The pattern
One element first, then the conjugated verb. An element is a word or a group of words that belongs together, like ik, om acht uur or mijn oude buurman uit Delft.
- Position one can be the subject, a time, a place or an object, among other things.
- When the subject is not in position one, it goes right after the verb. More in Inversion: Morgen ga ik.
- With two verbs, the conjugated one is second and the other usually goes to the end (the verb bracket).
- En, maar, want, ja and nee at the start of a clause do not count as position one.
- Questions with a question word follow the rule too (Waar woon jij?), while yes or no questions and commands start with the verb (Woon jij hier?, Kom binnen!).
Examples
| Ik woon in Utrecht. | I live in Utrecht. |
| Mijn oude buurman uit Delft woont nu hier. | My old neighbour from Delft lives here now. |
| Mijn zus en haar vriend komen zaterdag. | My sister and her boyfriend are coming on Saturday. |
| Vandaag werkt Priya thuis. | Priya is working from home today. |
| Om acht uur vertrekt de trein. | The train leaves at eight o'clock. |
| In de supermarkt betaal ik met mijn pinpas. | In the supermarket I pay with my debit card. |
| Die appels neem ik. | I'll take those apples. |
| Sanne wil vanavond pizza eten. | Sanne wants to eat pizza tonight. |
| Ik fiets vaak naar mijn werk. | I often cycle to work. |
Why it works this way
Picture a Dutch statement as a train. The first carriage holds whatever you start with: a person, a time, a place or a thing. It can be tiny (ik) or long (mijn oude buurman uit Delft), but there is only one. The verb is the second carriage.
English works differently: in "Today I work at home" the verb comes third. Dutch keeps it second, so the subject steps aside: Vandaag werk ik thuis. If you speak German, relax: German main clauses follow the same rule.
In relaxed speech you will hear Weet ik niet (I don't know), with dat left out of position one. The verb stays exactly where it was.
This is the rule for main clauses, sentences that can stand on their own. After omdat (because) or dat (that), the verb goes to the end; see Subordinate clauses.
Remember: one block, then the verb. Count blocks, not words.
Watch out
IncorrectoVandaag ik werk thuis.
CorrectoVandaag werk ik thuis.
vandaag is position one, so the verb comes next
IncorrectoIk vaak fiets naar mijn werk.
CorrectoIk fiets vaak naar mijn werk.
English puts often before the verb; Dutch keeps the verb second
IncorrectoIk ook spreek Engels.
CorrectoIk spreek ook Engels.
ook goes after the verb
IncorrectoIk blijf thuis, want regent het.
CorrectoIk blijf thuis, want het regent.
want does not count, so het takes position one
Quick check
- Fix the sentence, keeping morgen at the start: Morgen Joris gaat naar de huisarts.
- In Mijn broer uit Rotterdam komt vandaag, which word is in position two: broer, uit or komt?
- Choose the correct sentence: Lotte morgen wil zwemmen. or Lotte wil morgen zwemmen.
- Fill in the gap: Die tas ... ik niet. (kopen)
Ver las respuestas
- Morgen gaat Joris naar de huisarts. (morgen is position one, so the verb comes next)
- komt (mijn broer uit Rotterdam is one element)
- Lotte wil morgen zwemmen. (the conjugated verb wil is second, zwemmen goes to the end)
- koop (die tas is position one, then the verb, then the subject ik)
Use it today
Tonight, write three sentences about your day: one starting with ik, one starting with a time (vanavond) and one starting with a place (op mijn werk). Then check each one: is the verb the second element?