The pattern
If jij or je is the subject and follows the verb directly, drop the -t ending. For most verbs this gives the same form as after ik: ik werk, so Werk jij?
- Yes or no questions: Werk jij morgen?
- Questions with a question word: Waar woon je?
- Inversion, which means the verb and the subject swap places because the sentence starts with something else, such as a time: Morgen werk je thuis. More in Inversion.
- When jij or je comes before the verb, the -t is back: Jij werkt morgen.
- With hij, zij (she), u, names and words like je zus (your sister), the -t stays: Werkt hij? Werkt u? Werkt Sanne?
- If the stem itself ends in t, that t stays: eten, ik eet, Eet jij vis?
Examples
| Jij werkt bij de gemeente, toch? | You work for the municipality, right? |
| Fatima, werk jij morgen? | Fatima, are you working tomorrow? |
| Morgen werk je thuis. | Tomorrow you are working from home. |
| Waar woon je, Mei? | Where do you live, Mei? |
| Fiets jij naar je werk? | Do you cycle to work? |
| Hoe laat begin je vandaag? | What time do you start today? |
| Eet jij vis, Ahmed? | Do you eat fish, Ahmed? |
| Werkt hij vandaag? | Is he working today? |
| Mevrouw De Vries, woont u hier? | Mrs De Vries, do you live here? |
| Werkt je zus ook in Utrecht? | Does your sister work in Utrecht too? |
Why it works this way
In English, a question with an ordinary verb such as "work" needs "do": Do you work? Dutch does not use a helper like that here. You simply put the verb first, as in Yes or no questions, and the verb changes shape a little.
A handy picture: the -t is something the verb wears only when jij stands in front of it. As soon as the verb jumps ahead of jij or je, it takes the -t off and goes back to the plain form you know from the present tense. So the question and the answer use the same verb form: Werk jij morgen? Ja, ik werk morgen.
The same happens with other common verbs: jij gaat, but Ga jij ook naar het feest? And jij hebt, but Heb jij tijd? You will practise hebben and zijn in the next lesson.
If you speak German, take care: German keeps the ending in Arbeitest du?, so the -t easily sneaks back in.
Remember: verb first, then jij or je? Drop the -t ending, and you usually land on the ik form.
Watch out
خطأWerkt jij morgen?
صوابWerk jij morgen?
jij comes right after the verb, so no -t
خطأMorgen werkt je thuis.
صوابMorgen werk je thuis.
the sentence starts with a time, so je follows the verb
خطأWoon u in Utrecht?
صوابWoont u in Utrecht?
only jij and je drop the -t, u keeps it
خطأSpreek hij Nederlands?
صوابSpreekt hij Nederlands?
hij keeps the -t
خطأWerk je broer vandaag?
صوابWerkt je broer vandaag?
here je means "your", and the subject is je broer, like hij
Quick check
- Fill in the gap with werken: ... jij vandaag op kantoor?
- Choose fiets or fietst: Morgen ... Sanne naar het station.
- Fill in the gap with wonen: ... u in Rotterdam?
- Fix the sentence: Waar woont je?
اعرض الإجابات
- Werk: jij follows the verb, so the -t drops.
- fietst: Sanne works like zij (she), so the -t stays.
- Woont: u keeps the -t.
- Waar woon je?: je comes right after the verb, so no -t.
Use it today
Think of a new colleague or neighbour and write three questions for them, such as Waar woon je?, Werk je morgen? and Fiets je naar je werk? Read them aloud, check that no -t sneaks in, and ask one of them for real this week.