Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Het gaat / Slecht Ik ben moe / ziek Ik heb honger / dorst Wat vreemd! Wat jammer! Wat is dit / dat?
uht khaht / slehkht ik ben moo / zeek ik heb hohng-ur / dohrst vaht fraymt vaht yah-mer vut iss dit / dut
So so / Bad I'm tired / sick. I'm hungry / thirsty. How funny / odd! What a pity! What is this / that?
7 8
red rood box vak
12. MONTHS OF THE YEAR black zwart sphere bol
January januari brown bruin cube kubus
February februari gray grijs pyramid piramide
March maart white wit cone kegel
April april green groen cylinder cilinder
May mei silver zilver heart hart
June juni gold goud star ster
July juli beige beige diamond diamant
August augustus light licht crescent halvemaan
September september dark donker
October oktober
November november Licht and donker are added to the colors to mean light and dark:
December december lichtbruin - light brown.
month maand
year jaar 16. TIME
last year het afgelopen jaar What time is it? Hoe laat is het?
monthly maandelijks It's 1:00 Het is een uur.
yearly jaarlijks 2:00 Het is twee uur.
3:30 Het is half vier.
13. SEASONS 5:45 Het is kwart voor zes.
Winter de winter 7:03 Het is drie (minuten) over zeven.
Spring de lente / het voorjaar at 9:30 om half tien
Summer de zomer noon twaalf uur 's middags
Autumn de herfst / het najaar midnight twaalf uur 's nachts / middernacht
In the morning 's ochtends
14. DIRECTIONS During the day 's middags
In the evening 's avonds
Compass/Wind Location/Movement
At night 's nachts
North noord noorden right rechts
South zuid zuiden left links Minuten can be omitted, just as in English.
East oost oosten straight rechtdoor
West west westen 17. WEATHER
How's the weather today? Wat voor weer is het vandaag?
15. COLORS & SHAPES
It's cold Het is koud
orange oranje square vierkant
beautiful Het is mooi
pink roze circle cirkel
hot Het is heet
purple paars triangle driehoek
clear Het is helder
blue blauw rectangle rechthoek
icy Het is ijzig
yellow geel oval ovaal
warm Het is warm
9 10
windy Het is windig
cloudy Het is bewolkt In the vocabulary lists, (n) after the noun means that the gender is neuter
and the definite article is het (rather than de.)
hazy Het is mistig
muggy Het is drukkend / benauwd
19. TO KNOW PEOPLE AND FACTS
humid Het is vochtig
foggy Het is mistig kennen - to know people weten - to know facts
It's snowing Het sneeuwt Present: ken ken kennen ken-nuh weet vayt weten vay-tuh
It's raining Het regent ken-
Past: kende kenden ken-duh wist vist wisten vist-uh
It's freezing Het vriest duh
13 14
mail man postbode before voor out (of) uit
15 16
Europe Europa Europeaan koning ‐ koningin (king ‐ queen) bibliothekaris ‐ bibliothekaresse (male librarian ‐ female
Rus ‐ Russin (Russian man ‐ Russian woman) librarian)
France Frankrijk Fransman / Française leraar ‐ lerares (male teacher ‐ female schrijfer ‐ scrijfster (write ‐ female author)
teacher) verpleeger ‐ verpleegster (nurse ‐ female nurse)
Germany Duitsland Duitser / Duitse prins ‐ prinses (prince ‐ princess)
The -t of kunt and wilt are dropped in inversions with jij, but not with moet. Kan and kunt are used
interchangeably for the second person singular form of kunnen, so jij kan and jij kunt as well as jij wil
and jij wilt are both possible. The main difference is that kan and wil are considered slightly more informal
with jij than kunt or wilt.
19 20
Common verbs, such as doen and gaan, can be omitted in Dutch after modals, but not in the English verkleden change clothes
translation. In addition, impersonal constructions with het/dat + modals are used. verontschuldigen excuse
Dat kan. That's possible/can be done. verschuilen oneself/apologize
Het moet. It must be done. vervelen hide (oneself)
When modals are used with other verbs, the other verb is in the infinitive and placed at the end of the voelen to be bored
clause or sentence. wassen feel
wash (oneself)
huilen om cry at/about
Verbs that can be reflexive or used with other direct objects
aankleden get dressed kijken naar look at/watch
amuseren enjoy oneself
bewegen move lachen om laugh at
ergeren make angry
opwinden get excited letten op pay attention to
scheren shave (oneself)
snijden cut oneself lijden aan suffer from
uitkleden undress (oneself)
verbazen be amazed luisteren naar listen to
verdedigen defend oneself
21 22
praten/spreken met talk to This tense is used more often than the simple past, especially in conversation, and is equivalent to I have
asked or I asked. Regular verbs use a form of hebben or zijn and a past participle. Past participles are
reageren op react to made by adding ge- to the beginning of the verb stem and -t or -d to the end. Verb stems are the
infinitives minus the -en, with the appropriate spelling changes. The stems are identical to the first person
singular present tense form.
rekenen op rely on
-t is added to stems ending in t, k, f, s, ch, and p (note that if the stem ends in -t already, you do not double
sterven aan die of the consonant), while -d is added to all other stems, except those already ending in -d. (If a stem ends in -f
or -s, but the infinitive contained -v or -z, then still add a -d)
trek/zin hebben in want Verbs with inseparable prefixes do not add ge- in this tense. Verbs with separable prefixes add the ge after
the prefix and before the stem (afgemaakt).
trouwen met marry Verb Stem Past Participle
twijfelen aan doubt hopen to hope hoop gehoopt
maken to make maak gemaakt
vragen om ask for blaffen to bark blaf geblaft
missen to miss mis gemist
weten van know about dromen to dream droom gedroomd
bellen to ring bel gebeld
zeggen tegen say to loven to praise loof geloofd
vrezen to be afraid vrees gevreesd
zorgen voor care for
praten to talk praat gepraat
koken to cook kook gekookt
blaffen to bark blaf geblaft
34. Separable Prefixes kuchen to cough kuch gekucht
bouwen to build bouw gebouwd
aan‐ af‐ binnen‐ in‐ na‐ onder‐ over‐ toe‐ voor‐
horen to hear hoor gehoord
branden to burn brand gebrand
achter‐ bij‐ door‐ mee‐ om‐ op‐ tegen‐ uit‐ ‐weg
bedoelen to mean bedoel bedoeld
bepraten to discuss bepraat bepraat
When verbs with separable prefixes are conjugated, the prefixes go to the end of the clause or sentence. For geloven to believe geloof geloofd
example, uitgaan (to go out) and weggaan (to go away): verhuizen to move house verhuis verhuisd
Gaan jullie niet meer uit? Don't you go out anymore? afmaken to finish af...maak afgemaakt
Hij gaat vandaag weg. He's going away today.
Hebben vs. Zijn
Some verbs of motion can take either hebben or zijn depending on whether it is the action that is stressed
35. Inseparable Prefixes (hebben) or the destination/direction (zijn.) Verbs taking zijn are generally intransitive (they do not take
be‐ ont‐ ge‐ direct objects) and denote a change in motion/position or change in state/condition. Most verbs derived
from zijn verbs also take zijn in the perfect tense.
her‐ ver‐ er‐ Modals
The past participles of the modals (kunnen: gekund; moeten: gemoeten; mogen: gemoogd, willen: gewild)
are only used when the modal is used independently of another verb.
Ik heb het gemoeten. I had to (do it).
These prefixes always remain attached to their infinitives. The inseparable prefixes are unstressed If the perfect tense of a modal is used with another verb, then the past participle of the modal is replaced by
syllables, as compared to the separable prefixes, of which most can stand alone as prepositions. -ann, - its infinitive. This double infinitive construction (infinitive of modal + other infinitive) is always placed at
onder, -over, -door, -voor and -om can also be inseparable prefixes if they are unstressed. the end of the clause or sentence.
Ik heb gisteren kunnen komen. I was able to come yesterday.
36. Present Perfect or Past Indefinite Tense
37. Irregular Past Participles
23 24
Infinitive Past Participle Infinitive Past Participle lie liggen gelegen look for zoeken gezocht
think denken gedacht hit slaan geslagen 39. Food and Meals
breakfast ontbijt (n) bread brood (n)
do doen gedaan stand staan gestaan
25 26
rice rijst honey honing carrot wortel, peen turkey kalkoen
salad salade cookies koekje The National Anthem of the Netherlands: Wilhelmus van Nassouwe
By Marnix van St. Aldegonde (2 stanzas out of 15)
Wilhelmus van Nassouwe ben ik van Duitsen bloed
den vaderland getrouwe blijf ik tot in den dood.
40. Fruits, Vegetables and Meats Een Prinse van Oranje ben ik, vrij onverveerd,
den Koning van Hispanje heb ik altijd geëerd.
fruit vrucht cabbage kool
Mijn schild ende betrouwen zijt Gij, o God mijn Heer,
pineapple ananas pumpkin pompoen
op U zo wil ik bouwen, verlaat mij nimmermeer.
Dat ik doch vroom mag blijven, uw dienaar t'aller stond,
de tirannie verdrijven die mij mijn hert doorwondt.
apple appel olive olijf
William of Nassau am I, of Dutch blood;
apricot abrikoos radish radijs
True to the fatherland I remain until death.
Prince of Orange am I, free and fearless.
To the King of Spain I have always given honour.
banana banaan lettuce sla
You, my God and Lord, are my shield, on You I rely.
On You I will build; never leave me,
pear peer tomato tomaat So that I may remain pious, your servant at all moments,
Dispelling the tyranny that wounds my heart.
strawberry aardbei onion ui
The National Anthem of Belgium: De Brabançonne
By Alexandre Dechet, 1830
raspberry framboos meat vlees (n)
O dierbaar België
O heilig land der vaad'ren
cherry kers veal kalfsvlees (n)
Onze ziel en ons hart zijn u gewijd.
Aanvaard ons hart en het bloed van onze adren,
lime limoen lamb lam (n) Wees ons doel in arbeid en in strijd.
Bloei, o land, in eendracht niet te breken;
lemon citroen beef rundvlees (n) Wees immer u zelf en ongeknecht,
Het woord getrouw, dat ge onbevreesd moogt spreken:
orange sinaasappel ham ham Voor Vorst, voor Vrijheid en voor Recht. (x3)
O beloved Belgium,
peach perzik pork varkensvlees (n) sacred land of our fathers,
Our heart and soul are dedicated to you.
grapes druif bacon bacon Our strength and the blood of our veins we offer,
Be our goal, in work and battle.
vegetables groente sausage worst Prosper, O country, in unbreakable unity,
Always be yourself and free.
cauliflower bloemkool poultry pluimvee (n) Trust in the word that, undaunted, you can speak:
For King, for Freedom and for Law. (x3)
bean boon duck eend
Dutch III Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar
pea erwt goose gans
41. Word Order
cucumber komkommer chicken kip
Dutch word order requires Time - Manner - Place. English generally uses place before time, but Dutch
cannot.
27 28
Hij gaat morgen met de trein naar Londen. He's going to London tomorrow by train. (Literally: he's after na(dat) without zonder dat
going tomorrow by train to London.) since sinds as far as zover
The verb must always be in the second position in a Dutch sentence. This not does not mean that it must
always be the second word, however. (Inversion of subject and verb to form questions is an exception.)
In de winter gaat hij met de trein naar Londen. In the winter he's going to London by train. (Literally:
In the winter goes he by train to London.) 44. Holiday Phrases
Separable prefixes, past participles and infinitive always go to the end of the clause or sentence. The Gelukkig nieuwjaar
double infinitive construction always goes to the end of the clause or sentence as well. Happy New Year
Zalig pasen / Vrolijk Pasen
Happy Easter
Zalig kerstfeest
Merry Christmas
Happy Birthday Hartelijk gefeliciteerd (met je verjaardag)
42. Commands
The stem with the appropriate spelling changes is most commonly used as the command form. When being Zalig is the word traditionally used by Catholics (the Pope uses it) when saying something in Dutch at
polite, the u form is used (with u following the verb.) If a verb has a separable prefix, it is sent to the end of Christmas. Protestants say Prettige kerstdagen (nice), Gelukkig kerstfeest (happy), or Vrolijk kerstfeest
the clause. The "let's" form plus a verb is rendered in Dutch by laten we + infinitive. When the command is (cheerful); a lot of variation is possible.
general and no one in particular is being addressed, the infinitive is used, especially on signs.
Kijk! Look!
Laat mij het doen! Let me do it! 45. Blijven and Laten
Blijft u zitten. Please remain seated.
Kijk uit! Look out! Blijven (to remain) can be used with an infinitive to express a continuous or repeated action. Blijven acts
Laten we gaan. Let's go. like a modal verb in the sentence; blijven is conjugated and the other verb remains in the infinitive and
Niet roken. No smoking. goes to the end of the sentence.
Trekken / Duwen. Pull / Push. De kat blijft naar de muis kijken. The cat keeps looking at the mouse.
Note that zijn has an irregular imperative form: wees (and the polite form: weest u) Blijft u maar zitten! Please remain seated!
Laten (to let, leave) can also behave like a modal verb when used with another verb. It corresponds to "to
let" or "to have something done (by someone else)." In the perfect tense, laten also behaves like a modal
43. Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunctions because the infinitive is used instead of the past participle when it occurs with another verb.
Coordinating conjunctions join two sentences together. Word order is not affected by coordinating Laten we naar huis gaan. Let's go home.
conjunctions. Examples are en (and), dus (so, thus), maar (but), of (or) and want (for, because). Zij laat haar kamer verven. She's having her room painted.
Subordinating conjunctions are used to connect an independent and dependent clause together, and they do Hij heeft zijn auto laten wassen. He's had his car washed.
affect word order. An independent (or main) clause contains a subject and verb and can stand alone as its
own sentence. A dependent (or subordinate) clause also contains a subject and verb, but is introduced with
a subordinating conjunction and cannot stand alone as its own sentence. 46. Places
Mijn zoon was ziek, toen hij klein was. My son was sick when he was little. airport luchthaven lane (town) steeg
Ik weet dat jij mij leuk vindt. I know that you like me.
When a subordinating conjunction introduces a clause, the next clause must begin with a verb. bakery bakkerij library bibliotheek
Hoewel hij jong is, is hij erg rijk. Although he is young, he is very rich.
Zodra ik klaar ben, kom ik even langs. As soon as I'm ready, I'll come over. bank bank market markt
Subordinating Conjunctions
barn schuur monument gedenkteken (n)
if/when als unless tenzij
as if alsof while terwijl barracks kazerne museum museum
except that behalve dat when (in past) toen
that dat until tot(dat) bridge brug palace paleis
although hoewel when wanneer
to the extent that inzover(re) dat before voor(dat) bookstore boekwinkel path pad (n)
now nu(dat) just zoals
whether of so that zodat building gebouw (n) pavement trottoir (n)
because omdat as long as zolang
29 30
castle slot (n) pharmacy apotheek motorcycle motorfiets
47. Transportation
bus (auto)bus
49. Irregular Stems in Simple Past Tense
train trein For some verbs, the internal vowel of the stem changes in the past tense. The stem with the changed vowel
then acts as the past tense for all persons of the singular, while the plural adds -en to the changed stem. In
airplane vliegtuig addition, there are some irregular verbs that change more than the vowel, but still add nothing for the
singular and -en for the plural.
ship schip
ik, jij, u, hij, zij wij, jullie, zij
boat boot
31 32
zijn ‐ to be was waren box kist hearth haard stairs trap
bedroom slaapkamer flower bloem shovel schop belt riem pants (trousers) broek
(door)bell (deur)bel furniture meubelen (pl.) shower douche boot laars pin speld
blanket deken garden tuin smoke rook braces bretels (pl.) pipe pijp
blinds rolgordijn (n) ground floor benedenverdieping sofa (zit)bank brush borstel pocket zak
33 34
button knoop shirt overhemd (n) Like the modals, either zult or zal can be used with jij and u. Both are considered correct.
35 36
een oud huis - an old house large groot crazy gek popular populair
vers brood - fresh bread
de houten trap - the wooden staircase good goed far ver(af) excellent excellent
zijn rechter oog - his right eye
When an adjective is placed directly after iets (something), niet (nothing), veel (much), weinig (little), and bad slecht beautiful mooi valuable kostbaar
wat (something), it adds the ending -s.
iets moois - something beautiful new nieuw curious nieuwsgierig alone alleen
niets nieuws - nothing new
If the noun following the adjective has been mentioned before, it may be omitted. In English, "one" is used tired vermoeid, moe old oud important belangrijk
in its place, but there is no equivalent word in Dutch. Dutch simply uses the article and adjective, with the
-e inflection, if it is required. angry kwaad, boos young jong busy bezig, bezet
Koop je een jurk? Ja, ik neem de blauwe. Are you buying a dress? Yes, I'll take the blue (one.)
annoying vervelend, irritant interesting interessant sick ziek, misselijk
wonderful wonderlijk fantastic fantastisch ready klaar
56. Adjectives
golf golf
bush struik hill heuvel snow sneeuw
soccer voetbal
cave grot ice ijs (n) spring (water) bron
volleyball volleybal
city stad island eiland (n) star ster
football rugby, American football
cloud wolk lake meer (n) storm storm
basketball basketbal
coast kust leaf blad stream beek
baseball honkbal
country land (n) light licht (n) street straat
hockey hockey
country(side) platteland (n) lightning bliksem sun zon
tennis tennis
current stroom low tide eb thaw (ont)dooi
bowling bowlen, bowling
darkness duisternis meadow weide thunder donder
sailing zeilen
desert woestijn moon maan tree boom
horseback riding paardrijden
dew dauw mountain berg valley vallei
boxing boksen
dust stof (n) mud modder view uitzicht (n)
roller‐skating rolschaatsen
earth aarde nature natuur water water (n)
ice‐skating schaatsen
farm boerderij peninsula schiereiland (n) fresh water zoet water (n)
skiing skien
field veld (n) plain vlakte salt water zout water (n)
bicycle racing wielrennen
flower bloem plant plant waterfall waterval
riding a bicycle fietsen
foam schuim (n) pond vijver wave golf
swimming zwemmen
fog mist rain regen weather weer (n)
39 40
forest bos (n) rainbow regenboog wind wind arm arm flesh vlees (n) neck hals / nek
frost vorst river rivier world wereld back rug foot voet nerve zenuw
62. Relative Pronouns
41 42
Relative clauses begin with relative pronouns - words that correspond to who, whom, that and which in bat vleermuis lamb lam (n)
English. These may be omitted in English, but must be included in Dutch. The relative pronoun is put into
the correct gender depending on the noun it refers to. The conjugated verb goes to the end of the sentence beak bek lion leeuw
as well as with subordinate clauses. Die and dat are the relative pronouns in Dutch; die refers to people,
singular common nouns and all plural nouns, whereas dat refers to singular neuter nouns. bear beer lobster kreeft
Kent u de man die daar op de hoek staat? Do you know the man who is standing there on the corner?
Dat is het boek dat ik las. That is the book (that) I read. bee bij louse luis
Hier is de jurk die ik gisteren gekocht heb. Here is the dress (which) I bought yesterday.
beetle tor mackerel makreel
Die is replaced by wie when the clause refers to people and is preceded by a preposition. In addition,
whoever is translated as wie.
bird vogel mole mol
De jongen met wie ik praatte heet Piet. The boy with whom I spoke is called Peter.
No relative pronoun is used when the clause refers to things and is preceded by a preposition. In this case, blackbird merel monkey aap
waar- and the preposition are used instead. In some cases, waar- and a preposition can also replace the
relative pronoun when referring to people. bull stier mosquito muskiet
Dat zijn mensen waarop je rekenen kunt. They are people upon whom you can count. (They are people
you can count on.) butterfly vlinder moth mot
Wat replaces dat when the pronoun refers to the words alles (everything), iets (something), niets
calf kalf (n) mouse muis
(nothing); to the superlative form of an adjective used as a noun; to the whole preceding clause. It is also
used when there is no antecedent (no preceding noun/pronoun to refer to.)
carp karper octopus octopus
Dat is alles wat ik heb. That is everything that I have.
Zij komt altijd te laat, wat mij ergert. She always comes late, which annoys me. cat kat / poes ostrich struisvogel
caterpillar rups owl uil
63. Uses of Er
1. Personal pronouns are used after prepositions when referring to people. However, when you need to chicken kip ox os
refer to a thing, a compound using er- plus the preposition (either written as one word, or separated by
adverbial expression) is used. Daar (that) and hier (this) can also replace er when it is not written as one chimpanzee chimpansee oyster oester
word.
claw klauw parrot papegaai
De kinderen spelen er vaak mee. The children often play with it.
De kinderen spelen daar/hier vaak mee. The children often play with that/this.
cockroach kakkerlak partridge patrijs
2. Er is used when talking about a quantity or an amount. It is translated as "of it" or "of them," though
these expressions are not always used in English. cod kabeljauw paw poot
Ik heb er genoeg gehad. I've had enough (of it.)
Hoeveel poesjes heb je? Ik heb er twee. How many kittens do you have? I have two (of them.) cow koe pig varken
3. In an unstressed position, er means there (an adverb of place). It is replaced by daar in stressed
crab krab pigeon duif
positions (such as the beginning of a sentence.)
4. Er can introduce sentences with an indefinite subject. In this case, er functions as there as a subject, as crayfish rivierkreeft rabbit konijn (n)
in "there is/are."
crow kraai rat rat
43 44
eagle arend seal zeehond verbs, blijven, laten, zullen, zien (to see), horen (to hear), voelen (to feel), komen, gaan, vinden (to
find), leren (to teach), and helpen.
eel aal shark haai Ik kan komen. I can come.
Het zal morgen regenen. It will rain tomorrow.
elephant olifant sheep schaap (n) Zij gaat iedere dag zwemmen. She goes swimming everyday.
The preposition used in Dutch is te, although the om... te construction can also be used. Verbs that use only
feather veer shrimp garnaal
te before an infinitive include: zitten, staan, liggen, lopen (to walk), beginnen, proberen (to try), durven
(to dare), hoeven (to need), weten. After these prepositions, te is used before an infinitive: zonder
fin vin snail slak
(without), in plaats van (instead of), and door (by.) When using om...te, all adjectives, adverbs, objects,
and expressions of time, manner and place are placed between om and te. Om... te is always used when the
fish vis snake slang infinitive occurs at the beginning of the sentence, and when the infinitive refers to a preceding noun.
flea vlo sparrow mus Hij stond op de bus te wachten. He stood waiting for the bus.
Het begint te regenen. It's beginning to rain.
fly vlieg spider spin
Ik zei het zonder te denken. I said it without thinking.
Het is erg moeilijk om te doen. It is very difficult to do.
Hoeveel kost het om hier te parkeren? How much is it to park here?
fox vos squirrel eekhoorn
Het is een interessant programma om naar te kijken. It is an interesting program to watch.
frog kikker stork ooievaar English infinitives that follow an object are translated into clauses using conjunctions in Dutch.
Zij verwacht dat ik kom. She is expecting me to come. (Literally: She expects that I come.)
fur vacht / pels swallow zwaluw
gill kieuw tail staart
66. Past Perfect Tense
giraffe giraffe tiger tijger
The past perfect tense corresponds to the perfect tense, but the action occurred in the past before another
goat geit toad pad action occurred in the past. In English, it translates to "had" instead of "have" before the past participle.
To form this tense, simply use the simple past of hebben or zijn (whichever auxiliary the verb used in the
goose gans trout forel present perfect tense) and the past participle.
Zij had de boeken niet gevonden. She had not found the books.
gorilla gorilla turkey kalkoen Jullie hadden in Paris gestudeerd. You had studied in Paris.
67. Conditional
hare haas weasel wezel
The conditional mood expresses doubt or uncertainty. In English, "would + infinitive" is used for the
hen kip / hen whale walvis present conditional and "would have + past participle" is used for the past conditional. In Dutch,
zou/zouden + infinitive is used for the present conditional, and zou/zouden + past participle + infinitive of
heron reiger wing vleugel hebben or zijn is used for the past conditional. (Zou and zouden are the singular and plural past tense forms
of zullen.)
herring haring wolf wolf Ik zou graag thuis blijven. I would like to stay home.
Als ik jou was, zou ik dat huis niet kopen. If I were you, I would not buy that house.
hoof hoef worm worm Ik zou graag thuis gebleven zijn. I would have liked to stay home.
horn hoorn zebra zebra
68. Diminutives
Diminutives are forms of a word that show smallness or endearment and are much more common in Dutch
65. Infinitive Constructions (especially spoken Dutch) than in English. All diminutives in Dutch are formed by adding -je to the noun,
and all are neuter nouns and form the plural by adding -s.
Some verbs require a preposition before an infinitive in Dutch, while others do not. This is true in English
as well; e.g. I want to leave vs. I can read. Verbs that do not require te before an infinitive include: modal
45 46
kindje little child Ik was gevonden. I was found.
neusje little nose Ik was gevonden. I had been found.
schaapje little sheep Ik word gevonden. I am found (right now).
Nouns endings in a vowel, y, w or j; nouns that contain a long vowel or diphthong followed by r, l, or n; Suppose that Peter finds you.
and nouns ending in unstressed -er, -el, and -en add -tje to form the diminutive. Ik ben door Peter gevonden. I am found by Peter.
eitje little egg Ik was door Peter gevonden. I was found by Peter.
beentje little leg Ik word door Peter gevonden. I am found by Peter (right now).
dekentje little blanket Ik word door Peter gevonden. I will be found by Peter.
Nouns containing a short vowel followed by r, l, n, m, or ng add -etje. "Ik word door Peter gevonden." in the present perfect has about the same meaning as "Peter vindt
mij." in the simple present.
balletje little ball
stemmetje little voice
Nouns ending in unstressed -ing drop the final -g and add -kje.
verrassinkje little surprise
Nouns ending in -m add -pje (unless m is preceded by short stressed vowel.)
bezempje little broom
lopen to walk
Kun jij lopend lezen? Can you read while walking?
fluisteren to whisper
Hij zei fluisterend dat hij eerder weg wilde. He said whispering that he wanted to leave earlier.
Most of the time an English present participle is not translated by a Dutch present participle. Usually, the
Dutch simple present tense is used instead.
Ze leest een boek. She is reading a book.
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