Aida is an opera which I love very much.)

Dat is het meisje met wie hij getrouwd is. (That is the girl to whom he is married.)

NOTE: waar + preposition, if standing together, are always written as one word.

Very often, however, waar and the preposition are split.

Verdi's Aida is een opera waar ik erg veel van houd. (Verdi's Aida is an opera which I love very much.)

wat as a relative pronoun stands for the antecedents: niets (nothing), iets (something), veel (much), and alles (everything). wat is also used when the entire preceding clause is the antecedent.

Niets wat ik zeg, is belangrijk. (Nothing that I say is important.)

Dit is nou iets wat ik mooi vind. (This is something that I really like.)

Veel van wat jij zegt, is onzin. (Much of what you say is nonsense.)

Alles wat ik koop, is erg duur. (Everything that I buy is very expensive).


Possessives

Possessives indicate ownership. Dutch has possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.

Dat is mijn boek. (That is my book.)

Dat boek is van mij. (That is a book of mine.)

Dat boek is het mijne. (That book is mine.)

Possessive Adjectives

The possessive adjectives in Dutch are:

singular	mijn	my
	jouw	your (familiar)
	uw	your (formal)
	zijn	his/her/its
plural	ons/onze*	our
	jullie	your
	hun	their

*ons/onze is the only possessive that still acts like an adjective with adjective endings. ons is used with singular neuter nouns, all other nouns take onze. The other possessive adjectives never change their form.

de jas	onze jas	(our coat)
het boek	ons boek	(our book)
de boeken	onze boeken	(our books)
Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are forms of the possessive adjective that can replace the possessive adjective and its noun.

Dat is zijn oude auto. Dat is de zijne. (That is his old car. It is his.)

Wij verkopen onze oude boeken. Wij verkopen de onze. (We sell our old books. We sell ours.)


The substantivized possessive adjective is preceded by the definite article de (common gender) or het (neuter) and takes the ending -e.

mijn trui (de)	de mijne	(my sweater/mine)
mijn overhemd (het)	het mijne	(my shirt/mine)
As well as de or het jouwe, zijne, hare, uwe, onze and hunne.

NOTE: The possessive adjective jullie cannot be used in this manner.

It is not very common in Dutch to express ownership with the possessive pronoun. Much more common is the use of the demonstrative pronoun die (common gender) or dat (neuter) with van followed by the object pronoun.

mijn trui (de)	die van mij	(my sweater/that of me)
mijn overhemd (het)	dat van mij	(my shirt/that of me)
onze truien (de)	die van ons	(my sweaters/those of us)
jullie overhemden (de)	die van jullie	(your shirts/those of you)

Dutch -like English- can add an -s ending to a name to form a possessive. Unlike English, however, Dutch allows this only with proper names, not with regular nouns!

de auto van Jan	Jans auto	(Jans car)
de fiets van Sonja	Sonjas fiets	(Sonjas bike)
het huis van Klaas	Klaas huis	(Klaas house)

Note the spelling. Proper names ending in a consonant add the -s without an apostrophe. If a name ends in a vowel, add -s. Use only an apostrophe after names ending in an s sound (names ending in s, z or x).


Demonstratives

Demonstratives refer to someone or something that has been previously mentioned or to indicate distance.

Ik wil met deze man trouwen. (I want to marry this man.)

Niet dit huis, maar dat huis is lelijk. (Not this house, but that house is ugly.)

Demonstrative Adjectives

There are four demonstratives in Dutch:

neuter nouns (het-words)	common nouns (de-words)
dit	deze	this
dat	die	that
deze	deze	these
die	die	those
de man (the man)	deze man (this man)	deze mannen (these men)
de vrouw (the woman)	die vrouw (that woman)	deze vrouwen (those women)
het kind (the child)	dit kind (this child)	deze kinderen (these children)
het bed (the bed)	dat bed (that bed)	die bedden (those beds)
Demonstrative Pronouns

The demonstrative die and dat can be used independently as pronouns to refer to a thing mentioned in an earlier sentence.

die is used to refer to nominal phrases, singular nouns of common gender and all plurals.

dat is used to refer to a neuter nominal phrase or a singular neuter noun.

Vind jij de rode broek mooi? (Do you like the red pants?)

Ik vind die erg mooi. (I think they are very pretty.)

Jan koopt de witte rozen voor zijn vriendin. (Jan buys the white roses for his girlfriend.)

Jan koopt die voor zijn vriendin. (Jan buys those for his girlfriend.)

Ken je het laatste boek van John Le Carre? (Do you know the latest book by John Le Carre?)

Nee, dat ken ik niet. (No, I don't know that one.)

NOTE: The demonstrative pronouns die and dat can NEVER be the object of a  preposition. When a demonstrative pronoun has to be used as the object of a preposition,  Dutch requires er (or daar) + preposition.

Houd jij van Rock & Roll? Nee, daar houd ik niet van. / Nee, ik houd er niet van. (Do you like Rock & Roll? No, I don't like that/it.)

In cases like these, er and daar can only refer to things.

See also

Object Pronouns

The Word er


Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns ask for a person or a thing. They introduce a  question. The most important Dutch interrogative pronouns are:

wie (who/whom), wat (what), waar + preposition, welk/welke (which).

Wie (who/whom) asks for persons

Wie is die man? (Who is that man?)

Wie zijn die mensen? (Who are those people?)

Met wie ga jij naar de film? (With whom are you going to the movie?)

Aan wie geeft hij dat geld? (To whom does he give that money?)

wat (what) asks for things, if not accompanied with a noun

Wat eten jullie vanavond? (What are you eating tonight?)

waar (where) + preposition: the pronoun wat cannot be combined with a preposition. Dutch uses waar in these cases.

Waarvoor heb jij die dingen gekocht? (What did you buy those things for?)

NOTE:  Waar and the preposition are written together as one word.


Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to persons or objects that have no clear referent, cf. English one. The Dutch equivalent of English one is men.

Dat doet men niet! (One doesnt do that!)

Dutch also uses the 2nd person singular je (you) and the 3rd person plural ze (they) to express the same kind of general unspecified subject or object.

Dat doe je toch niet! (You dont do that! [One doesnt do that.])

Ze zijn gek! (Theyre crazy!)

Other common indefinite pronouns are:

iemand	somebody
niemand	nobody
iedereen	everybody
iets	something
niets	nothing/anything
alles	everything

Some indefinite pronouns can also be used as adjectives:

veel/vele	many
verscheidene	several
sommige	some
andere	other
enkele	a few
een paar	a couple of
alle	all

As adjectives these pronouns have the regular adjective ending. When they refer to people and are used independently as subject or object pronouns they take the ending -en.

Velen gingen naar het concert. (Many went to the concert)

Allen vonden we het concert erg mooi. (All of us found the concert very beautiful.)

Indefinite Relative Pronouns

The Dutch indefinite relative pronoun is wat. Wat refers to the antecedents: iets, niets, alles, veel.

Niets wat ik zeg, is belangrijk. (Nothing that I say is important.)

Dit is nou iets wat ik mooi vind. (This is something that I really like.)

Veel van wat jij zegt, is onzin. (Much of what you say is nonsense.)

Alles wat ik koop, is erg duur. (Everything that I buy is very expensive).

See also:

Relative Pronouns


The Word Er

The word er (and its more emphatic synonym daar) has 4 distinct functions in Dutch.

1.	er (or daar) as adverb of place (cf. English: there).

Kees werkt nu in Amerika. Hij zit er (daar) al drie maanden.

(Kees in working in the U.S. now. He has been there for three months already.)

2.	er as the indefinite subject (cf. English: there).

Is er nog wijn? (Is there any wine left?)

Er komen honderd mensen. (There will be a hundred people coming.)

Er as indefinite subject is very common in passive constructions.

Er wordt aan gewerkt. (They are working on it. [Literally: There is being worked on.])

3.	er is used as a partitive with numerals and words indicating quantities, such as enige/verscheidene (some), veel (many), een paar (a couple), etc. (English: of them)

Hoeveel eieren wilt u? (How many eggs do you want?)

Ik wil er een dozijn. (I want a dozen [of them].)

Hoeveel postzegels hebt u nodig? (How many stamps do you need?)

Ik heb er veel nodig. (I need a lot [of them].).

4. 	er (or daar) as the object pronoun with prepositions to refer to things. See also

object pronouns and demonstrative pronouns.

Wacht je op die bus? (Are you waiting for that bus?)

Ja, ik wacht erop. (Yes, Im waiting for it.)

Ja, daar wacht ik op. (Yes, Im waiting for it.)

Because of its many functions, Dutch does not allow er more than two times in one sentence.

See Also

Demonstrative Pronouns

Object Pronouns


Verbs

Verbs (werkwoorden) describe an action, a process or a state of being.  Verbs agree with the person (1st, 2nd or 3rd) and number (singular or plural) of their subject.  There are two parts to all Dutch verbs: the stem, and the ending.  A stem with the ending -en forms the infinitive, which is the form given in dictionaries.  When conjugated, verbs indicate tense (present, past or future), voice (active or passive), person (1st, 2nd, and 3rd person), and number (singular and plural.)  There are weak verbs, strong verbs, and irregular verbs (mixed verbs.)  Weak verbs do not change the stem vowel in the past tense and the past participle.  Strong verbs do change the stem vowel in the past tense and the past participle.  Irregular verbs may at times change the stem vowel.

Many dictionaries will list the principal parts of the verb:

infinitive	past tense singular	past participle

Using the principal parts, as a guide, any tense of the verb can be formed.

The stem

The verb conjugation in Dutch is based on the stem of the verb. The stem is the infinitive without the -en ending. Removing the ending can cause the spelling to change. Which also changes the quality (sound) of the stem vowel.

Infinitive	Stem
maken	maak	(to make)
spellen	spel	(to spell)
durven	durf	(to dare)
lezen	lees	(to read)
Prefixes

Present Tense

Past Tense (Imperfect)

Present Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Tense (Pluperfect)

Future Perfect Tense

Future

Conditional Mood

Past Participle

Present Participle

Auxiliary Verbs (Helping Verbs)

Modal Verbs

Imperative

Active and Passive Voice

Spelling Rules

Verbs: Strong Conjugation

Verbs: Weak Conjugation


Present Tense

The present tense (onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd) is used to express what happens or what is happening in the present time.

Ik loop (I walk. / I am walking.)

Dutch also frequently uses the present tense to express what will happen in the future.

Ik vlieg morgen naar New York. (I fly/am flying to New York tomorrow.)

The present tense is formed by adding an ending to the stem, that agrees in person and number with the subject (subject-verb agreement.).

NOTE:  Adding an ending to the stem can change the way the last vowel in the stem is spelled.  It does not change the sound of the vowel.

		to make	to find	to be called	to sit
Infinitive		maken	vinden	heten	zitten
Stem		maak	vind	heet	zit
Singular	Ending
1. ik	-	maak	vind	heet	zit
2. jij (informal)	- t*	maakt	vindt	heet	zit
	- jij*	maak jij	vind jij	heet jij	zit jij*
u (formal)	- t	maakt	vindt	heet	zit
3. hij/zij	- t	maakt	vindt	heet	zit
Plural
1. wij	- en	maken	vinden	heten	zitten
2. jullie	- en	maken	vinden	heten	zitten
3. zij	- en	maken	vinden	heten	zitten
		make	find	to be called	sit


When the infinitive ending -en is added, stems that end in -s change to -z and stems that end in -f change to -v :

		to travel	to live
Infinitive		reizen	leven
Stem		reis	leef
Singular	Ending
1. ik	-	reis	leef
2. jij	- t*	reist	leeft
	- jij*	reis jij	leef jij
u	- t	reist	leeft
3. hij/zij	- t	reist	leeft
Plural
1. wij	- en	reizen	leven
2. jullie	- en	reizen	leven
3. zij	- en	reizen	leven
		to travel	to live

* When jij (or je) follows the verb, the ending - t is dropped.

Maak jij? Vind jij? Heet jij? Zit jij?

when the stem ends in t, there is no need to add another t to the stem.

Some infinitives do not end in -en, e.g. gaan (to go), zien (to see), or doen (to do). The stem of these verbs is simply formed by dropping the -n.

Infinitive		gaan	zien	doen
Stem		ga	zie	doe

See Also

Spelling Rules


Past Tense (Imperfect)
Past Tense

The simple past tense (onvoltooid verleden tijd) is used to narrate a series of events in the imperfect. To recount a singular event in the past, Dutch uses the present perfect tense.

Marieke bakte iedere week een taart. (Marieke baked a pie every week.)

Ik liep vaak door het park. (Often, I walked through the park.)

Weak verbs have regular endings in the past tense.

Singular:	stem + -de or -te

Plural:	stem + -den or -ten

	to make	to answer	to travel	to place
Infinitive	maken	antwoorden	reizen	zetten
Stem	maak	antwoord	reis	zet
Singular	maakte	antwoordde	reisde	zette
Plural	maakten	antwoordden	reisden	zetten

NOTE: Most of the time, the -de/-den ending is used. If the stem ends in t, k, f, s, ch, or p, the

 -te/-ten ending is required. The Dutch remember these consonants with the aid of the mnemonic device: 't kofschip (a sailing ship) It contains all the letters that take -te/-ten in the past tense.

Strong verbs change the stem vowel in the past tense.

Infinitive	past tense singular	past tense plural
gaan	ging	gingen	(to go)
doen	deed	deden	(to do)
lopen	liep	liepen	(to walk)
schrijven	schreef	schreven	(to write)

There is not much regularity in these vowel changes and strong verbs are best learned by heart.

Mixed verbs are irregular because they have some features of a weak verb and some of a strong verb. Since they are irregular, they should be regarded as strong and are best learned by heart.


Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense (voltooid tegenwoordige tijd) is usually equivalent to the English past tense (e.g. "I went") rather than to the English perfect tense (e.g. "I have gone") which it resembles.  It is the tense most often used when speaking about the past.  The present perfect tense is a compound tense and is formed using the present tense of the auxiliary verb hebben or zijn and past participle of the main verb:

Hij heeft gelachen (he has laughed)

Zij is gekomen (she has come)

Most times, hebben is the required auxiliary verb. The verb zijn is called for when the verb indicates motion and a destination is either mentioned expressly or implied.

For the conjugation of the verbs hebben and zijn, see Auxiliary Verbs.

In Dutch the past participle of weak verbs is formed as follows:

ge- + stem+d or t.

Infinitive	stem	Past participle
werken	werk	gewerkt	(worked)
maken	maak	gemaakt	(made)
antwoorden	antwoord	geantwoord	(answered)
zetten	zet	gezet	(placed)

The d or t choice is based on the same rules as the -de/-den or -te/-ten ending in the past tense, i.e. if the stem ends in t, k, f, s, ch or p, -t is the correct ending; in all other cases -d is required. The Dutch remember these consonants with the aid of the mnemonic device: 't kofschip (a sailing ship).  It contains all the letters that take -t in the past.

NOTE: There is no need to add a -d or -t if the stem already ends in these consonants, hence geantwoord and gezet.

See also

Auxiliary Verbs


Past Perfect Tense (Pluperfect)

The past perfect tense (voltooid verleden tijd) is a compound tense and is formed using the past tense of the auxiliary verb hebben or zijn and a past participle of the main verb:

Hij had gelachen. (He had laughed.)

Zij was gekomen. (She had come.)

The past perfect is used for events that occurred in a sequence one after another in the past.

Past Tense	Marjo ging naar de bakker. (Marjo went to the baker.)
Past Perfect	Marjo was naar de bakker gegaan, voordat zij naar de slager ging. (Marjo had gone to the baker, before she went to the butcher.)


Future Perfect

The use and formation of the future perfect tense ("voltooid verleden toekomende tijd") is similar to English. In sentences using the present perfect, either hebben or zijn is the verb that agrees with the subject, which is followed by a past participle.  In sentences using the future perfect, the verb that agrees with the subject is zullen.  It is followed by the past participle of the main verb, which, in turn, is followed by the infinitive of hebben or zijn, depending on whether the main verb shows motion (zijn) or not (hebben). (See present perfect tense.)

Present Perfect (hebben/zijn conjugated + past participle)

De man is naar huis gelopen. (The man has walked home.)

De vrouw heeft de misdaad gepleegd. (The woman has committed the crime.)

Future Perfect (zullen conjugated + past participle + infinitive hebben/zijn)

De man zal naar huis gelopen zijn. (The man will have walked home.)

De vrouw zal de misdaad gepleegd hebben. (The woman will have committed the crime.)

zullen is an irregular verb, even in its present tense conjugation.

Singular		Plural
ik	zal	wij	zullen
jij	zal/zult	jullie	zullen
u	zal/zult	u	zal/zult
hij/zij/het	zal	zij	zullen

See Also

Present Perfect Tense


Future

The future tense (toekomende tijd) is used to indicate happenings that are anticipated or intended. There are three ways in Dutch to express the future.

1. A common way to express the future is the use of the present tense with an adverb of time to indicate the future.

Ik vlieg morgen naar Washington. (I am flying to Washington tomorrow.)

2. The auxiliary verb zullen and the infinitive of the main verb at the end of the sentence.

Ik zal morgen naar Washington vliegen. (I will fly to Washington tomorrow.)

zullen is an irregular verb, even in its present tense conjugation.

Singular		Plural
ik	zal	wij	zullen
jij	zal/zult	jullie	zullen
u	zal/zult	u	zal/zult
hij/zij/het	zal	zij	zullen

3. The auxiliary verb gaan and the infinitive of the main verb at the end of the sentence.

Ik ga volgende week een marathon lopen. (I am going to run a marathon next week.)


Past Participle

The past participle (voltooid deelwoord)  is used to form the perfect tense and as an adjective to modify nouns.

The past participle of weak verbs is formed in the following manner:

ge + stem of the verb + d/t

Infinitive	stem	Past participle
werken	werk	gewerkt	(worked)
maken	maak	gemaakt	(made)
antwoorden	antwoord	geantwoord	(answered)
zetten	zet	gezet	(placed)
The choice of -d or -t is based on the 't kofschip rule.

Strong verbs have an irregular past participle:

Infinitive	stem	Past participle
doen	doe	gedaan	(done)
kopen	koop	gekocht	(bought)

NOTE: If the infinitive of the verb starts with an unstressed prefix (such as be-, ge-, her-, ont- or ver-), the past participle is formed without the ge-.

Infinitive	Past Participle
beroven	beroofd (robbed)
geloven	geloofd (believed)
herinneren	herinnerd (remembered)
ontdekken	ontdekt (discovered)
vehuizen	verhuisd (moved)

If a past participle is used as an adjective, it takes an adjective ending as required.

de ongeschreven wet	the unwritten law
de gekookte aardappelen	the boiled potatoes
het afgebrande huis	the burned down house

*See Also

Spelling Rules

Adjectives

Past Tense


Present Participle

The present participle (tegenwoordig deelwoord) corresponds to the English "-ing" form of the verb. Contrary to English, the Dutch present participle is never used to create a verb phrase, but only as an adjective or adverb.

The present participle is formed by adding a -d to the infinitive.

Infinitive	Present Participle
spelen	spelend	(playing)
leven	levend	(living)
zingen	zingend	(singing)

The present participle used as an adjective takes an adjective ending as required. (See Adjectives.)

het spelende kind	(the playing child)
een levend wezen	(a living being)

The present participle used as adverb.

Luid zingend liep hij naar huis. (Singing loudly, he walked home.)

See Also

Adjectives

Adverbs


Auxiliary Verbs (Helping Verbs)

The main auxiliary verbs (hulpwerkwoorden) in Dutch are: hebben (to have) and zijn (to be). They are used in conjunction with other verbs to form the compound tenses, but can also be used independently.

The conjugation of both hebben and zijn is very irregular and should be learned by heart.

Present tense:

	hebben	zijn
ik	heb	ben
jij	hebt	bent
u	hebt/heeft	bent/is
hij/zij	heeft	is
wij	hebben	zijn
jullie	hebben	zijn
u	hebt/heeft	bent/is
zij	hebben	zijn

Note: If jij follows the verb, the -t is dropped.

Heb jij? Ben jij?

Past tense:

Singular	had	was
Plural	hadden	waren
Past Participle	gehad	geweest
See also

Modal Verbs


Modal Verbs
Modal Auxiliary Verbs

Modal verbs (modale hulpwerkwoorden) express possibility, ability, desire, permission, necessity of an action. Modal verbs are generally combined with an infinitive, which is located at the end of the sentence. The most common Dutch modal verbs (besides zullen for the future tense) are: kunnen (can), willen (want), mogen (may, allowed to), and moeten (must).

Possibility:	Ik kan een fiets kopen. (I am able to (can) buy a bike.)

Ability:	Ik kan erg hard fietsen(I am able to (can) bike really fast.)

Desire:	Ik wil patat bestellen. (I want to order French fries.)

Permission:	Ik mag snoep kopen. (I am allowed to buy candy.)

Necessity:	Ik moet belasting betalen. (I have to pay taxes.)

NOTE: When an infinitive is combined with a modal verb, the infinitive, unlike English, is never preceded by the preposition te (to).

The conjugation of modal auxiliaries is irregular both in the present and in the past tense and should be learned by heart.

Present	Past	Present	Past
kunnen (can; be able to)	willen (want; wish)
ik kan	kon	ik wil	wilde/wou
jij kan/kunt	kon	jij wil/wilt	wilde/wou
u kunt	kon	u wilt	wilde/wou
hij kan	kon	hij wil	wilde/wou
we kunnen	konden	we willen	wilden
jullie kunnen	konden	jullie willen	wilden
zij kunnen	konden	zij willen	wilden
mogen(may; be allowed)	moeten (have to; must)
ik mag	mocht	ik moet	moest
jij mag	mocht	jij moet	moest
u mag	mocht	u moet	moest
hij mag	mocht	hij moet	moest
wij mogen	mochten	wij moeten	moesten
jullie mogen	mochten	jullie moeten	moesten
zij mogen	mochten	zij moeten	moesten


NOTE:  In the future tense, zullen (shall) is the working verb while kunnen, moeten, mogen and willen are combined with the verb, which describes the action, in a double infinitive at the end.

Possibility:	Ik zal een fiets kunnen kopen. (I will be able to buy a bike.)

Ability:	Ik zal erg hard kunnen fietsen.  (I will be able to bike really fast.)

Desire:	Ik zal patat willen bestellen.  (I will want to order French fries.)

Permission: 	Ik zal snoep mogen kopen.  (I will be allowed to buy candy.)

Necessity:	Ik zal belasting moeten betalen.  (I will have to pay taxes.)

The perfect tenses also use this double infinitive construction, but the working verb is hebben.

Possibility:	Ik heb een fiets kunnen kopen.  (I was able to buy a bike.)

Ability:	Ik heb erg hard kunnen fietsen.  (I was able to bike really fast.)

Desire:	Ik had patat willen bestellen.  (I had wanted to order French fries.)

Permission:	Ik heb snoep mogen kopen.  (I have been allowed to buy candy.)

Necessity:	Ik heb belasting moeten betalen.  (I have had to pay taxes.)

See Also

Present Perfect

Past Perfect

Future


Imperative

The imperative form ("gebiedende wijs") is used for polite commands and requests for action. In an imperative construction, the verb is the first word of the sentence.  Generally the stem of the verb (without an ending) functions as the imperative.

Doe de deur dicht. (Close the door. Infinitive: dicht-doen)

Geef mij de suiker, alsjeblieft. (Give me the sugar, please. Infinitive: geven)

The tone of the command can be made less strident by adding the ending -t and using the formal second person pronoun u. (See Pronouns)

A butler to a guest: Volgt u mij, mijneer.  (Follow me, sir.)

A businessman to a client: Gaat u zitten. (Sit down.)

An imperative can also be softened by the addition of the adverb maar, which is normally translated as but.  When used this way, however, it can best be translated as please.

A customer in a bakery: Geeft u maar twee witte bolletjes.

(Give me two white rolls, please.)

An imperative can be tempered by the addition of the particle eens/ns.

A doctor to a patient: Zeg ns aaaa. (Say aaaa, please.)

One friend to another: Kom eens langs als je tijd hebt. (Drop by, if you have the

time.)

The infinitive can also be used as an imperative, but this use is very unfriendly.

A supervisor in a factory: Werken, niet kletsen! (Get to work, no gossiping!)

An exasperated mother to a child: En nu slapen! (And now go to sleep!)

See Also

Pronouns


Active and Passive Voice

In the active voice, the grammatical subject carries out the action expressed by the verb:

Hij bouwt een nieuw huis (He builds a new house.)

In the passive voice, the grammatical subject is the target of the action:

Het nieuwe huis wordt door hem gebouwd. (The new house is being built by him.)

Note: that in a passive construction, the direct object of the original active sentence (een nieuw huis) becomes the subject of the verb, while the subject (hij) of the original active sentence becomes part of a prepositional phrase (door hem), modifying the main verb

(worden). The passive voice is formed by combining the auxiliary verb (worden, passive form of the verb to be) with the past participle of the verb which describes the action, worden agrees with the grammatical subject in number and person.

Present passive is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb worden and past participle of the main verb:

Present	De auto wordt gerepareerd. (The car is being repaired.)

Past passive is formed with the past tense of the auxiliary verb worden and past participle of the main verb:

Past	De auto werd gerepareerd. (The car was being repaired.)

Present perfect passive is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb zijn and the past participle of the main verb. There is no form of worden.

Present Perfect	De auto is gerepareerd. (The car is repaired.)

Past perfect passive is formed with the past tense of the auxiliary verb zijn and the past participle of the main verb. There is no form of worden.

Past Perfect	De auto was gerepareerd. (The car was repaired.)


Future passive is formed using the present tense of the auxiliary verb zullen, the past participle of the main verb and the auxiliary verb worden in the infinitive. Zullen agrees with the grammatical subject in number and person and worden is placed at the end of the sentence in the infinitive.

De auto zal gerepareerd worden. (The car will be repaired.)

Future perfect passive is formed using the present tense of the auxiliary verb zullen, the past participle of the main verb and the auxiliary verb zijn in the infinitive. The difference between future passive and future perfect passive is in the auxiliary verb at the end of the sentence.

De auto zal morgen gerepareerd zijn. (The car will be repaired tomorrow.)


Conditional Mood

The conditional mood of the verb qualifies the action of the verb to show that it is possible, but not certain.  It can also be used to express a wish that something happen; or to indicate that something will happen if a certain condition is met.

The conditional mood is formed with zullen (shall/should).

To express doubt that an action took place, the past tense of zullen is used.  It agrees with the subject of the sentence in number and person.  The verb that is being qualified is placed at the end of the sentence in the infinitive.

Hij gaat naar de bioscoop.  (PRESENT: He is going to the movies.)

Hij zou naar de bioscoop gaan.  (CONDITIONAL: He was going to go to the movies.)

Zij koopt een brood.  (PRESENT: She buys a loaf of bread.)

Zij zou een brood kopen.  (CONDITIONAL:  She was going to buy a loaf of bread.)

To express a wish, the verb willen (to want or to wish) is combined with the verb zullen. Zullen agrees with the subject of the clause or sentence in number and person.  The infinitive of willen and its object are the last items in the sentence.  When the object of willen is a clause, the verb of the clause is in the past tense.

Ik zou willen dat mijn zus dichterbij woonde.  (I wish that my sister lived closer.)

The object of willen being the clause that my sister ….

Ik zou de loterij willen winnen.  (I would like to win the lottery.)

The object of willen being the infinitive to win.

To indicate that something will happen if a certain condition is met, the regular past tense is used together with the conjunction als.  Als is the first word in the clause that states the condition.  The verb that is being qualified agrees with the subject of the sentence in person and number. The clause that describes the action that will occur if the condition is met, uses the past tense of the verb zullen.  In this clause zullen agrees with the subject of the clause in person and number.

Als ik jou was, zou ik dat niet does. (If I were you, I would not do that.)

Als ze op tijd vertrokken warn, zouden ze hier al geweest zijn. (If they had left on time, they would have been here already.)

De auto zou gisteren gerepareerd zijn, als ze een onderdeel gehad hadden. (The car would have been repaired yesterday, if they had had a part.)


Conditional Perfect

The Conditional Perfect is formed with the verb zou/zouden, the past participle and hebben or zijn. In other words, the normal conjugated auxiliary verb of the regular perfect tense sentence (hebben or zijn) becomes an infinitive at the end of the sentence or clause and zou/zouden become the conjugated verb.

Zij zouden graag thui gebleven zijn. (They would have liked to stay home.)


Prefixes

The meaning of a verb can be changed by adding a prefix

schrijven	to write
afschrijven	to deduct (in an account ledger)
inschrijven	to register (for a course)
opschrijven	to write (something) down
overschrijven	to copy (by writing)
beschrijven	to describe (orally as well as written)
herschrijven	to rewrite
verschrijven	to make a mistake in something you have written

Prefixed verbs are found in the dictionary under the prefix, not under the verb.

Prefixes that look like prepositions ( af-, in-, op-, over-, etc.) and which are accented, can be separated from the root verb when the verb is the working verb in the sentence.

afschrijven	De bankbediende schreef het bedrag van de rekening af.

(The teller debited the amount from the account.)

inschrijven	De directeur schrijft de nieuwe leerlingen in.

(The director is registering the new students.)

opschrijven	Ik schrijf je telefoonnummer op.

(I am writing your telephone number down.)

overschrijven	Ik schrijf de oefening over.

(I am copying the exercise.)

When these prefixed verbs are used in the infinitive, the prefix and the root are written together:

afschrijven	De bankbediende moet het bedrag van de rekening afschrijven.

(The teller has to debit the amount from the account.)

inschrijven	De directeur moet de nieuwe leerlingen inschrijven.

(The director has to register the new students.)

opschrijven	Ik moet je telefoonnummer opschrijven.

(I have to write your telephone number down.)

overschrijven	Ik moet de oefening overschrijven.

(I have to copy the exercise.)


Past participles of verbs with separable prefixes are written with the participle -ge- inserted between the prefix and the verb (See Past Participles):

afschrijven	De bankbediende heeft het bedrag van de rekening afgeschreven.

(The teller debited the amount from the account.)

inschrijven	De directeur heeft de nieuwe leerlingen ingeschreven.

(The director registered the new students.)

overschrijven	Ik heb de oefening overgeschreven.

(I copied the exercise.)

Prefixes that do not look like prepositions (be-, her-, ver-, ont-, etc.) are never separated from the root verb.  These verbs do not use the particle -ge- to form the past participle.

beschrijven	Ik beschrijf wat er gebeurd is.

(I am decribing what happened.)

Ik heb beschreven wat er gebeurd is.

(I described what had happened.)

herschrijven	De jornalist herschrijft zijn artikel.

(The journalist rewrites his article.)

De jornalist heeft zijn artikel herschreven.

(The journalist has rewritten his article.)

verschrijven	Ik heb me in die brief verschreven. De datum klopt niet.

(I made a mistake in that letter.  The date is wrong.)

See Also

Past Participles


Adjectives

Adjectives (bijvoegelijke naamwoorden) describe or modify nouns.

When an adjective modifies a noun it commonly receives the ending -e.

de hoge dijken	the high dikes
de snelle treinen	the fast trains
zijn nieuwe broek	his new pants
het vlugge hert	the quick deer

NOTE: The addition of the ending -e can cause spelling changes. (See spelling rules)

There are four instances in which the adjective does not take an ending:

1. If an indefinite neuter noun (i.e. a neuter noun with the indefinite article een  or a noun phrase without an article (ø) [ see definite and indefinite articles]) is modified by an adjective, the adjective does not have an -e ending.

een mooi boek	a beautiful book
(ø) Nederlands geld	Dutch money

But: het mooie boek and zijn Nederlandse geld

2. Adjectives that end in -en never take the ending -e.

het houten paard	the wooden horse
de gebakken aardappels	the baked potatoes
een ijzeren hek	an iron fence

3. If the adjective ends in -e, there is no need to add another -e.

het rose strikje	the pink bow
oranje truitjes	orange polo shirts

4. Adjectives used as adverbs or predicate adjectives do not take the ending -e.  (See also adverbs.)

Adverb :  De man liep snel. (The man ran fast.)

Predicate Adjective:  Bill Gates is rijk. (Bill Gates is rich.)

After the pronouns iets (something), niets (nothing), veel (many), wat (some), and weinig (little) the adjective takes the ending -s. The -s is an old partitive genitive case and indicates "of it."

niets leuks (nothing fun)

iets geels (something yellow)

Adjectives have comparative and superlative forms.

See also

Comparison

Spelling Rules

Definite and Indefinite Articles

Sentences

Adverbs


Adverbs

Adverbs ("bijwoorden") modify the action of the verb, adjectives or other adverbs, and, generally, describe the when, where, how and why within the sentence.

Jan liep snel naar de bakker. (Jan ran quickly to the baker.)

Mijn auto staat daar. (My car is there.)

Een ontzettend grote auto (an incredibly big car)

There are specific adverbs of place, time, intensification, etc., but most adjectives can also be used as adverbs. Contrary to English, adjectives used adverbially do not have a special adverb ending.

Some common adverbs:

Intensifying adverbs:

heel/erg/zeer (very), ontzettend/vreselijk (terribly). These are very common adverbs, used to intensify the meaning of adjectives.

Hij was heel erg/ontzettend ziek. (He was very/terribly ill.)

Adverbs of time:

vandaag (today), gisteren (yesterday), morgen (tomorrow)

's morgens (in the morning), 's middags (in the afternoon), 's avonds (in the evening), overdag (during the day), 's nachts (at night)

onmiddellijk/meteen (immediately), daarna (after that), nooit (never)

Adverbs of cause:

daarom (therefore), dientengevolge (consequently)

Adverbs of place:

hier (here), daar/er (there), overal (everywhere), ergens (somewhere), nergens (nowhere), daarnaartoe/daarheen (motion to there), daarvandaan (motion from there)

See Also

Comparison


Suffixes

There are many words in Dutch that are formed by adding a suffix to the end of a verb, noun, adjective or adverb. Knowing the meaning of a suffix can help to understand a word you have never seen before

There are also some suffixes that form feminine nouns when added to a masculine noun.  The usage of these feminine nouns is rare. They are generally seen in employment advertisements.

-in

Masculine	Feminine
baas (boss)	bazin (boss)
held (hero)	heldin (heroine)
kok (chef)	kokkin (cook)

-e

Masculine	Feminine
analist (analyst)	analiste (analyst)
lokettist (teller)	lokettiste (teller)
pianist (pianist)	pianiste (pianist)
student (student)	studente (student)

-ster

Masculine	Feminine
recordhouder (record holder)	recordhoudster (record holder)
sociaal werker (social worker)	sociaal werkster (social worker)
wielrijder (bicycle rider)	wielrijdster (bicycle rider)

-baar (comparable to English -able)

buigen	(to bend)	buigbaar	(bendable)
leveren	(to deliver)	leverbaar	(deliverable)
dragen	(to wear)	draagbaar	(portable)
voorspellen	(to predict)	voorspelbaar	(predictable)

-erij (comparable to indicating a shop)

bakken	(to bake)	bakkerij	(bakery)
slagen	(to butcher)	slagerij	(butcher shop)
stomen	(to dry clean)	stomerij	(dry cleaners)

-lijk (forming an adjective and an adverb)

duiden	(to point to something)	duidelijk	(clear/clearly)
plaatsen	(to place)	plaatselijk	(local/locally)
natuur	(nature)	natuurlijk	(natural/naturally)
gevaar	(danger)	gevaarlijk	(dangerous/dangerously)

-loos (comparable with English -less)

hopen	(to hope)	hopeloos	(hopeless)
waard	(worth)	waardeloos	(worthless)
tijd	(time)	tijdloos	(timeless)
adem	(breath)	ademloos	(breathless)

-naar (comparable with English -er)

molen	(mill)	molenaar	(miller)
winnen	(to win)	winnaar	(winner)
kunst	(art)	kunstenaar	(artist)
toveren	(to practice magic)	tovenaar	(magician

-schap (comparable with English -ship or -hood)

vriend	(friend)	vriendschap	(friendship)
kampioen	(champion)	kampioenschap	(championship)
lidmaat	(member)	lidmaatschap	(membership)
vader	(father)	vaderschap	(fatherhood)

-teit (comparable with English -ty)

kwalitatief	(qualitative)	kwaliteit	(quality)
loyaal	(loyal)	loyaliteit	(loyalty)
stabiel	(stable)	stabiliteit	(stability)
mobiel	(mobile)	mobiliteit	(mobility)

-tie (comparable with English -tion)

installateur	(installer)	installatie	(installation)
ventiel	(valve)	ventilatie	(ventilation)
isoleren	(to insulate)	isolatie	(insulation)

-heid (comparable to English -ability or -ness)

buigen	(to bend)	buigbaarheid	(bendability)
dragen	((to wear)	draagbaarheid	(predictability)
duiden	(to point to something)	duidelijkheid	(clearness)

-ing (creates a noun from the verb)

uitdrukken	(to express)	uitdrukking	(expression)
overléven	(to survive)	overleving	(survival)
-en (creates a verb from the noun)

fiets	(bicycle)	fietsen	(to bicycle)
groet	(greeting)	groeten	(to greet)


Comparison

The Dutch comparative and superlative are formed by adding the endings -(d)er and -st to the adjective or adverb. Unlike English, and this is a very common mistake among native speakers of English, Dutch almost never creates the comparative and superlative using the adverbs more and most.

NOTE: When used as adjectives, comparative and superlative forms take the adjective ending as necessary. See Adjectives.

To form the Comparative: add -er to the adjective; if the adjective ends in -r, add -der.

To form the Superlative: add the ending -st to the adjective.

	comparative	superlative
snel	sneller	snelst	(fast)
groot	groter	grootst	(large)
mooi	mooier	mooist	(beautiful)
ver	verder	verst	(far)
duur	duurder	duurst	(expensive)
braaf	braver	braafst	(sweet/good)
los	losser	lost	(loose)
vies	viezer	viest	(dirty)

NOTE: The addition of the ending -er can cause spelling changes. See Spelling rules.

Irregular Forms of Comparatives and Superlatives:

Some adjectives and adverbs have irregular forms of the comparative and superlative. Because these words are so common, their comparative and superlative should be learned by heart.

positive	comparative	superlative
goed	beter	best	(good-better-best))
weinig	minder	minst	(little-less-least)
veel	meer	meest	(very-more-most)

See Also

Adjectives

Spelling Rules


Conjunctions

Conjunctions ("voegwoorden") are connecting words which combine two or more phrases or clauses into a compound sentence. There are two kinds of conjunctions: coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. Coordinating conjunctions link two phrases or sentences of equal value. Subordinating conjunctions join two clauses of unequal value.  The subordinate clause modifies the main clause, giving more information about it.

Coordinating:	Ik ga naar de winkel en ik moet melk kopen. (I go to the store and I have to buy milk.)
Subordinating	Ik ga naar de winkel, omdat ik melk moet kopen. (I go to the store, because I have to buy milk.)

There are four coordinating conjunctions:

en (and), of (or), want (because) and maar (but).

Coordinating conjunctions have no effect on the word order. The conjugated verb remains the second item in the clause. See Sentences.

Some of the most common Subordinating conjunctions are:

Conjunctions introducing a cause:

omdat (because), daar/doordat (therefore)

Conjunctions contrasting two or more elements:

hoewel/ofschoon (though/even though), zowel ... als (as well as), noch ... noch (neither ... nor)

Conjunctions introducing a conditional clause:

als/wanneer (if, when), indien (if), tenzij (if)

Conjunctions expressing a relation in time:

voordat (before), nadat (after), totdat (until), zodra (as soon as), terwijl (while), als/wanneer (when)*, toen (when)*

* als and wanneer are used with sentences in the present tense; toen is used with sentences in the past tense.

Subordinating conjunctions do have an effect on the word order. In a subordinating clause all the verbs are at the end of the clause. See Word Order.

See Also

Sentences

Word Order


Prepositions

Prepositions ("voorzetsels") are put together with a noun phrase to form a prepositional phrase.

Ik ga naar de stad. (I am going to town.)

Often prepositions are used in combination with intransitive verbs (verbs that cannot take a direct object) to express the verbs relation to a person, place or thing.

De man wachtte op de bus. (The man waited for the bus.)

Very often verbs that are intransitive in Dutch are transitive in English.

(Hij keek naar de wedstrijd. He watched the game.)

Dutch verb-preposition combinations are fixed and should be learned together: kijken naar, wachten op, etc.

The translation of a Dutch preposition into English depends on its context.  A single Dutch preposition can have a number of English equivalents.

Some common prepositions and their meanings:

aan	(on, at, to)

Aan het begin/einde (at the beginning/end)

Ik zit aan de tafel. (I am sitting at the table.)

Het schilderij hangt aan de muur. (The painting is hanging on the wall.)

Ik geef het boek aan hem. (I give the book to him.)

op	(on: spatially used in the meaning of: on top of)

Het boek ligt op de tafel. (The book is on the table.)

achter	(after/behind in terms of space)

Het huis is achter die bomen. (The house is behind those trees.)

na	(after in terms of time)

Hij is na mij aan de beurt. (His turn is after me.)

bij	(near/close to, with)

Hij woont bij een tramhalte. (He lives close to/near a streetcar stop.

Jan eet vanavond bij ons. (Jan is eating with us tonight.)

door	(through, because of/by)

De bus reed door de tunnel. (The bus drove through the tunnel.)

Door hem komen we te laat. (Because of him we are late.)

in	(in)

We zitten in de auto. (We are in the car.)


langs	(along)

Langs de weg stonden prachtige bomen. (There were beautiful trees along the road.)

naast	(next to)

Naast mij zat een deftige heer. (There was a distinguished gentleman next to me.)

met	(with, by)

Ik ga met Marieke naar de stad. (I am going to town with Marieke.)

Ik ga er met de auto naartoe. (I am going there by car.)

naar	(to)

Ik ga naar Washington D.C. (I am going to Washington D.C.)

om	(around, at in time expressions)

Om de hoek is een bank. (There is a bank around the corner.)

Ik zie je om drie uur. (Ill see you at three oclock.)

uit	(from, out off)

Ik kom uit Nederland. (I am from the Netherlands.)

van	(of: possession, from)

Hier is het boek van Jan. (Here is Jans book.)

Ik kreeg het boek van hem. (I got the book from him.)

voor	(in front of, for)

Hij staat voor mij in de rij. (He is in front of me in line.)

Ik koop een cadeau voor mijn moeder. (I am buying a present for my mother.)


Numbers

Cardinal numbers, één (one), twee (two), etc., are used to express precise quantities.

Cardinal numbers from 1 to 20 are:

0	nul	zero
1	één	one
2	twee	two
3	drie	three
4	vier	four
5	vijf	five
6	zes	six
7	zeven	seven
8	acht	eight
9	negen	nine
10	tien	ten
11	elf	eleven
12	twaalf	twelve
13	dertien	thirteen
14	veertien	fourteen
15	vijftien	fifteen
16	zestien	sixteen
17	zeventien	seventeen
18	achttien	eighteen
19	negentien	nineteen
20	twintig	twenty

For English speakers, numbers above twenty are put together backwards.  The Dutch say one and twenty instead of twenty-one.

Numbers from 21 to 99 are formed by the numbers één through negen plus the tientallen (twenty, thirty, etc.) joined by the conjunction en:

eenentwintig (twenty-one), tweeëntwintig (twenty-two).

20	twintig	twenty
30	dertig	thirty
40	veertig	forty
50	vijftig	fifty
60	zestig	sixty
70	zeventig	seventy
80	tachtig	eighty
90	negentig	ninety

100 honderd

1000 duizend

1000000 miljoen


Ordinal numbers, such as eerste (first) and tweede (second), refer to a position in a series.

1ste	eerste	first
2de	tweede	second
3de	derde	third
4de	vierde	fourth
5de	vijfde	fifth
6de	zesde	sixth
7de	zevende	seventh
8ste	achtste	eighth
9de	negende	ninth
10de	tiende	tenth


Negative Construction

There are two ways to negate a sentence in Dutch. In general, sentences are negated with the aid of the adverb niet (not). However, indefinite noun phrases, i.e. noun phrases with the indefinite articles een or a noun phrase without an article (ø), are negated with geen (no).

Ik ga vanavond niet naar de bioscoop. (I am not going to the cinema tonight.)

Ik koop geen nieuwe auto. (I am not buying a new car. Literally: I am buying no new car.)

Negation with geen

geen is substituted for the indefinite article een or inserted before a noun phrase without an article (ø).

Ik heb vanavond een afspraakje.	Ik heb vanavond geen afspraak.
(I have a date tonight)	(I dont have a date tonight. Literally: I have no date tonight.)
Ik spreek (ø) goed Nederlands.	Ik spreek geen goed Nederlands.
(I speak Dutch well.)	(I dont speak Dutch well. Literally: I speak no good Dutch.)

Negation with niet

The only problem commonly associated with niet is where to put it in the sentence. The general rule is that niet precedes the element of the sentence one wants to negate. If the sentence as a whole is to be negated, niet stands

after	- the conjugated verb - the definite objects - single adverbs of time (morgen, vandaag, etc.) - single adverbs of space (hier, daar, er.) - predicate nouns.
before	- prepositional phrases - adverbs (except single adverbs of time and space) - predicate adjectives - past participles, infinitives.

Die man is de burgemeester niet. (That man is not the mayor.)

Hamburgers zijn niet lekker. (Hamburgers are not tasty.)

Ik wil morgen niet met mijn moeder in Amsterdam gaan winkelen.

(I dont want to go shopping with my mother in Amsterdam tomorrow.)


Interrogatives

Interrogatives (vraagwoorden) are words that introduce a question. They are normally the first element in the sentence immediately followed by the verb and the subject.

Wat doe je daar? (What are you doing?)

Wie bent u? (Who are you?)

The most common interrogatives in Dutch are:

wie	(who) wie refers to persons and is used both in the singular and the plural. Wie is die man? (Who is that man?) Wie zijn die mensen? (Who are those people?) wie can be combined with a preposition. Met wie ga jij vanavond uit? (With whom are you going out tonight?
wat	(what) wat asks for things and is used both in the singular and in the plural. Wat is dat voor een auto? (What kind of car is that?) Wat zijn die dingen? (What are those things?) Wat cannot be combined with a preposition, waar is used instead.
waar	(what) waar is used instead of wat when combined with a preposition. The preposition follows waar and is written as one word. Waaraan denk je? (What are you thinking of?) Waarop wachten jullie? (What are you waiting for?) (where) Waar used without a preposition simply means where. Waar woon jij? (Where do you live?)
welk/ welke	(which)  welk refers to singular neuter nouns (het-words) and declines like an adjective (See adjectives).  welke refers to singular nouns of common gender and all plurals. Welk boek vind jij goed? (Which/What book do you like?) Welke straat is dat? (Which/What street is that?)
waarom	(why) Waarom ga jij weg? (Why are you leaving?)
wanneer	(when) Wanneer kom jij? (When are you coming?)
hoe	(how) Hoe weet je dat? (How do you know?) hoe can be combined with adjectives in various ways: hoeveel             (how much) hoe lang (how long) hoe hoog           (how high)
See Also

Interrogative Pronouns

Adjectives


Sentences

Sentences are made up of one or more clauses. A clause consists of a subject (a noun or pronoun) and a predicate (what is said about the noun or pronoun). The predicate always contains a verb. In this simple sentence: De man loopt over de brug. (The man walks over the bridge.); De man is the subject and loopt is the predicate.

Adjectives or nouns used along with the verb in order to describe what is being asserted about someone or something, are in the predicative position. In the sentence De man is een buitenlander. (The man is a foreigner.); een buitenlander is a predicate noun. In the sentence De man is rijk. (The man is rich.), rijk is a predicate adjective.

Nouns or pronouns which are the target of the action of a verb or of a preposition are called objects. In Dutch there are direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions. The direct object of a verb is a noun or pronoun which receives the action of a verb directly. In the sentence De man koopt tulpen. (The man buys tulips.), tulpen is the direct object of the verb. In Dutch, indirect objects are nouns or pronouns for whom, to whom, or in whose interest something is done, given, or said. In the sentence De man geeft zijn vrouw tulpen. (The man gives his wife tulips.), zijn vrouw is the indirect object. Indirect objects are often expressed with the aid of the preposition aan (to). De man geeft tulpen aan zijn vrouw. (The man gives tulips to his wife.)

Word Order

Normal and Inverted Word Order

Main Clause

Word order rules for the main clause:

1.	In a simple sentence, the main clause occupies the first position and the conjugated verb occupies the second position; the subject and the conjugated verb are inseparable. If a sentence does not begin with the subject, inversion occurs: the subject immediately follows the conjugated verb.

De man schildert zijn huis blauw. (The man paints his house blue.)

Gisteren schilderde hij de ramen. (Literally: Yesterday painted he the windows.)

The only exception to this rules are questions without interrogatives, in which case the conjugated verb takes the first position.

Ga je vanavond nog uit? (Are you still going out tonight?)

2.	Infinitives and past participles occupy the last position in the sentence or clause.

Ik ben gisteren per trein naar Amsterdam gegaan. (Literally: I have yesterday with the train to Amsterdam gone.)

Hij wil voor de wedstrijd nog erg veel trainen. (Literally: He wants before the game a lot to train.)

3.	The elements in between the subject/verb position and, if present, infinitives and the past participle are, in most cases, ordered as follows:

indirect object-(definite) direct object-adverbial phrases/prepositional phrases.

Hij gaf zijn vrouw het cadeau vorige week al. (literally: He gave his wife the present last week already.)

Subordinating clause

1.	The conjugated verb moves to the end of the clause; otherwise the same word order as the main clause.

De man moest een lening afsluiten, omdat hij zijn vrouw de duurste bontjas wilde geven. (The man had to get a loan, because he wanted to give his wife the most expensive fur coat.)

NOTE: Since the subordinating clause has a function in the main clause, the subordinating clause as a whole counts as a position in the main clause. If a sentence starts with a subordinating clause, the conjugated verb still has to be in the 2nd position or immediately after the subordinating clause.

Omdat hij zijn vrouw de duurste bontjas wilde geven, moest de man een lening afsluiten. (Because he wanted to give his wife the most expensive fur coat, the man had to get a loan.)

Position of Adverbs

When several adverbs or adverbial phrases occur in a sentence, they tend to be arranged in the order: time, manner, place:

Ik ga morgen met de trein naar Duitsland.

(I am going tomorrow by train to Germany.)


Dates

The days (dagen) of the week (de week) in Dutch are:

maandag	Monday
dinsdag	Tuesday
woensdag	Wednesday
donderdag	Thursday
vrijdag	Friday
zaterdag	Saturday
zondag	Sunday

The names of the months (maanden) 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

The names of the seasons (seizoenen) are:

de lente/het voorjaar	Spring
de zomer	Summer
de herfst/het najaar	Autumn
de winter	Winter

NOTE: The seasons, months and days of the week always start with a lower case letter.


Grammar Pages

Number

Person

Gender

Strong Verb Conjugation

Weak Verb Conjugation


Number

There are two numbers in Dutch: singular and plural.

The conjugation of the verb in the present tense and the past tense agrees with the subject of the sentence in person and number (subject-verb agreement):

Ik draag bruine schoenen.

(I am wearing brown shoes.)

draag is 1st person singular, present tense of the verb dragen and agrees in number with the 1st person singular subject pronoun ik.

See Also

Number:  Singular and Plural

Pronouns

Adjectives

Definite and Indefinite Articles

Verbs

Active and Passive Voice

Past Participle

Present Participle


Person

Grammatical person indicates the relationship of speaker or writer to the rest of the sentence. First person refers to the speaker or to the speaker group. Second person refers to whomever is being spoken to. Third person refers to the entity being spoken about.

1st person singular	1st person plural	2nd person singular	2nd person plural	3rd person singular	3rd person plural
ik  (I)	wij   (we)	u/jij  (you)	jullie (you)	hij, zij, het  (he she, it)	zij (they)

See

Personal Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns

Possessives


Gender

There are two genders in Dutch: common and neuter.

All nouns in Dutch are either common or neuter.

There are no rules by which the gender of all nouns can be determined. The best way to memorize the gender of words is to memorize the article when learning a new word.

Knowing the gender of every noun is important because adjectives, articles, and pronouns agree in gender and in number with the noun.

See

Nouns

Gender:  Neuter and Common

Adjectives

Definite and Indefinite Articles

Past Participle

Present Participle


Conjugation: Strong Verbs

Infinitive	Present Participle
dragen (to carry or to wear)	dragend
	Past Participle
	gedragen
Singular	Present	Past
1st Person	ik draag	ik droeg
2nd Person Familiar	jij draagt	jij droeg
	draag jij	droeg jij
2nd Person Polite	u draagt	u droeg
3rd Person	hij draagt	hij droeg
3rd Person	zij draagt	zij droeg
3rd Person	het draagt	het droeg
Plural
1st Person	wij dragen	wij droegen
2nd Person Familiar	jullie dragen	jullie droegen
2nd Person Polite	u draagt	u droeg
3rd Person	zij dragen	zij droegen
Singular	Present Perfect	Past Perfect
1st Person	ik heb gedragen	ik had gedragen
2nd Person Familiar	jij hebt gedragen	jij had gedragen
	heb jij gedragen	had jij gedragen
	u hebt gedragen	u had gedragen
2nd Person Polite	u heeft gedragen	u had gedragen
3rd Person	hij heeft gedragen	hij had gedragen
3rd Person	zij heeft gedragen	zij had gedragen
3rd Person	het heeft gedragen	het had gedragen
Plural
1st Person	wij hebben gedragen	wij hadden gedragen
2nd Person Familiar	jullie hebben gedragen	jullie hadden gedragen
2nd Person Polite	u heeft gedragen	u had gedragen
3rd Person	zij hebben gedragen	zij hadden gedragen
	Future Tense	Future Perfect
Singular	zal dragen	zal gedragen hebben
Plural	zullen dragen	zullen gedragen hebben
	Conditional	Conditional Perfect
Singular	zou dragen	zou gedragen hebben
Plural	zouden dragen	zouden gedragen hebben
	Imperative
jij	draag
jullie	dragen
u	draagt
Passive Voice

Present Tense	Present Perfect
worden +gedragen	zijn + gedragen
Past Tense	Past Perfect
werden + gedragen	was/waren + gedragen
Future Tense	Future Perfect
zullen + gedragen worden	zullen + gedragen zijn
Conditional	Conditional Perfect
zou/zouden + gedragen worden	zou/zouden + gedragen zijn


Conjugation Weak Verbs
Conjugation: Weak Verbs

Infinitive	Present Participle
leren (to learn)	lerend
	Past Participle
	geleerd
Active Voice

Singular	Present	Past Tense
1st Person	ik leer	ik leerde
2nd Person Familiar	jij leert	jij leerde
	leer jij	leerde jij
2nd Person Polite	u leert	u leerde
3rd Person	hij leert	hij leerde
3rd Person	zij leert	zij leerde
3rd Person	het leert	het leerde
Plural
1st Person	wij leren	wij leerden
2nd Person Familiar	jullie leren	jullie leerden
2nd Person Polite	u leert	u leerde
3rd Person	zij leren	zij leerden
Singular	Present Perfect	Past Perfect
1st Person	ik heb geleerd	ik had geleerd
2nd Person Familar	jij hebt geleerd	jij had geleerd
	u hebt geleerd	u had geleerd
2nd Person Polite	u heeft geleerd	u had geleerd
3rd Person	hij heeft geleerd	hij had geleerd
3rd Person	zij heeft geleerd	zij had geleerd
3rd Person	het heeft geleerd	het had geleerd
Plural
1st Person	wij hebben geleerd	wij hadden geleerd
2nd Person Familiar	jullie hebben geleerd	jullie hadden geleerd
2nd Person Polite	u heeft geleerd	u had geleerd
3rd Person	zij hebben geleerd	zij hadden geleerd
	Future Tense	Future Perfect
Singular	zal leren	zal geleerd hebben
Plural	zullen leren	zullen geleerd hebben
	Conditional	Conditional Perfect
Singular	zou leren	zou geleerd hebben`
Plural	zouden leren	zouden geleerd hebben
	Imperative
jij	leer
jullie	leren
u	leert u

Passive Voice

Present Tense	Present Perfect
worden +geleerd	zijn + geleerd
Past Tense	Past Perfect
werden + geleerd	was + geleerd
Future Tense	Future Perfect
zullen + geleerd worden	zullen + geleerd zijn
Conditional	Conditional Perfect
zou/zouden + geleerd worden	zou/zouden + geleerd zijn