---
title: "Dutch for English speakers: what is easy and what is hard"
level: A1
chapter: "Start here"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/dutch-for-english-speakers
updated: 2026-10-08
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Dutch for English speakers: what is easy and what is hard

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](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/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](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/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](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/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

1. Fill in the right form of _werken_: _Lotte ... bij de supermarkt._
2. Choose: _Morgen (ik ga / ga ik) naar de huisarts._
3. Fix the sentence: _Ahmed wil drinken koffie._
4. Fill in _de_ or _het_: _... huis van Priya is klein._

## Answers

1. _werkt_ (a name works like _hij_ or _zij_, so add _-t_)
2. _ga ik_ (after _Morgen_, the verb comes second)
3. _Ahmed wil koffie drinken._ (the second verb goes to the end)
4. _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_.

## Questions learners ask

**Is Dutch easy to learn for English speakers?**

In many ways, yes: Dutch is one of the closest languages to English, so basic words like water, hand, bed and warm are almost the same. The main challenges are word order, the two articles de and het, and sounds such as the g and ui.

**What is the hardest part of Dutch grammar for English speakers?**

Word order is usually the biggest hurdle. In a Dutch statement the working verb comes second, so you say "Vandaag werk ik thuis", and a second verb usually goes to the end, as in "Ik wil een fiets kopen".

**Does Dutch have cases like German?**

Not on nouns: "de man" stays "de man" whether it is the subject or the object. Pronouns do change form for subject and object, just like I and me in English.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.