Introduction: Getting Information

Being able to ask questions is fundamental to communication. In Dutch, like in English, there are two main types of questions: Yes/No questions (which can be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no') and Information questions (which require more detailed answers and usually start with a question word like Who, What, Where, When, Why, How).

1. Yes/No Questions: Verb First!

The structure for Yes/No questions is simple: you invert the standard subject-verb order.

Structure:

Verb (Conjugated) --- Subject --- (Rest of Sentence)?

Essentially, the conjugated verb moves to the first position.

Examples:

• Statement: Jij spreekt Nederlands. (You speak Dutch.)
• Question: Spreek jij Nederlands? (Do you speak Dutch?)

(Remember: the -t is dropped from the verb when jij/je follows it in a question - see Chapter 8)

• Statement: Hij woont in Den Haag. (He lives in The Hague.)
• Question: Woont hij in Den Haag? (Does he live in The Hague?)

• Statement: U bent de docent. (You are the teacher - formal)
• Question: Bent u de docent? (Are you the teacher? - formal)

• Statement: Zij hebben een auto. (They have a car.)
• Question: Hebben zij een auto? (Do they have a car?)

• Statement: Het is koud vandaag. (It is cold today.)
• Question: Is het koud vandaag? (Is it cold today?)

(We will look at Yes/No questions in more detail in the next chapter.)

2. Information Questions (W-Questions): Question Word First

To ask for specific information, you use question words (often called "W-questions" because many start with 'W' in English and Dutch).

Common Question Words (A1 Level):

• Wie = Who
• Wat = What
• Waar = Where
• Wanneer = When
• Hoe = How
• Waarom = Why (Maybe less common at early A1, but good to know)
• Welke = Which (Used before a noun, e.g., Welke taal? - Which language?)

Structure:

Question Word --- Verb (Conjugated) --- Subject --- (Rest of Sentence)?

Notice that after the question word, the structure follows the Verb Second (V2) rule, just like statements that start with something other than the subject. The conjugated verb comes immediately after the question word, followed by the subject.

Examples:

• Wie ben jij? (Who are you? - informal)
• Q-Word: Wie
• Verb (2nd): ben
• Subject (3rd): jij

• Wat eet hij? (What does he eat? / What is he eating?)
• Q-Word: Wat
• Verb (2nd): eet
• Subject (3rd): hij

• Waar wonen jullie? (Where do you live? - plural informal)
• Q-Word: Waar
• Verb (2nd): wonen
• Subject (3rd): jullie

• Wanneer begint de les? (When does the lesson begin?)
• Q-Word: Wanneer
• Verb (2nd): begint
• Subject (3rd): de les

• Hoe gaat het? (How is it going? / How are you?)
• Q-Word: Hoe
• Verb (2nd): gaat
• Subject (3rd): het

• Welke taal spreekt u? (Which language do you speak? - formal)
• Q-Phrase: Welke taal
• Verb (2nd): spreekt
• Subject (3rd): u

To ask questions in Dutch:

• For Yes/No answers, start with the conjugated verb. (Kom je? - Are you coming?)
• For specific information, start with a question word, followed immediately by the conjugated verb, then the subject. (Waar woon je? - Where do you live?)

Remembering the "Verb First" rule for Yes/No questions and the "Question Word + Verb Second" rule for information questions is key.