Free Dutch grammar
Dutch grammar, one clear rule at a time
188 short rules from A1 to C1, in 10 chapters. Each rule starts with the answer, shows real examples, points out the mistakes learners make and ends with a quick check. Free to read, download and share.
A1: 50 · A2: 55 · B1: 48 · B2: 28 · C1: 7
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How to learn Dutch grammar so it sticks, and the words you need to talk about it.
Sounds and spelling
How Dutch sounds, and the few rules that explain almost all of its spelling.
- A1The Dutch alphabet and how to spell your name
- A1Short and long vowels
- A1Why maan becomes manen: open and closed syllables
- A1Doubling consonants after a short vowel
- A1ui, eu, ij, ei, ou, au, oe, ie
- A1The Dutch g and ch
- A1Why d sounds like t at the end of a word
- A2v and f, z and s: huis and huizen
- A1The neutral e and the endings -en, -ig and -lijk
- A2The Dutch r
- A2Word stress
- A2The trema in ë and ï, and the hyphen
- A1Capital letters
- A2When Dutch uses an apostrophe
- B1How sounds blend in fast speech
- B1Writing compound words
Nouns and de or het
Articles, plurals, diminutives, and a calm way to deal with de and het.
- A1De or het: the two words for "the"
- A1Een: the word for "a"
- A2When Dutch uses no article
- A1Plurals with -en
- A1Plurals with -s
- A2Irregular plurals
- A2Diminutives: -je, -tje, -pje, -etje, -kje
- B1What diminutives really mean
- A2Clues that a noun is a het-word
- A2Clues that a noun is a de-word
- A2Compound nouns take the article of the last part
- A2How to actually learn de and het
- A2Countable and uncountable nouns
- A2Showing possession: van, -s and zijn/haar
- B1Making nouns from verbs and adjectives
- B1Male and female forms: leraar and lerares
- B1Group nouns and verb agreement
- B1Nouns with two plurals or only a plural
Pronouns
Ik, jij, hem, ons, die and dat: the small words that do the most work.
- A1Subject pronouns: ik, jij, hij, zij
- A1Jij or je? Stressed and unstressed pronouns
- A1U or jij: formal and informal you
- A1Object pronouns: me, je, hem, haar
- B1Hen, hun or ze: them
- A2Hij, het or zij for things
- A1Possessive pronouns: mijn, jouw, zijn, haar
- A2Ons or onze?
- B1Mine and yours: van mij and de mijne
- A2Reflexive pronouns: me, je, zich
- A2Reflexive verbs: zich vergissen, zich voelen
- B1Elkaar: each other
- A1Deze, die, dit, dat
- A2Dit is, dat is, het is
- B1Die and dat instead of hij and het in speech
- B1Relative pronouns: die and dat
- B2Wie, wat and waar- in relative clauses
- B2Waarmee, waarover, waaraan
- A2Iemand, niemand, iets, niets, alles, iedereen
- B1Men, je and ze: people in general
- A2Het as an empty subject: het regent
- A1Question words: wie, wat, waar, wanneer, hoe, waarom
- A2Welk or welke, and wat voor
- B2Zo'n, zulk and zulke: such
Verbs now
The present tense, modal verbs, separable verbs and the imperative.
- A1Finding the stem of a verb
- A1The present tense: ik werk, jij werkt, wij werken
- A1Werk jij? Where the t disappears
- A1Zijn and hebben in the present
- A1Gaan, doen, komen, willen, kunnen, zullen and mogen
- A2D, t or dt: spelling verbs in the present
- A1Modal verbs: kunnen, moeten, willen, mogen, zullen
- A2Niet hoeven te: you don't have to
- A2Kunnen, mogen and durven
- A1Separable verbs: opbellen, meenemen
- A2Inseparable verbs: be-, ver-, ont-, her-, ge-, er-
- B1One verb, two meanings: when stress decides
- A1The imperative: Kom binnen!
- A2Aan het + infinitive: I am doing it right now
Verbs in time
Past, future, would, the passive and verb clusters.
- A1The perfect tense: ik heb gewerkt
- A1Regular past participles: ge- plus stem plus t or d
- A1't kofschip: choosing t or d
- A2Irregular past participles
- A2Hebben or zijn in the perfect tense
- A2Participles without ge-
- A2The simple past of regular verbs: -te and -de
- A2The simple past of irregular verbs
- B1Patterns in irregular verbs
- B1Perfect or simple past: which one when
- B1The past perfect: ik had gegeten
- A1Talking about the future with gaan
- B1Zullen: promises, suggestions and assumptions
- B1Zou and zouden: would
- B1Infinitives with te
- B1Om te: in order to
- B1Laten: let, and having something done
- B1Worden: become, and the passive
- B1The passive with worden
- B2The passive in the perfect: is gebouwd
- B2Er wordt gedanst: the passive without a subject
- B1Verbs with a fixed preposition
- B2Verb clusters: heb kunnen komen
- B2Zien, horen, voelen plus an infinitive
- B2The present participle: lachend, slapend
- B1Past participles as adjectives
- C1Must have, should have, could have
- C1Old verb forms in fixed phrases: Leve de koning!
Word order
Where the verb goes, and every other piece of the sentence.
- A1Verb second: the golden rule
- A1Inversion: Morgen ga ik
- A1Yes or no questions: the verb comes first
- A1Questions with a question word
- A1The verb bracket: two verbs, two places
- A2Time, manner, place
- A2Where does niet go?
- A1Geen or niet?
- A2En, maar, of, want, dus
- A2Subordinate clauses: the verb goes to the end
- A2Omdat or want: two ways to say because
- B1When the subordinate clause comes first
- B1Als, wanneer or toen: when and if
- A2Dat clauses: Ik denk dat...
- B1Indirect questions: Weet jij of...?
- B1Relative clauses inside a sentence
- B2The order of verbs at the end
- A2Separable verbs in subordinate clauses
- B1Two objects and short pronouns
- B1The four jobs of er
- A2Er is and er zijn: there is, there are
- B1Er with numbers: Ik heb er drie
- B1Erop, ervan, daarmee: er plus a preposition
- B2Splitting er and its preposition
- B2Starting with the object for emphasis or contrast
- B1Where adverbs go: al, nog, graag, vaak, ook
- B2What can come after the final verbs
- B1Questions with a preposition
- B2Zowel ... als, niet alleen ... maar ook
- B1Daarom, toch, dan, daarna: linking words that invert
- B2Hoe meer, hoe beter
- B2Hoewel, ook al, zelfs als: although and even if
- B2Zodat, opdat, zo ... dat
- B1Voordat, nadat, terwijl, sinds, totdat, zodra
- B2Reporting what someone said
- C1Leaving words out in spoken Dutch
Adjectives and adverbs
Endings, comparing, and saying how things are done.
- A1Adjective endings: when to add -e
- A2Spelling changes when an adjective gets -e
- A1Adjectives after zijn, worden and blijven
- B1Adjectives that never take -e
- A2Comparatives: groter, mooier, duurder
- A2Superlatives: de grootste, het grootst
- A2Goed, beter, best and other irregulars
- B1Meer and meest instead of -er and -st
- A2Adverbs: no -ly needed
- A1Graag: the Dutch way to say you like doing something
- A2Heel, erg, echt, best, nogal, vrij
- A1Altijd, vaak, soms, nooit
- B1Iets leuks, niets nieuws: the extra -s
- A2Dan, als and zo ... als
- B1Adjectives used as nouns
- B1Ander, andere and anders
- B2Heel, al and alle: whole and all
- A2Veel, weinig, een paar, een beetje
Small words
Prepositions, time, numbers and the particles that make Dutch sound Dutch.
- A1In, op, aan, bij: where things are
- A2Naar, uit, door, langs, over
- A1Om, op, in: talking about time
- A1Telling the time: half drie means 2:30
- A1Numbers: eenentwintig, not twenty-one
- A1Days, months and dates
- A2Al, nog, pas, nog niet, niet meer
- A2Geleden, sinds, al and over
- A2Even, maar, eens: making requests friendly
- B1Toch, wel, hoor, nou, gewoon
- B2Particle combinations: maar even, toch maar, nou eens
- A2Ja, nee, jawel and toch wel
- B1Ook, alleen, maar, zelfs: focus words
- B1Adjectives with a fixed preposition
- A2Met de trein, op de fiets, te voet
- C1Ten, ter and te in fixed phrases
- B2Fixed prepositional phrases
Style and register
Formal and informal Dutch, writing well, and the last mile to sounding natural.
- B2Formal and informal Dutch
- B1Writing an email in Dutch: openings and closings
- B1Spoken shortcuts: 't, 'k, m'n, z'n, d'r
- C1Nominalisation: turning actions into nouns
- B2When to use the passive, and when not
- B2Building words with prefixes: on-, her-, mis-, oud-
- B2Building words with suffixes: -baar, -loos, -achtig, -ig, -lijk
- B2Linking ideas in writing: bovendien, echter, kortom
- B2If only: Als ik het had geweten
- C1Conditions without als: Mocht je vragen hebben
- B2Wishes with maar: Was het maar vrijdag
- C1Wiens, wier, hetgeen: formal relatives
- B2Dutch in the Netherlands and in Flanders
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