Introduction: Building Sentences

Now that you know some essential nouns, pronouns, and verbs (zijn, hebben, and regular verbs), it's time to start putting them together into basic sentences. Luckily, the fundamental structure for simple statements in Dutch is quite similar to English.

The Core Structure: Subject-Verb-Object (SVO)

For most simple declarative sentences (statements that state a fact or opinion), Dutch follows the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) pattern, just like English.

Structure:

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

• Subject: This is the person or thing performing the action (e.g., ik, de kat, het boek).
• Verb (Conjugated): This is the action word, which must be correctly conjugated to match the subject (e.g., loop, eet, is, heeft).
• (Rest of the Sentence): This part contains everything else, such as:
• Direct Object (the thing receiving the action): koffie, een boek
• Indirect Object (to/for whom the action is done): aan mij (to me)
• Adjectives (describing words): groot, mooi
• Adverbs (how, when, where): snel (fast), vandaag (today), hier (here)
• Prepositional Phrases (giving more detail): in Amsterdam, met de fiets (by bike)

Examples of Basic SVO Structure

Let's look at how this works:

• Ik lees een boek.
• Subject: Ik (I)
• Verb: lees (read)
• Rest: een boek (a book - object)

• De man werkt in de tuin.
• Subject: De man (The man)
• Verb: werkt (works)
• Rest: in de tuin (in the garden - place)

• Wij spreken Nederlands.
• Subject: Wij (We)
• Verb: spreken (speak)
• Rest: Nederlands (Dutch - object)

• Zij heeft een kat.
• Subject: Zij (She)
• Verb: heeft (has)
• Rest: een kat (a cat - object)

• Het huis is groot.
• Subject: Het huis (The house)
• Verb: is (is)
• Rest: groot (big - adjective)

The Golden Rule: Verb in Second Position (V2)

This is perhaps the most important rule of Dutch main clause word order:

In a main clause (a simple statement), the conjugated verb ALWAYS occupies the second position.

While the SVO structure is common, you can start a sentence with something other than the subject (like a time expression or a place expression) for emphasis. If you do this, the verb still comes second, and the subject moves to the third position. This is called inversion.

Structure with Inversion:

First Element (Not Subject) --- Verb (Conjugated) --- Subject --- (Rest of Sentence)

Examples:

• Standard SVO: Ik ga vandaag naar de markt. (I go today to the market.)
• Starting with Time (Inversion): Vandaag ga ik naar de markt.
• First Element: Vandaag (Today)
• Verb (2nd): ga (go)
• Subject (3rd): ik (I)
• Rest: naar de markt (to the market)

• Standard SVO: Wij wonen nu in Rotterdam. (We live now in Rotterdam.)
• Starting with Place (Inversion): In Rotterdam wonen wij nu.
• First Element: In Rotterdam (In Rotterdam)
• Verb (2nd): wonen (live)
• Subject (3rd): wij (we)
• Rest: nu (now)

• Standard SVO: Hij drinkt 's ochtends koffie. (He drinks in the morning coffee.)
• Starting with Time (Inversion): 's Ochtends drinkt hij koffie.
• First Element: 's Ochtends (In the morning)
• Verb (2nd): drinkt (drinks)
• Subject (3rd): hij (he)
• Rest: koffie (coffee)

For basic statements, remember the SVO structure (Ik lees een boek). For more complex sentences or for emphasis, remember the unbreakable V2 rule: the conjugated verb is the second element in the main clause, forcing the subject after the verb if you start with something else (Vandaag lees ik een boek). Mastering this V2 concept is crucial for correct Dutch syntax.