De jongen verft al uren aandachtig thuis.Let’s have a look at these three specific types of adverbs, and place them in the sentences we’ve been using: There are different kinds of adverbs, from adverbs describing time, frequency, place, manner, or degree, to those that help you connect your thoughts.ĭo you want to use more than one adverb in a sentence? Then the following Dutch adverb placement is common: So, as you can see, if the adverb modifies an adverb or adjective, it usually comes AFTER the verb and BEFORE the adverb or adjective. Subject + Verb + Adverb + Adjective+ Direct object (“I always talk a lot.”)Īnd if the adverb modifies an adjective, the Dutch sentence structure would be: If the adverb influences another adverb, the sentence would be: In Dutch word order, adverbs that modify a verb usually come AFTER that verb: Thus, they describe verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. 2- Adding AdverbsĪdverbs modify the meaning of verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, or make their meaning more precise. (“The boy paints the yellow door with black paint.”)Īs you can see, the adjectives are placed right before the nouns they describe. De jongen verft de gele deur met zwarte verf.(“I talk to my sweet father about our beautiful home.”) Ik praat met mijn lieve vader over ons mooie huis.Subject + Verb + Adjective+ Direct object+ Adjective + Indirect object So when we add the adjective to the sentence, it looks like this: Most Dutch adjectives go BEFORE the noun they describe. So where should you place them in a sentence? They provide details and make the noun more interesting. 1- Adding AdjectivesĪdjectives describe nouns, giving extra information about them. → Would you like to expand your Dutch vocabulary so you can easily add a complement to your Dutch sentence? Visit our vocabulary lists on the Most Useful Pronouns, 50 Most Common Adjectives, and 50 Most Common Nouns. A complement can be, for example, an adjective or an adverb. Let’s advance and add a complement to the sentence.

Okay, let’s make it a bit more complicated. An indirect object is a person or thing that’s involved in the actions in some way. (“The boy paints the door with paint.”)Ī direct object is a noun or pronoun that’s directly affected by the actions of the subject. Ik praat met mijn vader over ons huis.Subject + Verb + Direct object+ Indirect object However, you can also add an indirect object after the direct object.

In the above examples, the object is direct. The (direct) object in Dutch is called lijdend voorwerp, which translates to “leading entity/object.” In Dutch language word order, it normally comes right after the verb. A Dutch sentence structure is not complete without the subject. Let’s start with the most basic sentence in Dutch, consisting of only a subject and a verb:Ĭontrary to languages like Spanish or Italian, the subject is almost never dropped in Dutch. It’s not used to give orders or to ask questions (however, we will discuss interrogative sentences later on in this guide).

You make a declarative sentence when you make a statement. In this guide, we’ll mostly talk about the most common type of sentence: declaratives.

How DutchPod101 Can Help You Learn More Dutch.

Master this skill with this Dutch word order guide from DutchPod101. But in Dutch grammar, word order is essential in putting this knowledge into practice. You’re also starting to understand Dutch verbs and tenses more and more. You’ve made some great progress learning Dutch vocabulary.

However, at the moment of truth, you just can’t find a way to fit them all together. Do you ever struggle with the formulation of Dutch sentences? You have all the tools you need to form a sentence: You know what you want to say, and you know the words to use.

Mijn kind praat niet