SpellingWell, Dutch has all the usual letters of the alphabet, plus one. That is: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz and ÿ (ij) -Yep, that new letter "ÿ" is very hard to enter on a normal QWERTY keyboard. That's why we normally use "ij" (an "i" and an "j") in typed documents (in handwritten documents usually the "ÿ" is used). So "ij" actually counts as one letter in Dutch (we even have it in Scrabble :-). -Of course, we also have the i and j as separate letters, but I can't come up with a word in which j follows i and isn't used as an "ij". So whenever you see "ij" in a word it's the ÿ. For example: "hij" {he}, "IJsselmeer" (name of a lake). The capital "ij" is written as "IJ"; so both letters are capitalized. -The "y" is like in English, sometimes vowel, and sometimes a consonant. It is only used in words derived from a foreign language, like Greek, e.g. "hypnose" {hypnosis} or "yoghurt" {yogurt}. -As in most languages the first character of a sentence starts with a capital (well almost all of the time). Also names of persons, geographical names start with a capital. Nouns don't normally start with a capital (it does so in the German language for instance). -Sentences end with a "." -The Dutch language has many diphthongs (two or more vowels forming one sound together). They are: "aa", "aai", "au", "ee", "eeu", "ei", "eu", "ie", "ieu", "oe", "oei", "oi", "oo", "ooi", "ou", "ui", "uu" -Dutch also has some sorta consonant diphthongs. They are: "ch", "ng", "sch" -Why have two things for the same sound? In the old times (before 1920) the "g" and the "ch" sounded different, this also is valid for other letters and diphthong, like "ij" and "ei" which have the same sound. We call "ij" 'long' and "ei" short.

PronunciationIn this text and following lessons we'll use /Word/ to give an example of an English

word which contains one more (capitalized) letters which have an approximate pronunciation as the Dutch letters, syllable or word. We'll use (and already have)

{word} to denote the English translation of a Dutch word. The consonants are:

B as in "bad" /Bath/ (B at end of words sounds like "P")

D as in "dom" /Doll/ (D at end of words sounds like "T")

F as in "fijn" /Fix/ and "laf" /lauGH/

G as in "god" (sounds somewhat like the "ch" in /loCH ness/, very throaty, and "dag"

G as in "garage" /SHow/ only used in words originating from the French.

H as in "help" /Help/

J as in "jas" /Yes/ (not like J in /Jet/, that's more a DJ sound)

J as in "journaal" /CHopin/

K as in "kat" /Cat/ and "ik" /liCK/

L as in "los" /Lot/ and "tol" /toLL/

M as in "mijn" /Mine/ and "dom' /suM/

N as in "niet" /Not/ and "tin" /tiN/

P as in "pas" /Pen/ and "sop" /cuP/

Q as in "quiz" /Quiz/

R as in "rot" /Run/ and "kar" /faR/ (don't roll it)

S as in "sop" /Sob/ and "los" /boSS/

T as in "tin" /Tin/ and "rot" /weT/

V the same as "F", "V" can't be at the end of a word or syllable.

W as in "wat" /Where/ and "ruw" /hoW/

X as in "sex" /seX/

Z as in "zak" /Zoo/ and "quiz" /quiZ/

The vowels differ more from the English, and they are so many ways to pronounce them!!

Pffff. To make it more difficult is that the sound of a vowel depends (just  like in English) on the surrounding consonants and other vowels. Two or three adjacent

vowels can also form diphthongs, i.e. they makes one sound together. The vowels are:

A as in "kat", sounds something like /cUt/

E as in "ben" /zEn/

E as in "gokken", this is another sound for the single E, it sound like the mute "e" in English, like in {givEn}, it is used mostly when the syllable with the "e" doesn't have the emphasis (stress handled in further lesson)

I as in "ik" /dIck/

O as in "dom" /sOld/

U as in "put" (sounds a bit like /wOrd} or {bIrd}, say the "i" sound and round your lips to a small circle)

IJ as in "hij", sounds not entirely not like /whY/

The diphthongs are:

AA as in "daar" (a bit like /jA/ or /fAther/, but not really)

AAI as in "saai", a bit like the "ij" sound, only longer

AU as in "rauw" (same sound as OU)

CH as in "lach" (same sound as "G")

CH as in "douchen" /SHow/ (pronounced like "sj"), from the French, always pronounced like this before the "OU" difhthong

EAU as in "bureau" /gO/ (pronounced like an "oo"), it's a French word, in previous spelling also written with "o" instead of "eau"

EE as in " reet" /rAte/, sounds different before an "R", more like a long "i", like as in "meer" /gEAr/

EI as in "zeik" /dIke/, sounds like the "ij"

EEU as in "eeuw", almost like the long "ee" sound. It's always followed by a "w"

EU as in "neus" (a sound not known in English, just listen), sounds different before an "R", more like a long mute "E", like in "deur".

IE as in "lief" /sEE/

IEU as in "nieuw" a bit like /sEAl/, always before a 'w'

NG as in "zingen" and "lang" /loNG/

OE as in "boek" /lOOk/

OEI as in "groeien" /OOJ/

OI as in "hoi" /bOY/, not many words with this sounds though.

OO as in "hoop" /hOpe/, sounds different before an "R", more like a long "o", like as in "door" /dOOr/

OOI as in "mooi", a long OI

OU as in "goud" /lOUd/

OU as in "douchen" /lOOse/ (pronounced like an "oe"), from the French, always prononced like this before "CH", and in some other French words

SCH as in "schip", the "s" followed by the "CH" sound, but when an "r" follows "sch", as in "schreeuwen".At the end of a word its always preceded by a "i" and sounds like the "ies" sound, like in "logisch" (sometimes even written with "ies", like "logies", but only in 'rebelian', non-standard Dutch texts).

SJ as in "sjaal" /SHow/

TS as in "tsaar" /TSar/

UI as in "huis" (a sound not present in English, a bit like saying the mute "e" followed by the "UU" sound, but very smooth)

UU as in "muur" (a sound not present in English, sounds like the French 'lune', try to say the "ie" /sEE/ sound, and round your lips)

The short vowels "a", "e", "o" and "u" are pronounced as the long vowels "aa", "ee", "oo" rsp. "uu" when they are in a so-called 'open' syllable. An open syllable ends with

a single consonant and is followed by another vowel. So examples are: "tAken", "gOdin", "gEven", "Uren".

NOT open syllables are: "lAchen", "wErken", "hEbben", "hEb". But the "e" is pronounced as a mute "e" when the emphasis (stress) is not on the

syllable (more about this in another lesson). -

The "a", "o" and "u" are also pronounced long when the are at the end of a word (or used as a single letter, but then the word would consist of this single letter, and would

therefore end with the letter, so what am I getting on about?), like in "ja", "zo" and "nu".

-Finally the letters of the alphabet as promounced:

-

Vocabulary

0, nul" nul

1, een" (Also written as "e e n" or "één" to distinguish it from the article "een")

een

2, twee" twee

3, drie" drie

4, vier" four

5, vijf" five

6, zes" six

7, zeven" (also pronounced as "zeven)

seven

8, acht" eight

9, negen" nine

10, tien" ten

11, elf (also pronounced as elf)

eleven

12, twaalf (also pronounced as twaalf)

twelve

13, dertien thirteen

14, veertien fourteen

15, vijftien fifteen

16, zestien sixteen

17, zeventien seventeen

18, achttien eightteen

19, negentien nineteen

20, twintig twenty

21, eenentwintig twenty one

22, tweeëntwintig twenty two

23, drieëntwintig twenty three

24, vierentwintig twenty four

25, vijfentwintig twenty five

26, zesentwintig twenty six

27, zevenentwintig twenty seven

28, achtentwintig twenty eight

29, negenentwintig twenty nine

30, dertig thirty

40, veertig fourty

50, vijftig fifty

60, zestig sixty

70, zeventig seventy

80, tachtig eighty

90, negentig ninety

honderd hundred [het, honderden]

duizend thousand [het, duizenden]

aan (give) to,at (her bedside),

on (board),on (the wall)

achter behind, after, at the back of

alle all (all objects)

als if (also some other usages)

alsjeblieft here you are, if you please, yes please

alstublieft here you are, if you please, yes please (polite form)

altijd always

april April [de (m)]

arm poor (also the noun arm)

augustus August [de (m)]

auto car [de (m), auto's]

avond evening [de (m), avonden]

's avonds in the evening, in the night

badkamerbathroom (not the lavatory) [de, badkamers]

bah bah, pooh, pah

balkon balcony [het, balkons]

bankcouch (also bank (the money thingy)) [de, banken]

bed bed [het, bedden]

bedanken to thank, to return thanks, to decline [bedank, bedankt, bedanken, bedankte(n), bedankt (no ge)]

bedankt thanks

begrijpen to understand, comprehend [begrijp, begrijpen, begreep, begrepen, begrepen (no extra 'ge')]

beloven to promise [beloof, beloven, beloofde(n), beloofd]

beneden below, beneath, under, downstairs

blauw blue [blauwe]

bloem flower [de, bloemen]

boek book [het, boeken]

boven above, over (upwards of), upstairs

brief letter [de (m), brieven]

brood bread [het, broden]

bureau desk, bureau, (police) station, (travel) agency [het, bureaus]

computer computer (watch the special 'pu'

pronounciation) [de (m), computers]

daar there

dag day, 24 hours [de (m), dagen]

dag bye

dank thanks [de (m), danken]

danken to thank [dank, dankt, danken, dankte(n), gedankt]

dank je thank you

dank u thank you

dank u wel thank you kindly

dank u zeer thank you very much

da's that is (short for "dat is")

dat that, or: that, which

de the (male/female/unisex)

december December [de (m)]

deur door [de, deuren]

deze these

die those/that

dik big, bulky, fat

dinsdag Tuesday [de (m), dinsdagen]

dit this

dochter daughter [de (v), dochters]

doeg bye

doei bye

doen

to do, work, to put (it one's pocket), to do (one's hair, a room), to make (a promise), and some more [doe, doet, doen, deed, deden, gedaan]

dom dumb

donderdag Thursday [de (m), donderdagen]

doorthrough (the door), by (the author),due to (the rain)

doordat because, on account of

douchen to take a shower [douch, doucht, douchen, douchte, douchten, gedoucht]

drinkento drink [drink, drinken, dronk, dronken, gedronken]

dun thin

een a/an

eergisteren day before yesterday

eetkamer dining room [de, eetkamers]

en and

Engels English [het, no plural

eten to eat [eet, eet, eten, at, aten, gegeten]

februari February [de (m)]

fluisteren to whisper [fluister, fluisteren, fluisterde(n), gefluisterd]

foto fotograph [de, foto's]

gaan to go, go to ... [ga, gaat, gaan, ging, gingen, (zijn) gegaan]

gang passage of a house (and some other uses) [de, (m), gangen]

garage garage [de (v), garages]

gebeuren to happen, occur, come about [gebeur, gebeuren, gebeurden, (zijn) gebeurd (no extra "ge")]

geel yellow [gele]

geen no, none

geen dank you're welcome (literally: no thanks (needed))

gekcrazy, weird, mad, silly, silly, nuts (also the noun madman)

geld money [het]

gevento give [geef, geeft, geven, gaf, gaven, gegeven]

gisteren yesterday

goed good, correct, kind, well, goodly [goede, goeie]

goedemiddag good afternoon

goedemorgen good morning

goedenacht good night

goedenavond good evening/night

goeiemorgen good morning

gokkento gamble [gok, gokken, gokte, gokten, gegokt]

graag with pleasure, gladly, readily, willingly

graag gedaan you're welcome (literally: done with pleasure)

grijs grey [grijze]

groeien to grow [groei, groeit, groeien,

groeide(n), (zijn) gegroeid]

groen green [groene]

groot big

haar her, hers, also hair [de and het, haren]

hal hall [de hallen]

hallo hello

hebbento have [heb, hebt, (hij heeft), hebben, had, hadden, gehad]

hem him

hen them (after "aan" or "voor" in directional, cooperative way)

hetit/the (neutral), or it (possesive)

het's its

hier here

hij he

hoe how

hoe gaat het? how are you doing? (literally: how are you going?)

hoe gaat het met je? how are you doing? (literally: how is it going with you?)

hoi hi

hond dog [de, (m), honden]

huilen to cry [huil, huilen, huilde, huilden, gehuild]

huis house [het, huizen]

hun them, their

ie he

iets something

ik I

inin (a house), at (a plane), on (a committee)

indien if, in case ("als" is used more often, "indien" is more used in official documents)

ja yes

jaar year [het, jaren]

januari January [de (m)]

je you (singular)

jij you (singular)

jong young, or: young one, litter [het, jongen]

jongen

boy, lad [de (m), jongens], or: "jongen, jongen!" dear, dear!, oh dear!, or: to bring forth young animals [jong, jongen, jongde(n), gejongd]

jou you (possesive)

juli July [de (m)]

juni June [de (m)]

jullieyou (plural), or you, yours (plural, possesive)

kamer room [de, kamers]

kast cupboard, wardrobe, chest, cabinet [de, kasten]

kat cat [de, katten]

kelder cellar [de, (m), kelders]

kennen to know, be acquinted with [ken, kennen, kende, kenden, gekend]

keuken kitchen [de, keukens]

kijkento look [kijk, kijken, keek, keken, gekeken]

kind child [het, kinderen]

klein small

kleur color [de, kleuren]

koken to boil, or: to cook food [kook, koken, kookte(n), gekookt]

komen to come (lotsa other uses, we'll come (no pun intented) to them later) [kom, komen, kwam, kwamen, (zijn) gekomen]

kunnen to be able [kan, jij/u kunt/kan, hij kan, kunnen, kon, konden, gekund]

kus kiss [de (m), kussen]

kussen to kiss [kus, kussen, kuste, kusten, gekust]

lamp lamp [de, lampen]

lekker nice, delicious, good, fine, nicely

lepel spoon [de (m), lepels]

leren to learn [leer, leren, leerde(n), geleerd]

les lesson [de, lessen]

leuk amusing, funny or: jolly, pleasant

lezen to read [lees, lezen, las, lazen, gelezen]

lief sweet, nice, beloved, dear

liggento lie, be situated [lig, liggen, lag, lagen, gelegen]

lopento walk [loop, lopen, liep, liepen, gelopen]

maandag Monday [de (m), maandagen]

maart March [de (m)]

mama (mamma, ma) mamma, mommy, mom [de, (v), mama's, mamma's, ma's]

man man [de, (m), mannen]

mei May [de (m)]

meid maid, girl [de (v), meiden] ({girl} on its own is usually "meisje")

meisje girl, missy [het, meisjes]

mens human [de (m), mensen]

mes knife [het, messen]

met with

mogen to be allowed, be permitted, may, or to like [mag, mag, mogen, mocht(en), gemogen]

middag noon [de (m), middagen]

's middags in the afternoon

mij me

mijn mine, also the mine [de, mijnen]

moeder mother [de, (v), moeders]

moeten to must/have to [moet, moet, moeten, moest(en), gemoeten]

mooi beautiful, fine, pretty, handsome

morgen tomorrow, morning [de (m), morgens]

's morgens in the morning

muur wall [de (m), muren]

na after, in succession (and some others)

naarat/to (a directional point of view)look at go to

nacht night [de (m), nachten]

's nachts in the night

nadat after (we had seen it)

namiddag afternoo [de (m), namiddagen]n

Nederlands Dutch [het, no plural]

nee no

niet not

niets nothing

nieuw new

november November [de (m)]

ochtend morning [de (m), ochtenden]

's ochtends in the morning

oktober October [de (m)]

oma grandma, granny [de (v), oma's]

omdat because, as

onder under, beneath, below

ons us, ours, also 100-gram ounce (official no longer used, but still present in spoken language) [het, onsen, onzen]

ontdekken to discover, find out [ontdek, ontdekken, ontdekten, ontdekt (no extra "ge")]

opon (the chair), upon (the roof),at (school), in (an island)

opa grandad [de (m), opa's]

opdat that, in order that

oud old

papa (pappa, pa) papa, daddy, dad [de, (m), papa's, pappa's, pa's]

papier paper [het, papieren]

pen pen [de, pennen]

plafond ceiling [het, plafonds]

potlood pencil [het, potloden]

praten to talk [praat, praat, praten, praatte, praatten, gepraat]

radio radio [de, (m), radio's]

raam window [het, ramen]

rood red< [rode]

schip ship [het, schepen]

schrijven to write [schrijf, schrijven, schreef, schreven, geschreven]

september September [de (m)]

sjonge same as "tjonge", even more slang

slaapkamer bedroom [de slaapkamers]

slapento sleep [slaap, slapen, sliep, sliepen, geslapen]

sommige some (some objects)

spreken to speak [spreek, spreken, sprak, spraken, gesproken]

staanto stand [sta, staat, staan, stond, stonden, gestaan]

stoel chair [de, (m), stoelen]

taal language [de, talen]

tafel table [de, tafels]

tegen against (and some more)

tellen to count [tel, tellen, telde, telden, geteld]

terwijl while, whilst, as, or: meanwhile

thuis at home, home

tja well!

tjonge well!, have you ever! (slang for "jongen, jongen")

toen when, as, or: then, at that time

tot until

tot ziens (see you)

tussen de middag noon (literally: between the noon)

typen to type [typ, typen, typte(n), getypt]

tuin garden [de (m), tuinen]

tv tv [de, (v), tv's]

u you (polite form, singular and plural)

vader father [de, (m), vaders]

van of, from, belonging to

vanavond this evening, tonight

vandaag today

vanmiddag this afternoon

vanmorgen this morning

vannacht tonight or last night

vanochtend this morning

verven to paint (a house, not a painting) [verf, verven, verfde(n), geverfd]

vet fat

vies dirty, grubby, nasy, filthy

vijand enemy, foe [de (m), vijanden]

voor for, before, in front of (and some more)

voordat before (we had seen it)

vork fork [de, vorken]

vriend friend, boy friend [de (m), vrienden]

vriendin friend, girl friend, lady friend [de (v), vriendinnen]

vrijdag Friday [de (m), vrijdagen]

vrouw woman, wife [de, (v), vrouwen]

waarom why

waar where

wanneer when

want for (we must do so) (comjugation)

wat what

werkento work [werk, werken, werkte, werkten, gewerkt]

wc (w.c.) lavatory, w.c. [de, (m), wc's]

weten to know, be aware of [weet, weet, weten, wist, wisten, geweten]

wie who

wij we

willen to want [wil, wilt, willen, wilde(n) (bad: wou(den)), gewild]

wit white [witte]

woensdag Wednesday [de (m), woensdagen]

woord word [het, woorden]

worden to become, going to be, to grow (old) [word, wordt, worden, werd(en), (zijn) geworden]

zaterdag Saturday [de (m), zaterdagen]

ze she/they

zeggen to say [zeg, zegt, zeggen, zei, zeiden, gezegd]

ziek sick

zien to see [zie, ziet, zien, zag, zagen, gezien]

zij she/they

zijnto be [ben, bent, (hij is), zijn, was, waren, (zijn) geweest], or his

zingento sing [zing, zingen, zong, zongen, gezongen]

zitkamer sitting-room [de, zitkamers]

zitten to sit [zit, zit, zitten, zat, zaten, gezeten]

zo so, like that, such, or: thus, like this, in this way, or: presently, and: many other usages

zolder loft, attic [de, (m), zolders]

zondag Sunday [de (m), zondagen]

zoon son [de (m), zonen]

zullen to shall/will [zal, jij/u zal (zult) (zal jij),

hij zal, zullen, zou(den) (no past perfect)]

zwart black [zwarte]

Sentences

Ik ben niet ziek. I am not sick.

Het is vies. It is dirty.

Zij is niet rijk. She isn't rich.

Hij is dom. He is dumb.

Jij bent lief You are sweet.

Wij hebben geld. We have money.

Jullie zijn arm. You (multiple) are poor.

Zij zijn niet gek. They aren't crazy.

Hij gokt niet. He doesn't gamble.

Zij is niet klein. She isn't small.

Ik ben dun. I am thin.

De man kijkt naar het kind. The man looks at the child.

Hij kust de vrouw. He kisses the woman.

Jullie kijken door het raam. You look through the window.

Jij ziet de hond. You see the dog.

Wij kijken door een raam naar de kat.

We look through a window to the cat.

Ben jij vies? Nee, ik ben niet vies. Are you dirty? No, I'm not dirty.

De man en de vrouw zitten op een stoel.

The man and the woman are sitting on a chair.

Ik sta in het huis. I'm standing in the house.

Jij loopt, hij staat en ik zit. You walk, he stands and I sit.

Ja, jullie zingen mooi. Yes, you sing beautifully.

De kinderen kussen oma in de auto.

The children kiss grandma in the car.

Waar zijn de lepels en de vorken van de zoon?

Where are the spoons and the forks of the son?

Hij geeft de messen aan opa. He gives the knifes to grandad.

Oma's en opa's hebben foto's van de kinderen aan de muur.

Grandmas and grandads have pictures of the children on the wall.

Ik ga naar bed. I'm going to bed.

Moeder en vader hadden twee bedden in de slaapkamer.

Mother and father had two beds in the bedroom.

Wat is er? What's the matter?

Er stond een bank in de zitkamer.There was a couch in the sitting-room

Waarom heb je gehuild? Why have you cried?

Hoe heb je dat gedaan? How have you done that?

Wat is er gebeurd? What has happened?

Ruud, kom je naar beneden?Ruud, are you coming downstairs?

Waarom bent u in de hal geweest? Why have you been in the hall?

Ik heb moeder elf boeken gegeven.I have given mother eleven books.

De hond heeft de kat onder de tafel ontdekt.

The dog has discovered the cat below the table.

Spreekt u Engels? Do you speak English.

Ik kan Nederlands lezen en schrijven.

I can read and write Dutch.

Ken jij Johanna? Do you know Johanna?

Weet jij waar mama is? Ze is niet boven in bed.

Do you know where mom is? She is not upstairs in bed.

Heeft u begrepen wat ik in het Nederlands zei?

Have you understood what I said in Dutch?

Jullie hadden achtentachtig potloden en pennen.

You had eighty eight pencils and pens

Kunt u mij het boek geven? Can you give me the book?

Hij heeft het gele huis rood geverfd.

He has painted the yellow house red.

Zij typte een brief aan hen op mijn computer.

She typed a letter to them on my computer.

In de tuin staan rode, gele en blauwe bloemen.

In the garden are (stand) red, yellow and blue flowers.

Jullie brood is voor jullie, hun brood is voor hen, en mijn brood is voor mij.

Your bread is for you, their bread is for them, and my bread is for me.

Alle kinderen zijn lief. All children are sweet.

Is er gisteren iets gebeurd?Has something happened yesterday?

Hallo, hoe gaat het met je? Hello, how are you doing?

Met mij gaat het goed, dank je.I'm doing fine, thanks. (With me it's going good)

's Morgens loopt hij altijd naar de garage.

In the morning he always walks to the garage.

Het is vandaag 31 december 1999.Today it is December the 3rd, 1999.

We deden het graag voor je. We did it gladly for you.

Mag ik u bedanken voor vanmorgen?

May I thank you for this morning?

Als haar vriendin komt, zal zij het doen.

If her girl friend comes, she will do it.

We moeten het doen, want we hebben 't beloofd.

We must (have to) do it, for we have promised it.

Omdat zij het niet willen, moet ik 't doen.

Because they don't want to, I must (have to) do it.

Ik beloof je dat ik morgen zal koken.

I promise you that I'll cook tomorrow.

Zo zo! Waarom ben jij hier? So so! Why are you here?

Jongen, jongen, wat is dat lekker! Dear, dear, that is delicious!

Bah, da's vies! Bah, that's filthy!

Tja, da's niet zo mooi. Well, that's not so fine.

Ik word niet goed. I'm becoming unwell.

Lesson 1: It's a startIn the first lesson we'll start slow. We'll learn about a special 'y'-ish letter in the Dutch

alphabet. The sound of most of the consonants and simple vowels can be heard. -

Some of the personal pronouns are listed and used along with out first, and immediately irregular verb.

We'll learn very short sentences with this verb and some adjectives to use with it. And finally some abusive language.

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Well, Dutch has all the usual letters of the alphabet, plus one. That is: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz and ÿ (ij)

-Yep, that new letter "ÿ" is very hard to enter on a normal QWERTY keyboard.

That's why we normally use "ij" (an "i" and an "j") in typed documents (in handwritten documents usually the "ÿ" is used).

-So "ij" actually counts as one letter in Dutch (we even have it in Scrabble :-).

Of course, we also have the i and j as separate letters, but I can't come up with a word in which j follows i and isn't used as an "ij". So whenever you see "ij" in a word it's

the ÿ. -

For example: "hij" {he}, "IJsselmeer" (name of a lake). The capital "ij" is written as "IJ"; so both letters are capitalized.

The "y" is like in English, sometimes vowel, and sometimes a consonant. It is only used in words derived from a foreign language, like Greek, e.g. "hypnose"

{hypnosis} or "yoghurt" {yogurt}. -

As in most languages the first character of a sentence starts with a capital (well almost all of the time).

Also names of persons, geographical names start with a capital. Nouns don't normally start with a capital (it does in the German language for instance).

-Sentences end with a "."

Back to start

Pronunciation

In this text and following lessons we'll use /Word/ to give an example of an English word which contains one more (capitalized) letters which have an approximate

pronunciation as the Dutch letters, syllable or word. We'll use (and already have) {word} to denote the English translation of a Dutch word.

-The more common (with English) consonants are:

B as in "bad" /Bath/ (B at end of words sounds like "P")

D as in "dom" /Doll/ (D at end of words sounds like "T")

F as in "fijn" /Fix/ and "laf" /lauGH/

H as in "help" /Help/

J as in "jas" /Yes/ (not like J in /Jet/, that's more a DJ sound)

K as in "kat" /Cat/ and "ik" /liCK/

L as in "los" /Lot/ and "tol" /toLL/

M as in "mijn" /Mine/ and "dom' /suM/

N as in "niet" /Not/ and "tin" /tiN/

P as in "pas" /Pen/ and "sop" /cuP/

Q as in "quiz" /Quiz/

R as in "rot" /Run/ and "kar" /faR/ (don't roll it)

S as in "sop" /Sob/ and "los" /boSS/

T as in "tin" /Tin/ and "rot" /weT/

V the same as "F", "V" can't be at the end of a word or syllable.

W as in "wat" /Where/ and "ruw" /hoW/

X as in "sex" /seX/

Z as in "zak" /Zoo/ and "quiz" /quiZ/

The vowels differ more from the English, and they are so many ways to pronounce them!!

Pffff. To make it more difficult is that the sound of a vowel depends (just  like in English) on the surrounding consonants and other

vowels. Two or three adjacent vowels can also form diphthongs, i.e. they makes one sound together.

-But let's make an attempt at the more easy ones, the ones we'll use

for the moment in the next of this lesson.

A as in "kat", sounds something like /cUt/

E as in "ben" /zEn/

I as in "ik" /dIck/

O as in "dom" /sOld/

IJ as in "hij", sounds not entirely not like /whY/

And finally one easy diphthong:

IE as in "lief" /sEE/

Back to start

Grammar

We'll start of easy with most of the single personal pronouns, the verb {to be} and the general layout of simple sentence. The single personal pronouns are (we'll skip one

for now, which is used in the form of etiquette):

"ik" {I}

"jij" {you}

"hij" {he}

"zij" {she}

"het" {it}

There are also other forms of "jij", "hij" and "zij", which we'll tell in another lesson.

The verb {to be} is "zijn" in Dutch. This is a very irregular verb, but it's the most used one, as in all languages. We'll give the single

present forms:

ik ben

jij bent /bend/

hij is

zij is

het is

In general, "hij", "zij" and "het" have the same verb forms, so we'll only use "hij" or "zij" in future verb lists.

The general form of a simple sentence is: -

subject verb object or

subject verb adjective -

Since we only have the verb {to be} for now, we'll use the adjective form only, like:

{You are sweet.} Jij bent lief.

-To negate an adjective use the form: NOT ADJECTIVE

The word for {not} is "niet", so: {He is not sweet.}

Hij is niet lief.

Back to start

Vocabulary

dik big, bulky, fat

dom dumb

het it

hij he

ik I

jij you

lief sweet, nice, beloved, dear

niet not

vet fat

vies dirty

ziek sick

zij she

zijn to be

Back to start

Sentences

Ik ben niet ziek. I am not sick.

Het is vies. It is dirty.

Zij is niet rijk. She isn't rich.

Hij is dom. He is dumb.

Jij bent lief. You are sweet.

Back to start

Bad language

Unlike the English, Dutch doesn't normally use anal words to express one's anger with something. We, the Dutch, are more genital oriented, both male and female

genitals are used (the male ones are generally used for male persons, the female ones for female persons and also for general things).

Of course, the English (mostly American) influence is present in the common Dutch language. Words like 'shit' are commonly used, especially by the youth.

We also have blasphemous words which are generally in the same format as the English.

Another good (or bad) habit of us is to diagnose people we don't like as sufferers of a particular illness or sickness.

We will only list and translate the words below, not try to pronounce them, since we haven't had most of the vowel and consonant sounds yet. Also don't use them in a

sentence yet, just shout them: "Eikel!!!"

eikel {dickhead}

godverdomme {goddamned}

klerelijer{cholera sufferer} ("klere" is slang for "cholera")

klootzak {scrotum}

kutwijf {cunt vixen/shrew}

lul {dick}

Back to start

Lesson 2: BeHaveIn this lesson we'll finish off the verb "zijn" {to be} with the plural personal

pronouns. We'll introduce the verb "hebben" {to have} and a regular verb "werken" {to work} (yeah, I know, work work work).

Some more vowel sounds and  difficult consonants will be handled. Some diphthongs are given.

And finally some abusive language..

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Grammar Vocabulary Sentences

Bad language

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The Dutch language has many diphthongs (two or more vowels forming one sound together). We already had the "ie" diphthong. We'll introduce some more:

"aa", "ee", "oo",  "ei" -

Dutch also has some sorta consonant diphthong: one of them is "ch", it usually sounds just like "g" (see below). Why have two things for the same sound? In the old times (before 1920) the "g" and the "ch" sounded different, this also is valid for other

letters and diphthong, like "ij" and "ei" which have the same sound.

Back to start

Pronunciation

In this text and following lessons we'll use /Word/ to give an example of an English word which contains one more (capitalized) letters which have an approximate

pronunciation as the Dutch letters, syllable or word. We'll use (and already have) {word} to denote the English translation of a Dutch word.

-The less common (with English) consonants are:

G as in "god" (sounds somewhat like the "ch" in /loCH ness/, very throaty, and "dag"

CH as in "lach" (same sound as "G")

Some weirder sounding vowels and diphthongs:

E as in "gokken", this is another sound for the single E, it sound like the mute "e" in English, like in {givEn}, it is used mostly when the syllable with the "e" doesn't have the emphasis (stress handled in further lesson)

U as in "put" (sounds a bit like /wOrd} or {bIrd}, say the "i" sound and round your lips to a small circle)

AA as in "daar" (a bit like /jA/ or /fAther/, but not really)

EE as in " reet" /rAte/, sounds different before an "R", more like a long "i", like as in "meer" /gEAr/

OO as in "hoop" /hOpe/, sounds different before an "R", more like a long "o", like as in "door" /dOOr/

EI as in "zeik" /dIke/, sounds like the "ij"

Back to start

Grammar

The multiple personal pronouns are (we'll skip one for now, which is used in the form of etiquette):

"wij" {we}

"jullie" {you}

"zij" {they}

There are also other forms of "wij" and "zij", which we'll tell in another lesson.

As you may have noticed, "zij" is used for both {they} and {she}. You must determine from the context or the verbs used which form

is meant. -

Let's finish "zijn" {to be}:

ik ben

jij bent

hij/zij/het is

wij zijn

jullie zijn

zij zijn

The forms for all the plurals are the same, so in future we'll only show "wij" form.

The Dutch word for {to have} is "hebben":

ik heb

jij hebt

hij heeft

wij hebben

The first regular verb we'll introduce is "werken" {to work}:

ik werk

jij werkt

zij werkt

wij werken

The more general form of the present tense of a regular verb is:

ik STEM

jij STEMt

hij STEMt

wij STEMen

Where STEM is the stem of the verb, the stem for "werken" would be "werk". When the stem ends with a single consonant, this

consonant is usually doubled, like in "hebben" where the stem is "heb".

In future new regular verbs, we'll just list the "ik" and "wij" form of the verb, so you'll know when to double the last consonant. For irregular verbs we'll list the "ik", "jij" and "wij" form, because in

general the forms of "jij" and "hij"/"zij" are the same, except for some cases

in which we'll mention this.

Back to start

Lesson 3: P'ArticlesWe'll introduce the articles in the Dutch language. We'll handle some exceptions to

the 'STEMen' rule introduced in lesson 2. Some prepositions are given. Some more diphthongs are given.

Spelling Pronunciation

Grammar Vocabulary Sentences

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The Dutch language has many diphthongs (two or more vowels forming one sound together).

We'll introduce some more: "uu", "ou", "au", "ui"

Back to start

Pronunciation

Some weirder sounding diphthongs:

UU as in "muur" (a sound not present in English, sounds like the French 'lune', try to say the "ie" /sEE/ sound, and round your lips)

OU as in "goud" /lOUd/

AU as in "rauw", same sound as OU

UI as in "huis" (a sound not present in English, a bit like saying the mute "e" followed by the "UU" sound, but very smooth)

Back to start

Grammar

In this lesson we'll introduce the articles. English only has two articles, the definite {the} and the indefinite {a} (and {an}).

Dutch has two forms for the definite article and one for the indefinite. The Dutch language assigns genders to nouns. They can be either male, female,

male/female or neutral. So neutral is not the same as male/female, more like unisex or something.

-There are not many general rules on which is male, female, male/female or neutral. In general things being of the male type, like {man} or {father}, are male, female things

like {woman}, {sister} are female. We'll introduce some finer rules in further lessons. Just learn them by heart for now.

-Currently it doesn't matter whether a noun is male or female, since they both use the

definite article "de", the neutral definite article is "het" (same word as for {it}, remember?), the indefinite article is "een".

(The sound of "een" differs from the general EE sound - it uses the mute E form, like in "de" - to distinguish it from the sound for {one} which is written the same.)

-In written form also another form for "een" is used, the "ee" is replaced by a single

quote, like in " 'n " (it is pronounced the same). -

There is also a different written form for "het", just like "'n" the first two characters are replaced by a single quote, like in " 't ". This is pronounced differently than "het",

it uses a mute "e". In spoken language the " 't " form is frequently used, since it's shorter and easier to say.

-The article is placed before the noun, like in: "de man", "het huis", "een dag". In the vocabulary list we'll place the articles before the new nouns and use (v) for female

words and (m) for male words. -

In lesson 2 we introduced the STEMen rule: The more general form of the present tense of a regular verb is:

ik STEM

jij STEMt

hij STEMt

wij STEMen

Where STEM is the stem of the verb, the stem for "werken" would be "werk". When the stem ends with a single consonant, this consonant is usually doubled, like in

"hebben" where the stem is "heb". -

An amendment is: When STEM ends with a "t", the second and third person (jij/hij/zij/het) don't get an

extra "t" following the STEM. So for example the verb "zitten" {to sit} will be:

ik zit

jij zit

hij zit

wij zitten

Another amendment is: When the STEM ends with a single consonant the consonant is doubled in the

STEMen form, only if the preceding vowel is one of the single vowels: "a", "e", "i", "o" or "u".

So "ij" isn't one of them. -

Finally we'll introduce some prepositions. Prepositions are usually placed between the verb and the subject, like in English:

{he looks through the window} "Hij kijkt door het raam"

Back to start

Vocabulary

de the (male/female/unisex)

doorthrough (the door), by (the author),due to (the rain)

een a/an

het the (neutral)

hond dog [de (m)]

huis house [het]

kat cat [de]

kijken to look [kijk kijkt kijken]

kind child [het, 't]

kussen to kiss [kus kust kussen]

man man [de (m)]

naarat/to (a directional point of view)look at go to

raam window [het]

vrouw woman/wife [de (v)]

zien to see [zie ziet zien]

zitten to sit [zit zit zitten]

Back to start

Sentences

De man kijkt naar het kind. The man looks at the child.

Hij kust de vrouw. He kisses the woman.

Jullie kijken door het raam. You look through the window.

Jij ziet de hond. You see the dog.

Wij kijken door een raam naar de kat.

We look through a window to the cat.

Back to start

Lesson 4: And?The letters of the alphabet will be pronounced. We will look at the question form of a

sentence. Some more prepositions will be given and the word "en" {and} is used.

Some diphthongs are given.

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Grammar Vocabulary Sentences

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The Dutch language has many diphthongs (two or more vowels forming one sound together).

We'll introduce some more: "eu", "oi", "ooi"

-Dutch also has some sort-a consonant diphthong: one of them is "ng", it sounds the

same as in English.

Back to start

Pronunciation

Some weirder sounding diphthongs:

EU as in "neus" (a sound not known in English, just listen), sounds different before an "R", more like a long mute "E", like in "deur".

OI as in "hoi" /bOY/, not many words with this sounds though.

OOI as in "mooi", a long OI

NG as in "zingen" and "lang" /loNG/

The short vowels "a", "e", "o" and "u" are pronounced as the long vowels "aa", "ee", "oo" rsp. "uu" when they are in a so-called 'open' syllable. An open syllable ends with

a single consonant and is followed by another vowel. -

So examples are: "tAken", "gOdin", "gEven", "Uren". NOT open syllables are: "lAchen", "wErken", "hEbben", "hEb".

-But the "e" is pronounced as a mute "e" when the emphasis (stress) is not on the

syllable (more about this in another lesson). -

The "a", "o" and "u" are also pronounced long when the are at the end of a word (or used as a single letter, but then the word would consist of this single letter, and would

therefore end with the letter, so what am I getting on about?), like in "ja", "zo" and "nu".

-Finally the letters of the alphabet as promounced:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X IJ Y Z

Back to start

Grammar

Dutch uses the word "en" like the English use the word {and}, to concatenate two sentences, like in

{the cat eats the fish and the dog eats the cat} "de kat eet de vis en de hond eet de kat"

or two objects, like in {the dog eats the cat and the fish}

"de hond eet de kat en de vis" -

Questions are only a bit different from the English. The English uses the {do} verb a lot in questions.

{Do you think so?} The Dutch doesn't have this concept, it justs reverses the object and the verb, like

with the English verbs {are}, {can} and {will} ({Are you sweet?}) -

The normal form is: SUBJECT VERB OBJECT The question form is: VERB SUBJECT OBJECT?

Like in: "Is hij lief?" -

The verb keeps the same form as in the normal form, with an exception of the second person singular,

the "jij" form, this changes to the "ik" form, so without the "t", like in: "Jij bent lief. Ben jij dik?"

-Like we mentioned in the pronounciation chapter, the vowels "a", "e', "o" and "u" in

an open syllable are pronounced long. In written form the opposite applies, the diphthongs "aa", "ee", "oo" and "uu" in an open syllable are written in the short form.

This happens when the verb STEM has this form and is conjugated in the multiple form with the "en", like in:

"loop" - "lopen" "raad" - "raden" "leer" - "leren"

Back to start

Vocabulary

deur door [de]

en and

inin (a house), at (a plane),on (a committee)

ja yes

lopen to walk [loop lopen]

mooi beautiful, fine, pretty, handsome

nee no

opon (the chair), upon (the roof),at (school), in (an island)

staan to stand [sta staat staan]

stoel chair [de (m)]

zingen to sing [zing zingen]

Back to start

Sentences

Ben jij vies? Nee, ik ben niet vies.

Are you dirty? No, I'm not dirty.

De man en de vrouw zitten op een stoel.

The man and the woman are sitting on a chair.

Ik sta in het huis. I'm standing in the house.

Jij loopt, hij staat en ik zit.

You walk, he stands and I sit.

Ja, jullie zingen mooi. Yes, you sing beautifully.

Back to start

Lesson 5: Where are you all?

We will handle the plural form of nouns. The adjective {where} and the other forms of 'jij', 'zij' and 'hij' are given.

Some diphthongs are given. And some more dirty words.

Spelling Pronunciation

Grammar

Vocabulary Sentences

Bad language Back to main

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The Dutch language has many diphthongs (two or more vowels forming one sound together).

We'll introduce some more: "oe", "aai", "eeu"

- Dutch also has some sort-a consonant diphthong: one of them is "sch".

Back to start

Pronunciation

Some weirder sounding diphthongs:

OE as in "boek" /lOOk/

AAI as in "saai", a bit like the "ij" sound, only longer

EEU as in "eeuw", almost like the long "ee" sound. It's always followed by a "w"

SCH as in "schip", the "s" followed by the "CH" sound, but when an "r" follows "sch", as in "schreeuwen".At the end of a word its always preceded by a "i" and sounds like the "ies" sound, like in "logisch" (sometimes even written with "ies", like "logies", but only in 'rebelian', non-standard Dutch texts).

Back to start

Grammar

The Dutch word for {where} is "waar", the word for {there} is "daar". Because adjectives like "waar" are used in questions, sentences have the form:

"waar VERB OBJECT?" like:

"Waar is hij?" {where is he?} -

The answer to this question has the same form, unlike the English which would be: {There he is} with the form {ADJECTIVE OBJECT VERB}

but: "Daar is hij." with the form "ADJECTIVE VERB OBJECT".

or: "Hij is daar.", like the English {He is over there} -

There are other forms for the pronouns "jij", "hij" and "zij" (singular and plural). They are:

"je" - "jij" "ie" - "hij" "ze" - "zij"

-"je" and "ze" are normally used in most of the cases. "jij" and "zij" are used when

stress or emphasis is used on the objects. For example: {Where is Susan? She is there.}, but

{Who did it? SHE did it!}, or {Did Paul and Susan do it? No, SHE did it!}

-The "ie" pronoun can't be used in this form. It's only used in sentences with forms

like: "Hier is ie." {Here he is.}

-Basically, the plural of nouns, are the singular form followed by either "en" or "s".When do you get "en" and when "s", you may wonder. Well, usually you get "en", but when the word ends with a vowel or with "el", "en" or "er" (with a mute "e"), it

gets an "s".With "en" the doubling of a single consonant after a single vowel "a", "e", "i", "o", "u" applies, and the 'singling' of the diphthongs "aa", "ee", "oo" and "uu" in an open

syllable applies, just like with the verbs.Another rule is that the "s" plural form gets a preceding quote (like in: 's) when the

singular form ends with a "a", "e", "i", "o", "u" or "y" in which this vowel isn't part of a diphthong, and the "e" should be the mute one.

To complete it, yet another rule for the "en" form: when the singular form ends with an "f" which wouldn't be doubled in the plural form (see above) the "f" is changed to

a "v" in the plural form.The same goes for the "s" which is changed to a "z" (btw. these two rules also apply

for verbs).And of course there are words which are irregular and follow their own rule.Examples: "vrouw/vrouwen", "man/mannen", "stoel/stoelen", "lepel/lepels",

"muur/muren", "opa/opa's", "auto/auto's", "lente/lentes", "huis/huizen", "kus/kussen", "graf/graven", "verf/verven", "schip/schepen", "kind/kinderen".

The plural form always gets the "de" article.Finally, some words don't have a plural form, just like in English, which are things

you can't count, like "water".

Back to start

Vocabulary

aan

(give) to,at (her bedside),on (board),on (the wall)

auto car [de (m), auto's]

boek book [het, boeken]

daar there

dochter daughter [de (v), dochters]

foto fotograph [de, foto's]

geven to give [geef geeft geven]

hier here

ie he

je you (singular)

kus kiss [de (m), kussen]

lepel spoon [de (m), lepels]

mes knife [het, messen]

muur wall [de (m), muren]

oma grandma, granny [de (v), oma's]

opa grandad [de (m), opa's]

schip ship [het, schepen]

van of, from, belonging to

vork fork [de, vorken]

waar where

ze she/they

zoon son [de (m), zonen]

Back to start

Sentences

De kinderen kussen oma in de auto.

The children kiss grandma in the car.

Waar zijn de lepels en de vorken van de zoon?

Where are the spoons and the forks of the son?

Hij geeft de messen aan opa. He gives the knifes to grandad.

Oma's en opa's hebben foto's van de kinderen aan de muur.

Grandmas and grandads have pictures of the children on the wall.

Back to start

Bad language

We'll give you some dirty words regarding sex this time.

borst {breast}

tepel {nipple}

tiet {tit}

kont {ass}

penis {penis}

vagina {vagina}

kut {cunt}

pik {dick}

lul {cock}

neuken {to fuck}

naaien {to screw}

beffen {to suck pussy}

pijpen {to suck cock}

Back to start

Lesson 6: Who was there on two?

We will handle the past present form of verbs. The words for {who} and {what} will be given.

The much used word "er" will be used. Some more sounds.

We'll count from 0 to 10.

Pronunciation Grammar

Vocabulary Sentences

Back to main

Pronunciation

Some consonants or diphthongs which are used rarely and mostly in words originating from foreign words:

SJ as in "sjaal" /SHow/

J as in "journaal" /CHopin/

TS as in "tsaar" /TSar/

Back to start

Grammar

The Dutch word for {who} is "wie", the word for {what} is "wat". There used the same as "waar".

-The Dutch word "er" is used for many things (probably because it is so small).

The most frequently usage is for {there}, as in {there are ...} - "Er zijn ..." Also: {What's the matter?} - "Wat is er?"

And: {Here we are} - "We zijn er" And some more, you'll see them as we use them in sentences.

-The simple numbers are:

0 - "nul"

1 - "een" (Also written as "e e n" or "één" to distinguish it from the article "een")

2 - "twee"

3 - "drie"

4 - "vier"

5 - "vijf"

6 - "zes"

7 - "zeven" (also pronounced as "zeven

8 - "acht"

9 - "negen"

10- "tien"

-The regular form of the past present form is the STEM followed by "te(n)" or "de(n)".

The "n" is used in the plural form. Whether a "t" or "d" is used depends on the last vowel of the STEM. Normally, the "d" is used, but if the STEM ends with one of "k", "f", "s", "ch", "p" the "t" is used. Remember that the 'transformed' "z" (to an "s") and

"v" (to an "f") are not one of these. A mnemonic for the "t" or "d" rule is the word "fokschaap" {breeding sheep} in which all the "t" vowels are present (also the word

"kofschip" is used). So:

ik/jij/hij/zij/het STEMde - STEMte wij/jullie/zij STEMden - STEMten

The irregular verbs (which are of course the most used) don't have any real rules, except that they have the same form for all the singular forms, and the same form for

all the plural forms. Verbs we defined in previous lessons:

werken - ik/jij/hij/zij/het werkte - wij/jullie/zij werkten tellen - ,, telde - ,, telden kussen - ,, kuste - ,, kusten gokken - ,, gokte - ,, gokten zijn - ,, was - ,, waren hebben - ,, had - ,, hadden staan - ,, stond - ,, stonden geven - ,, gaf - ,, gaven kijken - ,, keek - ,, keken lopen - ,, liep - ,, liepen zien - ,, zag - ,, zagen zingen - ,, zong - ,, zongen zitten - ,, zat - ,, zaten

Back to start

Vocabulary

0, nul" zero

1, een" (Also written as "e e n" or "één" to distinguish it

one

from the article "een")

2, twee" two

3, drie" three

4, vier" four

5, vijf" five

6, zes" six

7, zeven" (also pronounced as "zeven)

seven

8, acht" eight

9, negen" nine

10, tien" ten

badkamerbathroom (not the lavatory) [de, badkamers]

bankcouch (also bank (the money thingy)) [de, banken]

bed bed [het, bedden]

drinkento drink [drink, drinken, dronk, dronken]

eetkamerdining room [de, eetkamers]

etento eat [eet, eet, eten, at, aten]

kamer room [de, kamers]

keldercellar [de, (m), kelders]

keukenkitchen [de, keukens]

liggento lie, be situated [lig, liggen, lag, lagen]

moedermother [de, (v), moeders]

onderunder, beneath, below

slaapkamerbedroom [de slaapkamers]

slapento sleep [slaap, slapen, sliep, sliepen]

tellento count [tel, tellen, telde, telden]

vaderfather [de, (m), vaders]

wat what

wc (w.c.)lavatory, w.c. [de, (m), wc's]

wie who

zitkamersitting-room [de, zitkamers]

zolderloft, attic [de, (m), zolders]

Back to start

Sentences

Ik ga naar bed. I'm going to bed.

Moeder en vader hadden twee bedden in de slaapkamer.

Mother and father had two beds in the bedroom.

Wat is er? What's the matter?

Er stond een bank in de zitkamer.There was a couch in the sitting-room

Back to start

Lesson 7: Why have you cried?

We will handle the past perfect form of verbs. The words for {why} and {how} will be given.

The polite form for {you} will be given. Some more sounds.

We'll count from 11 to 19. We start with an experiment: exercises! You can try them on paper and then check the answers immediatly. Pardon the somewhat crude interface. Also there will be

more in future lessons.

Pronunciation Grammar

Vocabulary Sentences Exercises

Back to main

Pronunciation

Some vowels, consonants or diphthongs which are used rarely and mostly in words originating from foreign words:

EAU as in "bureau" /gO/ (pronounced like an "oo"), it's a French word, in previous spelling also written with "o" instead of "eau"

OU as in "douchen" /lOOse/ (pronounced like an "oe"), from the French, always prononced like this before "CH", and in some other French words

CH as in "douchen" /SHow/ (pronounced like "sj"), from the French, always pronounced like this before the "OU" difhthong

Back to start

Grammar

The Dutch word for {why} is "waarom", the word for {how} is "hoe". There used the same as "waar" and "wat".

-The next numbers are:

11 - "elf" (also pronounced as "elf")

12 - "twaalf" (also pronounced as "twaalf")

13 - "dertien"

14 - "viertien"

15 - "vijftien"

16 - "zestien"

17 - "zeventien"

18 - "achttien"

19 - "negentien"

-The polite form for {you} is "u". It is used for both the singular and plural form. It

uses the verb form of "hij"/"zij"/"het", but for "zijn" usually the "jij" form ("bent") is used. Whether the singular or plural form is used, must be deduced from the context.

The polite form is used when talking to older people or people higher in the hierarchy, ie. people who need respect. There may come a moment when you start

using the "jij" or "jullie" form when you get to know people better.

It is written with a capital "U" when talking to divine and god-like creatures. Today's society (especially the youth) is using the polite form less and less (here talks

an old dude :-). -

The regular form of the past perfect form is the STEM followed by "t" or "d" and

prefixed with "ge", ie. geSTEMt or geSTEMd. The "t" or "d" depends on the "fokschaap" rule from lesson 6.

The "ge" is omitted for verbs of which the STEM starts with one of the sylables: "ge", "be", "her", "ver" or "ont" (maybe I missed one). So "geven" isn't one of them,

since the stem is "geef" (or "gev" if you want), so the first sylable is "geef", not "ge". The "ge" prefix is also handled diferently for compound verbs starting with a

preposition (these will be handled in a later lesson). Just like in English an auxilary verb is used, this can be either "zijn" or "hebben". The first one is used when the subject is the direct object of the sentence (the victim so to

speak), the latter is used when the subject 'does' the action. Like in English: {I am struck} and {I have struck}, or {I am killed} and {I have killed}. In most cases "hebben" is used, and for "zijn" only "zijn" is used.

So (using last "d" or "t" at random): ik heb geSTEMd - ben geSTEMtjij hebt geSTEMt - bent geSTEMdu heeft geSTEMd - bent/is geSTEMthij/zij/het heeft geSTEMd - is geSTEMtwij/jullie/zij hebben geSTEMd - zijn geSTEMt

The irregular verbs (which are of course the most used) all use the "ge" prefix (except for the exceptions given above), but the STEM and "t/d" part may change.

Unlike in English the auxilary verb and the participle (the "geSTEMt" word) can be separated by some other words, like the object.

Verbs we defined in previous lessons: werken - gewerkttellen - geteldkussen - gekustgokken - gegoktzijn - ben geweesthebben - gehadstaan - gestaangeven - gegevenkijken - gekekenlopen - gelopenzien - gezienzingen - gezongendrinken - gedronkeneten - gegetenliggen - gelegenslapen - geslapenzitten - gezeten

Back to start

Vocabulary

11, elf (also pronounced as elf)

eleven

12, twaalf (also pronounced as

twelve

twaalf)

13, dertien thirteen

14, veertien fourteen

15, vijftien fifteen

16, zestien sixteen

17, zeventien seventeen

18, achttien eightteen

19, negentien nineteen

beneden below, beneath, under, downstairs

boven above, over (upwards of), upstairs

douchen to take a shower [douch, doucht, douchen, douchte, douchten, gedoucht]

gang passage of a house (and some other uses) [de, (m), gangen]

gebeuren to happen, occur, come about [gebeur, gebeuren, gebeurden, (zijn) gebeurd (no extra "ge")]

hal hall [de hallen]

hoe how

huilen to cry [huil, huilen, huilde, huilden, gehuild]

kast cupboard, wardrobe, chest, cabinet [de, kasten]

komen

to come (lotsa other uses, we'll come (no pun intented) to them later) [kom, komen, kwam, kwamen, (zijn) gekomen]

lamp lamp [de, lampen]

les lesson [de, lessen]

met with

ontdekken to discover, find out [ontdek, ontdekken, ontdekten, ontdekt (no extra "ge")]

radio radio [de, (m), radio's]

tafel table [de, tafels]

thuis at home, home

tv tv [de, (v), tv's]

u you (polite form, singular and plural)

waarom why

Back to start

Sentences

Waarom heb je gehuild? Why have you cried?

Hoe heb je dat gedaan? How have you done that?

Wat is er gebeurd? What has happened?

Ruud, kom je naar beneden? Ruud, are you coming downstairs?

Waarom bent u in de hal geweest?

Why have you been in the hall?

Ik heb moeder elf boeken gegeven.

I have given mother eleven books.

De hond heeft de kat onder de tafel ontdekt.

The dog has discovered the cat below the table.

Back to start

Exercises

Translate into Dutch/English (select answer to view it):

Question Answer

We walked to the house. We liepen naar het huis.

Why are you at home, mother?

Waarom bent u thuis, moeder?

De kinderen aten op de bank. The children ate on the couch.

Wij hebben veertien auto's gehad.

We have had fourteen cars.

Hoe kom ik naar beneden? How do I get downstairs?

Jullie kijken door het raam naar de kat.

You are looking through the window at the cat.

Les acht: I know the can-can

We'll handle the difference between the Dutch words for {know} and {can}. Some more sounds.

We'll count from 20 to 99. We'll continue with the experiment: exercises! You can try them on paper and then

check the answers immediatly.

Pronunciation Grammar

Vocabulary Sentences Exercises

Back to main

Pronunciation

Some vowels, consonants or diphthongs which are used rarely and mostly in words originating from foreign words:

OND as in "plafond" /On/ (pronounced like "on"), it's a French word, also and more frequently pronounced as the more Dutchie "plafond"

Back to start

Grammar

The Dutch verb for {know} is "kennen", the verb for {can} is "kunnen". You can see they are very alike, and lots of Dutch people have the bad habit of using

"kennen" instead of "kunnen" when speaking, especially in some dialects. You shouldn't do this yourself (unless you want to be a real Dutchie :-) but be prepared for it (and don't correct them!! :-). "Kunnen" is an highly irregular verb, so much that I'm

not really sure myself about the "jij" form. It's like: ik kan, jij/u kan (or jij/u kunt) (kun/kan jij), hij/zij/het kan, wij kunnen, ik kon, wij

konden, gekund I hope so at least (any Dutch language wizard with some feedback?).

-The next numbers are:

20 - "twintig"

21 - "eenentwintig"

22 - "tweeëntwintig"

23 - "drieëntwintig"

24 - "vierentwintig"

25 - "vijfentwintig"

26 - "zesentwintig"

27 - "zevenentwintig"

28 - "achtentwintig"

29 - "negenentwintig"

30 - "dertig"

40 - "veertig"

50 - "vijftig"

60 - "zestig"

70 - "zeventig"

80 - "tachtig"

90 - "negentig"

Note that it's not like in English, but first the singles, then the decades. Also note the diaeresis above the "e" in "tweeëntwintig" en "drieëntwintig". It's to

stress the point where the next sylable begins in a juxtaposition where the first sylable ends with a vowel (diphthong) and the next starts with one. In other cases an '-' is

used, but this will be handled in a further lesson. The numbers 31, 32, etc, till 99 are like the 20 numbers.

Note the start 't' in 80 "tachtig".

Back to start

Vocabulary

20, twintig twenty

21, eenentwintig twenty one

22, tweeëntwintig

twenty two

23, drieëntwintig twenty three

24, vierentwintig twenty four

25, vijfentwintig twenty five

26, zesentwintig twenty six

27, zevenentwintig

twenty seven

28, achtentwintig twenty eight

29, negenentwintig

twenty nine

30, dertig thirty

40, veertig fourty

50, vijftig fifty

60, zestig sixty

70, zeventig seventy

80, tachtig eighty

90, negentig ninety

achter behind, after, at the back of

begrijpen to understand, comprehend [begrijp, begrijpen, begreep, begrepen, begrepen (no extra 'ge')]

Engels English [het, no plural

gaan to go, go to ... [ga, gaat, gaan, ging, gingen, (zijn) gegaan]

kennen to know, be acquinted with [ken, kennen, kende, kenden, gekend]

kunnen to can, be able [kan, jij/u kunt/kan, hij kan, kunnen, kon, konden, gekund]

lezen to read [lees, lezen, las, lazen, gelezen]

mama (mamma, ma)

mamma, mommy, mom [de, (v), mama's, mamma's, ma's]

na after, in succession (and some others)

Nederlands Dutch [het, no plural]

papa (pappa, pa) papa, daddy, dad [de, (m), papa's, pappa's, pa's]

papier paper [het, papieren]

pen pen [de, pennen]

plafond ceiling [het, plafonds]

potlood pencil [het, potloden]

praten to talk [praat, praat, praten, praatte, praatten, gepraat]

schrijven to write [schrijf, schrijven, schreef, schreven, geschreven]

spreken to speak [spreek, spreken, sprak, spraken, gesproken]

taal language [de, talen]

tegen against (and some more)

voor for, before, in front of (and some more)

weten to know, be aware of [weet, weet, weten, wist, wisten, geweten]

woord word [het, woorden]

zeggen to say [zeg, zegt, zeggen, zei, zeiden, gezegd]

Back to start

Sentences

Spreekt u Engels? Do you speak English.

Ik kan Nederlands lezen en schrijven.

I can read and write Dutch.

Ken jij Johanna? Do you know Johanna?

Weet jij waar mama is? Ze is niet boven in bed.

Do you know where mom is? She is not upstairs in bed.

Heeft u begrepen wat ik in het Nederlands zei?

Have you understood what I said in Dutch?

Jullie hadden achtentachtig potloden en pennen.

You had eighty eight pencils and pens

Back to start

Exercises

Translate into Dutch/English (select answer to view it):

Question Answer

Ik schreef met een potlood. I wrote with a pencil.

De lamp hangt aan het plafond.The lamp hangs on the ceiling.

Ze gaf papa pen en papier.She gave daddy pen and paper.

The pencil lies on the paper. De pen ligt op het papier.

The chairs are standing behind the table.

De stoelen staan achter de tafel.

Why are you crying? Waarom huil je?

Back to start

Les negen: My small mistake

We'll get to adjectives and the possesive pronouns. More exercises! You can try them on paper and then check the answers immediatly.

Pronunciation Grammar

Vocabulary Sentences Exercises

Back to start

Pronunciation

Some vowels, consonants or diphthongs which are used rarely and mostly in words originating from foreign words:

G as in "garage" /SHow/ only used in words originating from the French.

Back to start

Grammar

Adjectives describe a subject or object. They can proceed the noun or follow a verb describing the subject or object. They are used almost the same as in English.

Like: {A red house is big} - Een rood huis is groot. Both {red} and {big} are adjectives as are "rood" en "groot".

An exception (you've been waiting for it) is when the adjective is placed between the definite article ("de" and "het") and a noun, or

between the undefinite article ("een") and a non-neutral noun (which get the "de" article).

The adjective is then followed by "e", and the usual rules of long vowels changing into short vowels ("aa", "ee", "oo" and "uu" into

"a", "e", "o" and "u" rsp) and the doubling of the ending single consonant when the last sylable has a short vowel and ends with a single consonant ("a", "e", "i", "o" and "u"), and "s" changing into

"z" and "f" into "v". So: Het rode huis, de dikke man, een groot huis, een grote man,

een vies huis, het vieze huis. This is for the single nouns. Before plural nouns the "e" rule always

applies. So: De rode huizen, de dikke mannen, grote huizen, grote mannen.

The past perfect of verbs (the "ge" verb) may also be used as adjective, like in English.

So: {the kissed woman} - de gekuste vrouw.

-The possesive pronouns are as follows in Dutch:

mij - me, mijn - mine

jou - you, jouw - your

hem - him, zijn - his

haar - her, haar - her

het - it, het's - its

ons - us, ons - ours

jullie - you, jullie - your

hun - them, hun - their

Note that "ons" (as an exception) follows the adjective rule, so: ons huis, onze moeder.

Also note that "mijn" is often abbreviated to m'n, "zijn" to z'n, "haar" to 'r. These forms are usually used in the non-stressed form.

Also also note that "mij" has a non-stressed form me, and "jou" the non-stressed form je.

So: {It's YOUR mother} - Het is jouw moeder. {It's your mother} - Het is je moeder.

{The mother of you} - De moeder van jou. An (almost accepted) error made by many Dutch people is to use

"hun" instead of "zij" (plural) in the subject form, like: "Hun zijn ziek." instead of "Zij zijn ziek."

Don't do it yourself, but be prepared. Finally another exception: after the pronouns "aan" and "voor",

when they are used in a directional, cooperative way (rsp. to and

for), "hun" is replaced by hen". This is also valid when the pronoun "aan" is left out, but you could insert it (like the English {to} in: I

gave it (to) them). So: Ik praat tegen hun. Ik geef het boek aan hen. Ik geef hen het

boek. Het is voor hen.

Back to start

Vocabulary

mij me

mijn mine, also the mine [de, mijnen]

jou you (possesive)

hem him

zijn his

haar her, hers, also hair [de and het, haren]

het it (possesive)

het's its

ons us, ours, also 100-gram ounce (official no longer used, but still present in spoken language) [het, onsen, onzen]

jullie you, yours (plural, possesive)

hun them, their

hen them (after "aan" or "voor" in directional, cooperative way)

garage garage [de (v), garages]

tuin garden [de (m), tuinen]

balkon balcony [het, balkons]

computer computer (watch the special 'pu' pronounciation) [de (m), computers]

bureau desk, bureau, (police) station, (travel) agency [het, bureaus]

rood red< [rode]

blauw blue [blauwe]

groen green [groene]

geel yellow [gele]

zwart black [zwarte]

wit white [witte]

grijs grey [grijze]

alle all (all objects)

sommige some (some objects)

kleur color [de, kleuren]

brief letter [de (m), brieven]

bloem flower [de, bloemen]

brood bread [het, broden]

mens human [de (m), mensen]

fluisteren to whisper [fluister, fluisteren, fluisterde(n), gefluisterd]

typen to type [typ, typen, typte(n), getypt]

verven to paint (a house, not a painting) [verf, verven, verfde(n), geverfd]

leren to learn [leer, leren, leerde(n), geleerd]

Back to start

Sentences

Kunt u mij het boek geven? - Can you give me the book?

Hij heeft het gele huis rood geverfd.

- He has painted the yellow house red.

Zij typte een brief aan hen op mijn computer.

- She typed a letter to them on my computer.

In de tuin staan rode, gele en blauwe bloemen.

- In the garden are (stand) red, yellow and blue flowers.

Jullie brood is voor jullie, hun brood is voor hen, en mijn brood is voor mij.

- Your bread is for you, their bread is for them, and my bread is for me.

Alle kinderen zijn lief. - All children are sweet.

Back to start

Exercises

Translate into Dutch/English (select answer to view it):

Question Answer

Waarom ligt mamma niet in bed? Why doesn't mummy lie in bed?

Sommige mensen zijn groot. Some people are tall (big).

Alle witte bloemen waren klein. All white flowers were small.

Ik heb de Nederlandse taal geleerd.I have learned the Dutch language.

De grijze, grote computer staat op het bureau van vader.

The grey, small computer stands on the desk of father.

De rode pennen zijn van mij, niet The red pencils are mine, not

van jou. yours.

Have you seen their house? Heb je hun huis gezien?

We gave some yellow letters to them.

We gaven enkele gele brieven aan hen.

All breads lay in the cupboard. Alle broden lagen in de kast.

Back to start

Les tien: 1999

Some more about adjectives. We'll learn all about the date. Some greetings will be made.

More exercises! You can try them on paper and then check the answers immediatly.

Pronunciation Grammar

Vocabulary Sentences Exercises

Back to start

Pronunciation

Some more diphthongs:

OEI as in "groeien" /OOJ/

Back to start

Grammar

In the previous lesson we handled adjectives, like "rood" and "rode". Some word having a vowel or diphthongs followed by "de", like "rode" can also be written and

pronounced using the "i" letter instead of the "d", and therefor transform to the "OOI" sound instead of the "OO", like "rooie".

Or "goeie" instead of "goede". Or "raaien" instead of "raden" (very very very slang).

Note that this is not proper 'schoolbook' Dutch, more like slang, although the word "goeie" is very frequently used by everyone (but still can't be found in dictionaries).

We'll note the alternatives in future vocabulary lists when appropiate. In a previous lesson we noted that the past perfect verb (the "ge" form, like "geverfd") can also be used as an adjective, much like in

English (the "ed" form like {painted}). In English the "ing" form (like {talking}) can also be used as an

adjective, having an active meaning; the subject is currently performing the task (talking in the case of the example).

The Dutch form of this construction is the full verb, like "praten"

followed by a "d". This again follows the "e" form as handled before, like: "de pratende man" {the talking man}.

-Because a date also contains a year, we'll handle the numbers in

the range 100 - 999999 first. The word for 100 is "honderd". The word for 1000 is "duizend".

The word for X00 (X is 2 - 9) is X concatenated with "honderd", like "tweehonderd". If X is 1, you can leave out "een" unless you really

really want to stress it. The word for XX000 (XX is 2 - 99) is XX concatenated with

"duizend", like "drieduizend". If XX is 1, you can leave out "een" unless you want to stress it.

You can also use the XY00 form (XY is 11 - 99), but not when Y is 0. You concatenate XY with "honderd", like "zevenentachtighonderd".

The word for XXZZ (XX is 1 - 99, y is not 0) is XX (if not 1), optionally concatenated with the word "en", concatenated with

"honderd", concatenated with the ZZ word like "vierhonderdvijfendertig" or like "honderdentweeëntwintig".

The word for XXXZZZ (XXX is 2 - 999) is the XXX word concatenated with "duizend", optionally concatenated with the word "en",

concatenated with the ZZZ word if not 0. like "driehonderdeenentwintigduizendvierhonderdzesenzestig".

When pronouncing years in a date (so not as in an interval, e.g. the number of years between two occurences) we can leave out the

"honderd" and "en" part. So the current years are "negentiennegenennegentig",

"tweeduizend" en "tweeduizendeen", and it's "negentienhonderdnegentig" years ago.

You may have noticed that I use 3 years as the current years, I hope this course is about finished in 2002 :-)

Now the months. They 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)

As you can see, they're very much alike in English and Dutch, propably because they origin from the Latin language (or Greek or whatever). We don't use capitals with the

month names. Instead of saying MONTH DAY, like in English, e.g. {November the 3rd}, we use

DAY MONTH in Dutch, like "3 November". A complete date will have the format DAY MONTH YEAR, like "28 februari 2001".

We usually also use this sequence in the 'digit-only' form, like: "22/07/61" or "28/02/2001".

Now the weekdays. They are:

maandag (Monday)

dinsdag (Tuesday)

woensdag (Wednesday)

donderdag (Thursday)

vrijdag (Friday)

zaterdag (Saturday)

zondag (Sunday)

Again, no capitals. We'll give ordinal numbers, like {Friday the 13th} in another lesson.

Days and part of the days. They are:

vandaag (today)

morgen (tomorrow)

gisteren (yesterday)

eergisteren (day before yesterday)

ochtend (morning)

middag (noon)

namiddag (afternoon)

avond (evening)

nacht (night)

dag (day, 24 hours)

vanochtend (this morning)

vanmiddag (this afternoon)

vanavond (this evening, tonight)

vannacht (tonight or last night)

's ochtends (in the morning)

's middags (in the afternoon)

's avonds (in the evening, in the night)

's nachts (in the night)

The "'s" word is an abbreviation of an old Dutch word "des", meaning {of the}, which is almost never used anymore in the full form.

When a sentence starts with a "'", like "'s" or "'t" the letter following the quote is lower cased, the following letter will be upper cased, like "'s Morgens", or "'t Huis". This is the original version of the day-part words. As you may have guessed we have come another weird thing in the Dutch language. Most people use the word morgen

instead of ochtend, although that has an altogether different meaning originally. This brings us to the more popular:

vanmorgen (this morning)

's morgens (in the morning)

Also you may have noticed that the word "middag" {noon} is brutally misused in the meaning of "namiddag" {afternoon}. The latter word being rarely used and then

usually in the meaning of: the latter part of the afternoon. Because of this misusage we lack a word which actually means {noon}. To

compensate we came up with the illogical sentence "tussen de middag" {between the noon}, which actually makes no sense.

When using words or phrases that have a meaning of date or time, it is placed as close to the verb as possible, opposite to the English,

like: "Morgen gaan we naar huis." {Tomorrow we are going home.} "We gaan morgen naar huis." {We are going home, tomorrow.}

-Some greetings which are very frequently used are:

hallo (hello)

hoi (hi)

dag (bye)

doei (bye)

doeg (bye)

goedemorgen (good morning)

goeiemorgen (good morning)

goedemiddag (good afternoon) (the "goeie" form also applies for the rest)

goedenavond (good evening/night)

goedenacht (good night)

tot ziens (see you)

hoe gaat 't? (how are you doing?) (literally: how are you going?)

hoe gaat 't met je? (how are you doing?) (literally: how is it going with you?)

alstublieft (here you are, if you please, yes please)

alsjeblieft (here you are, if you please, yes please)

dank u (thank you)

dank je (thank you)

bedankt (thanks)

dank u wel (thank you kindly)

dank u zeer (thank you very much)

geen dank (you're welcome) (literally: no thanks (needed))

graag gedaan (you're welcome) (literally: done with pleasure)

Back to start

Vocabulary

honderd hundred [het, honderden]

duizend thousand [het, duizenden]

januari January [de (m)]

februari February [de (m)]

maart March [de (m)]

april April [de (m)]

mei May [de (m)]

juni June [de (m)]

juli July [de (m)]

augustus August [de (m)]

september September [de (m)]

oktober October [de (m)]

november November [de (m)]

december December [de (m)]

maandag Monday [de (m), maandagen]

dinsdag Tuesday [de (m), dinsdagen]

woensdag Wednesday [de (m), woensdagen]

donderdag Thursday [de (m), donderdagen]

vrijdag Friday [de (m), vrijdagen]

zaterdag Saturday [de (m), zaterdagen]

zondag Sunday [de (m), zondagen]

vandaag today

morgen tomorrow, morning [de (m), morgens]

gisteren yesterday

eergisteren day before yesterday

ochtend morning [de (m), ochtenden]

middag noon [de (m), middagen]

namiddag afternoo [de (m), namiddagen]n

avond evening [de (m), avonden]

nacht night [de (m), nachten]

dag day, 24 hours [de (m), dagen]

vanochtend this morning

vanmiddag this afternoon

vanavond this evening, tonight

vannacht tonight or last night

's ochtends in the morning

's middags in the afternoon

's avonds in the evening, in the night

's nachts in the night

vanmorgen this morning

's morgens in the morning

tussen de middag

noon (literally: between the noon)

hallo hello

hoi hi

dag bye

doei bye

doeg bye

goedemorgen good morning

goeiemorgen good morning

goedemiddag good afternoon

goedenavond good evening/night

goedenacht good night

alstublieft here you are, if you please, yes please

alsjeblieft here you are, if you please, yes please

goed good, correct, kind, well, goodly [goede, goeie]

tot until

iets something

niets nothing

altijd always

geen no, none

dank thanks [de (m), danken]

danken to thank [dank, dankt, danken, dankte(n), gedankt]

bedanken to thank, to return thanks, to decline [bedank, bedankt, bedanken, bedankte(n), bedankt (no ge)]

tot ziens (see you)

hoe gaat het? how are you doing? (literally: how are you going?)

hoe gaat het met je?

how are you doing? (literally: how is it going with you?)

dank u thank you

dank je thank you

bedankt thanks

dank u wel thank you kindly

dank u zeer thank you very much

geen dank you're welcome (literally: no thanks (needed))

doen

to do, work, to put (it one's pocket), to do (one's hair, a room), to make (a promise), and some more [doe, doet, doen, deed, deden, gedaan]

mogen to be allowed, be permitted, may, or to like [mag, mag, mogen, mocht(en), gemogen]

groeien to grow [groei, groeit, groeien, groeide(n), (zijn) gegroeid]

graag with pleasure, gladly, readily, willingly

graag gedaan you're welcome (literally: done with pleasure)

Back to start

Sentences

Is er gisteren iets gebeurd?Has something happened yesterday?

Hallo, hoe gaat het met je? Hello, how are you doing?

Met mij gaat het goed, dank je.I'm doing fine, thanks. (With me it's going good)

's Morgens loopt hij altijd naar de garage.

In the morning he always walks to the garage.

Het is vandaag 31 december 1999.

Today it is December the 3rd, 1999.

We deden het graag voor je. We did it gladly for you.

Mag ik u bedanken voor vanmorgen?

May I thank you for this morning?

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Exercises

Translate into Dutch/English (select answer to view it):

Question Answer

Conjugate: to be.ik ben, jij bent, hij/zij/het is, u bent/is, zijn, was, waren, geweest

Hallo, hoe gaat het met je? Hello, how are you?

Waar was je gisteren? Where were you, yesterday?

Ik ben morgen en overmorgen niet thuis.

I'm not home tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

I have worked on my computer this morning.

Ik heb vanmorgen op mijn computer gewerkt.

In the morning I eat with my wife and children.

's Morgens eet ik met mijn vrouw en kinderen.

On the 1st of April we always laugh.

Op 1 april lachen we altijd.

List: the weekdaysmaandag, dinsdag, woensdag, donderdag, vrijdag, zaterdag, zondag

Conjugate: to have.ik heb, jij hebt, hij/zij/het heeft, u hebt/heeft, hebben, had, hadden, gehad

Back to start

Les elf: I want, you should

A difficult and boring lesson, I fear, lots of grammar. We will learn 'this/that/these' words.

We will handle the Dutch verbs for 'to must', 'to want' and 'to will/shall' Conjunctions will pass.

More exercises! You can try them on paper and then check the answers immediatly.

Pronunciation Grammar

Vocabulary Sentences Exercises

Back to start

Pronunciation

Some more diphthongs:

IEU as in "nieuw" a bit like /sEAl/, always before a 'w'

Back to start

Grammar

The words for {this}, {that}, {these} and {those} depend partly on the article of the noun and partly whether they are used as a pronoun before a noun, or on their own as

the object or on their own as the subject (with or without the noun they refer to). As a pronoun before a noun, or on their own as the subject, or on their own as an

object without the noun they refer to: For the neutral article 'het' they are:

this - dit that - dat

For the male and female article 'de' they are: this - deze that - die

The plural forms are the same for all articles: these - deze those - die

On their own as an object when the noun they refer to is in the same sentence: this, these - dit that, those - dat

So, some examples: These books lie on this table - Deze boeken liggen op deze tafel.

That man writes with those pencils - Die man schrijft met die pennen.

This woman sleeps in that bed - Deze vrouw slaapt in dat bed. Or on their own as an object (without referred noun):

This is mine - Dit is van mij. These are yours - Deze zijn van jou.

Or on their own as a subject: Ik give these to you - Ik geef deze aan jou.

We ate this - We aten dit. Or on their own as an object (with referred noun):

Is this your book? - Is dit jouw boek? Are those your books? - Zijn dat jouw boeken?

-We use the same Dutch verb for {will/shall} (they've basically the same meaning in English too). The Dutch verb is: "zullen", it's very

irregular, almost like the verb "kunnen". It's like: ik zal, jij/u zal (or jij/u zult) (zal jij), hij/zij/het zal, wij zullen, ik zou,

wij zouden There is no past perfect form. It's an auxilary verb, so always used

with the full form of another verb (although it's also used in another

meaning as a normal verb, more about that later). Examples:

I shall work tomorrow - Ik zal morgen werken. Will you do it tonight? - Zal je het vanavond doen?

We would do it this morning - We zouden het vanmorgen doen. When used as {should} it is used in conjunction with the {must}

verb: "moeten": ik moet, jij/u/hij/zij/het moet, wij moeten, ik moest, wij moesten, wij

hebben gemoeten Always the full verb is used in constructions like this:

We should do this - We zouden dit moeten doen. But: We shall do this - We zullen dit doen.

Should I eat at the table? - Zou ik aan de tafel moeten eten? But: Shall I eat at the table? - Zal ik aan de tafel eten?

These sentences can also be constructed with only the "moeten" verb:

We must do this - We moeten dit doen. Must I eat at the table? - Moet ik aan de tafel eten?

Without the "moeten" verb it has more a meaning of {were supposed to}, as in:

We were supposed to do this - We zouden dit doen. We were supposed to eat tonight - We zouden vanavond eten.

All in all a very complicated verb. -

The Dutch verb for {want} is: "willen", it's not irregular (surprise!), but the past present tense is often used in a gramaticly bad form

(no surprise). It's like:

ik wil, jij/u wilt, hij/zij/het wil, wij willen, ik wilde, wij wilden, gewild The bad past present form is (looking like the past perfect for

"zullen" ("zouden")): ik wou, wij wouden, gewild

Examples: I want that dog - Ik wil die hond.

Did you want the red book? - Wilde (wou) u het rode boek? We didn't want to do this - We wilden (wouden) dit niet doen.

-Conjunctions are used like in English. See the vocabulary for a list.

Examples: If you will write it, I'll read it - Als jij het zal schrijven, zal ik het

lezen. I'll read it if you'll write it - Ik zal het lezen als jij het zal schrijven. We do it because we must - Wij doen het omdat we (het) moeten.

Back to start

Vocabulary

als if (also some other usages)

bah bah, pooh, pah

beloven to promise [beloof, beloven, beloofde(n), beloofd]

da's that is (short for "dat is")

dat that, or: that, which

deze these

die those/that

dit this

doordat because, on account of

indien if, in case ("als" is used more often, "indien" is more used in official documents)

jaar year [het, jaren]

jong young, or: young one, litter [het, jongen]

jongen boy, lad [de (m), jongens], or: "jongen, jongen!" dear, dear!, oh dear!, or: to bring forth young animals [jong, jongen, jongde(n), gejongd]

koken to boil, or: to cook food [kook, koken, kookte(n), gekookt]

lekker nice, delicious, good, fine, nicely

leuk amusing, funny or: jolly, pleasant

meid maid, girl [de (v), meiden] ({girl} on its own is usually "meisje")

meisje girl, missy [het, meisjes]

moeten to must/have to [moet, moet, moeten, moest(en), gemoeten]

nadat after (we had seen it)

nieuw new

omdat because, as

opdat that, in order that

oud old

sjonge same as "tjonge", even more slang

terwijl while, whilst, as, or: meanwhile

tja well!

tjonge well!, have you ever! (slang for "jongen, jongen")

toen when, as, or: then, at that time

vijand enemy, foe [de (m), vijanden]

voordat before (we had seen it)

vriend friend, boy friend [de (m), vrienden]

vriendin friend, girl friend, lady friend [de (v), vriendinnen]

wanneer when

want for (we must do so) (comjugation)

willen to want [wil, wilt, willen, wilde(n) (bad: wou(den)), gewild]

worden to become, going to be, to grow (old) [word, wordt, worden, werd(en), (zijn) geworden]

zo so, like that, such, or: thus, like this, in this way, or: presently, and: many other usages

zullen to shall/will [zal, jij/u zal (zult) (zal jij), hij zal, zullen, zou(den) (no past perfect)]

Back to start

Sentences

Als haar vriendin komt, zal zij het doen.

If her girl friend comes, she will do it.

We moeten het doen, want we hebben 't beloofd.

We must (have to) do it, for we have promised it.

Omdat zij het niet willen, moet ik 't doen.

Because they don't want to, I must (have to) do it.

Ik beloof je dat ik morgen zal koken.

I promise you that I'll cook tomorrow.

Zo zo! Waarom ben jij hier? So so! Why are you here?

Jongen, jongen, wat is dat lekker!

Dear, dear, that is delicious!

Bah, da's vies! Bah, that's filthy!

Tja, da's niet zo mooi. Well, that's not so fine.

Ik word niet goed. I'm becoming unwell.

Back to start

Exercises

Translate into Dutch/English (select answer to view it):

Question Answer

Conjugate: to be able (can).

ik kan, jij kan/kunt, hij/zij/het kan, u kunt, kunnen, kon, konden, gekund

Het meisje en de jongen lopen door het huis.

The girl and the boy are walking through the house.

Je mag eten wanneer ik het zeg. <

You may eat when I say so.

Listen. 's Morgens loopt hij altijd naar de garage. - In the morning he always walks to the garage.

I don't wanna do that. Ik wil dat niet doen. Or: Dat wil ik niet doen.

You (plural) shouldn't talk to those girls.

Jullie zouden niet moeten praten met die meisjes.

Your father is growing old.

Jouw vader wordt oud.

List: the months januari, februari, maart, april, mei, juni, juli, augustus, september, oktober, november, december

Back to start

Bad language

Unlike the English, Dutch doesn't normally use anal words to express one's anger with something. We, the Dutch, are more genital oriented, both male and female

genitals are used (the male ones are generally used for male persons, the female ones for female persons and also for general things).

Of course, the English (mostly American) influence is present in the common Dutch language. Words like 'shit' are commonly used, especially by the youth.

We also have blasphemous words which are generally in the same format as the English.

Another good (or bad) habit of us is to diagnose people we don't like as sufferers of a particular illness or sickness.

Also some dirty words will be listed here. We will only list and translate the words below, not try to pronounce them, since we

haven't had most of the vowel and consonant sounds yet. Also don't use them in a sentence yet, just shout them: "Eikel!!!"

-

beffen {to suck pussy}

borst {breast}

eikel dickhead

godverdomme goddamned

hoer whore

jezus! jesus!

kankerlijer cancer sufferer

klerelijercholera sufferer ("klere" is slang for "cholera")

klerehoercholera suffering whore "klere" can be placed before almost each noun, just like fucking)

klootzak scrotum

kont {ass}

kut {cunt}

kutwijf cunt vixen/shrew

lul cock

naaien {to screw}

neuken {to fuck}

penis {penis}

pijpen {to suck cock}

pik {dick}

slet slut

tepel {nipple}

tiet {tit}

vagina {vagina}

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