Dutch for Beginners:

Dutch for Beginners

Dutch is the mother tongue of over 21 million people: almost all of the inhabitants of The Netherlands, about half of the people living in Belgium (those living in Flanders or “Vlaanderen”), and many inhabitants of former Dutch colonies like Suriname.

 To Be Verbs

As in English, the verb “zijn” (to be) is a very important word. It is used mostly as an auxilary verb, but it can also be used as a notional verb meaning “to be, to exist”. The key forms of the verb are as follows:
Tegenwoordige tijd Present tense
Ik ben I am
Jij bent / ben jij (*) You are (informal, singular)
Hij, zij is He, she is
U bent (**) You are (polite, singular or plural)
Wij zijn We are
Jullie zijn You are (informal, plural)
Zij zijn They are
(*) In so-called inverted sentences (such as questions), where the personal pronoun follows the verb, “ben” (instead of “bent”) is used with “jij”. E.g., “Jij bent een student” = “You are a student”; but: “Ben jij een student?” = “Are you a student?” (**) “U is” is occasionally used, but this is considered very old-fashioned by most Dutch people.
Verleden tijd Past tense
Ik was I was
Jij was You were (informal, singular)
Hij, zij was He, she was
U was You were (polite, singular or plural)
Wij waren We were
Jullie waren You were (informal, plural)
Zij waren They were
Voltooide tijd Perfect tense
Ik ben geweest I have been
Jij bent geweest You have been (informal, singular)
Hij, zij is geweest He, she has been
U bent geweest You have been (polite, singular or plural)
Wij zijn geweest We have been
Jullie zijn geweest You have been (informal, plural)
Zij zijn geweest They have been

To Have Verb

The verb “hebben” (to have) is another important word. It is used both as a notional verb meaning “to possess, to own” and as an auxilary verb. The key forms of the verb are as follows:
Tegenwoordige tijd Present tense
Ik heb I have
Jij hebt / heb jij (*) You have (informal, singular)
Hij, zij heeft He, she has
U heeft (**) You have (polite, singular or plural)
Wij hebben We have
Jullie hebben You have (informal, plural)
Zij hebben They have
(*) In so-called inverted sentences (such as questions), where the personal pronoun follows the verb, “heb” (instead of “hebt”) is used with “jij”. E.g., “Jij hebt een boek” = “You have a book”; but: “Heb jij een boek?” = “Do you have a book?” (**) “U hebt” is sometimes also used.
Verleden tijd Past tense
Ik had I had
Jij had You had (informal, singular)
Hij, zij had He, she had
U had You had (polite, singular or plural)
Wij hadden We had
Jullie hadden You had (informal, plural)
Zij hadden They had
 
Voltooide tijd Perfect tense
Ik heb gehad I have had
Jij hebt gehad You have had (informal, singular)
Hij, zij heeft gehad He, she has had
U heeft gehad You have had (polite, singular or plural)
Wij hebben gehad We have had
Jullie hebben gehad You have had (informal, plural)
Zij hebben gehad They have had

 Basic Vocabulary

The following words are indispensable if you want to understand Dutch. They are “building blocks” that are used over and again!
Belangrijke woorden Important words
Een A Indefinite article, singular (as in English, no article is used for the plural indefinite form). E.g., “een kind” = “a child”; “kinderen” = “children”.
Het The Definite article, singular; used with a limited group of nouns. E.g., “het kind” = “the child”.
De The Definite article, used for the singular form of all other nouns, as well as the plural form of allnouns that can have an article. E.g., het kind, but “de kinderen” = “the children”.
En And
Of Or
Omdat Because
Ondanks In spite of
Daarom Therefore
Alle, allemaal All
Elke Every
Iedereen Everyone
Wie? Who?
Wat? What?
Waar? Where?
Waarom? Why?
Hoe? How?
Ik I
Jij You
U You (polite form, singular or plural)
Hij He
Zij (1) She
Wij We
Jullie You (plural)
Zij (2) They
Mijn My
Jouw Your
Uw Your (polite form, singular or plural)
Zijn His
Haar Her
Ons Our
Jullie Your (plural)
Hun Their
Omhoog Up
Omlaag Down
Links Left
Rechts Right
Binnen Inside
Buiten Outside
Voor (1) In front of
Achter Behind
Naast Next to
Bij Near
Naar Towards
Vanaf Away from; or: Starting at
Eerste First
Laatste Last
Voor (2), or: Voordat Before
Na, or: Nadat After
Veel Much; many
Weinig Little; few
Meer More
Minder Less
Meest Most
Minst Least
Met With
Zonder Without
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