Grammar Videos
Articles 1: 'de' or 'het'?
Many languages don’t use articles, but Dutch does. There are three: een, de, and het. Many people think there are no rules for using de and het, but that’s not true — there are rules.
In this video, you’ll learn the most important rules for de and het.
Articles 2: ‘een’ or ‘de/het’?
Many languages don’t use articles, but Dutch does. There are three articles: een, de, and het. In this video, you’ll learn when to use een (the indefinite article), when no article is needed, and when to use de or het.
Adjectives
Adjectives are words used to describe things. For example: lekkere koffie (tasty coffee) or lekker ijs (tasty ice cream). As you can see, sometimes you add an -e to the adjective, and sometimes you don’t. In this video, you’ll learn the rules for when to add -e to a Dutch adjective.
Verbs 1: Regular and Irregular Verbs
Regular verbs have three forms: the infinitive, the stem, and the stem + t. In this video, you’ll learn the rules for using these forms. You’ll also learn more about the irregular verbs hebben (to have) and zijn (to be), as well as staan (to stand), gaan (to go), slaan (to hit), doen (to do), and zien (to see).
Verbs 2: Perfect or Imperfect Tense?
When you talk about something that has already happened, you use the perfect or imperfect tense. In this video, you’ll learn how to form the perfect and imperfect tense of regular verbs. You’ll also learn when to use the verb ‘zijn’ (to be) in the perfect tense.
Nouns
In this video, we cover the most important rules for the plural forms of nouns.
When Do You Use 'niet' and 'geen'?
To express negation, you sometimes use ‘geen’ and sometimes ‘niet’. For example: Ik heb geen auto (I don’t have a car). Ik werk vandaag niet (I’m not working today). There are clear rules for when to use ‘niet’ and ‘geen’. Watch this video to learn more.
Word Order 1: Basic Rules for Word Order
In this video, you’ll learn the basic rules of word order in a simple sentence. Where does the verb go, and where is the subject placed in the sentence?
Er 1: The Little Word ‘er’
The little word ‘er’ is very important in Dutch. In this video, you’ll learn two common ways to use ‘er’: with an indefinite subject, and to refer to a previously mentioned place.
Er 2: Two More Ways to Use the Word ‘er’
In this second video about ‘er’, you’ll learn two more ways to use this little word: ‘er’ with a quantity or number, and ‘er’ with a preposition.
Er 3: ‘Er’ in Passive Sentences and Expressions
In this video, we discuss two more ways to use ‘er’. The first is ‘er’ in a passive sentence without a subject. In this type of sentence, the verb is always singular. The second is ‘er’ in fixed expressions. There are many of these — we’ll give you a few examples.
Modal Verbs
‘Moeten’, ‘kunnen’, ‘willen , ‘mogen’, and ‘zullen’ are known as modal verbs. They are irregular and add a specific meaning to the sentence. In this video, you will learn how to use these verbs correctly.
Verb Tenses
In Dutch, there are three verb tenses that are commonly used: Present tense (presens), perfect tense (perfectum), and past tense (imperfectum). In this video, you’ll learn when to use each of these tenses.
Question Sentences
In this video, you’ll learn how to form questions in Dutch.
Passive Sentences
Passive sentences are mainly used when it’s not important who is doing something, but rather what is happening or has happened. In this video, you’ll learn how to form passive sentences in Dutch.
Imperative
If you want someone else to do something, you often use the imperative. In this video, you’ll learn how to form and use the imperative in Dutch.
'Om ... te’ + Infinitive
Sometimes you can use ‘to’ + an infinitive at the end of a sentence. There are three situations where this is possible. In this video, you’ll learn exactly how and when to use it.
Verbs with 'te'
In this video, we discuss which verbs are followed by ‘te’, such as ‘hoeven’. There are fifteen verbs that take this little word ‘te’.
Separable Verbs
In this video, we explain what separable verbs are. There are many of these verbs in Dutch, and each one has its own specific meaning.
Reflexive Verbs
In this video, we explain how to use reflexive verbs. These are verbs that come with a reflexive pronoun, such as me, je, or zich. There are about thirty commonly used reflexive verbs. It’s helpful to make a list of them to study and remember.
Relative Clauses
Relative clauses are used to give extra information about something or someone. In this video, you’ll learn how to use these relative clauses in Dutch.