Yes/No Questions (A1)

These are questions that can be answered with a simple "yes" (ja) or "no" (nee).

How to form them:

Take a normal statement and swap the position of the conjugated verb and the subject. This is called inversion.

• Structure: Verb - Subject - (Rest)?

Examples:

1. Statement: Jij spreekt Nederlands. (You speak Dutch.)

Question: Spreek jij Nederlands? (Do you speak Dutch?) (Note: The verb spreekt loses its -t when inverted with jij.)

1. Statement: Hij is leraar. (He is a teacher.)

Question: Is hij leraar? (Is he a teacher?)

1. Statement: Zij wonen in België. (They live in Belgium.)

Question: Wonen zij in België? (Do they live in Belgium?)

1. Statement: U heeft een vraag. (You (formal) have a question.)

Question: Heeft u een vraag? (Do you (formal) have a question?)

Answering Yes/No Questions:

• Simply Ja. (Yes.) or Nee. (No.).
• You can also repeat the verb: Ja, dat spreek ik. (Yes, I speak that.) Nee, dat is hij niet. (No, he isn't that.) - This structure is a bit more advanced for A1.