# Dutch language

| Dutch |
| --- |
| *Nederlands* |
| Pronunciation | [ˈneːdərlɑnts]  ( listen) |
| Native to | Netherlands and Flanders |
| Region | Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname; also in Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, French Flanders |
| Ethnicity | * Dutch people
* Flemish people
 |
| Native speakers | 22 million (2016) Total (L1 plus L2 speakers): 28 million (2018) |
| Language family | Indo-European
* Germanic
	+ West Germanic
		- Low Franconian
			* **Dutch**
 |
| Early forms | (Old) Frankish
* Old Dutch
	+ Middle Dutch
 |
| Writing system | * Latin (Dutch alphabet)
* Dutch Braille
 |
| Signed forms | Signed Dutch (*NmG*) |
| Official status |
| Official language in | * Aruba
* Belgium
* Curaçao
* Netherlands
* Sint Maarten
* Suriname

---

* **Benelux **European Union **South American Union **Caricom**
 |
| Regulated by | Nederlandse Taalunie (Dutch Language Union) |
| Language codes |
| ISO 639-1 | `nl` |
| ISO 639-2 | `dut (B)` `nld (T)` |
| ISO 639-3 | `nld` Dutch/Flemish |
| *Glottolog* | `mode1257` |
| Linguasphere | `52-ACB-a` |
| Dutch-speaking world (included are areas of daughter-language Afrikaans) |
| Distribution of the Dutch language and its dialects in Western Europe |
|

**Dutch** (Dutch: *Nederlands*) is a West Germanic language. It comes from the Netherlands and is the country's official language. It is also spoken in the northern half of Belgium (the region called Flanders), and in the South American country of Suriname. A language known as *Afrikaans* was developed from Dutch by the people in southern Africa and is now spoken mainly in South Africa but also in nearby Namibia. About 22 million people around the world speak Dutch.

## History

Dutch is a West Germanic language The West Germanic branch is divided into English, Frisian, German and Dutch. Dutch has a similar vocabulary and grammar to English but is closer to German.

The North Germanic languages of Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Icelandic are also part of the Germanic language branch. Dutch is also in some cases like those languages.

The Dutch of before 1170 is called *Old Dutch* (Oudnederlands). The Dutch between 1170 and 1500 is called *Middle Dutch* (Middelnederlands), which is also called *Diets* and so that is why it is called Dutch in English. The word "Dutch" itself came from the Proto-Germanic word *\*þiudiskaz*, which means "of the common people" and then was also used to refer to the Germans and their language. Over time, the Modern English usage now refers to that the Netherlands, not the Germans. The Dutch word for German, *Duits*, comes from the same origin.

The oldest Dutch book known is *Wachtendonckse Psalmen*, which was written in 900. The first Dutch writer known by name is Hendrik van Veldeke, who was born around 1150.

## Letters

Dutch uses the letters of the same Roman alphabet as English.

### Vowels

| Short | Long |
| --- | --- |
| a – like the *a* in art. | aa – somewhat like the "a" in *far* |
| e – like in *pet* | ee – like the "a" in *space* |
| o – like in *organic* | oo – like in *no* |
| u – somewhat like the "e" in *the* | uu – like the "ü" in the German word *für* |
| i – like in *lip* | i.e. – like in *piece* |

Note: The e can also be a schwa (like in *the*)

Note: The short vowels (a, e, i, o, u) are pronounced long in open syllables (explaned further down below).

* oe – like the "ou" in *you*
* eu – like the French "eu" in *fleur*
* ui – typical Dutch sound, but almost identical to the French word oeuil (= eye)
* ou/au – like in *sound*
* ij/ei – typical Dutch sound, the same as "ej" in Esperanto (not in Polish) In Amsterdam, the sound instead is "i" in ice.
* aai – like the "i" in ice
* eeuw – typical Dutch sound
* ieuw – somewhat like "iew" in *view*

### Open and closed syllables

Vowels are said differently on the if the syllable is *open* or *closed*. If a syllable is open, short written vowels are said as long ones. However, short written vowels are said short if the syllable is closed.:

The word *praten* has two syllables: *pra|ten*. Because *pra* is open, the a is pronounced like aa.
The word *plat* had only one syllables and so the a is short (just a).
There is, however, an exception to this rule. This is the "e". This is because "e" can also be a "mute e" (Schwa) (IPA character ə). In most words, where an open syllable ends with e it is a short e. Therefore, open syllables with a long e (ee) are written as ee. Example:

The word "me" contains an e and is **not** pronounced as "mee". (Mee has a totally different meaning).
There are, however, exceptions to this rule as well. This can be seen in the word *meenemen*. This word can be divided into three syllables: mee|ne|men. The e's in the first two syllables are **long** ones, but the last one is a mute e.

The mute e also occurs in the ending of verbs (usually -en).

### Consonants

* b
* c
* d
* f
* g/ch – not pronounced as the English G; the Dutch G is pronounced in the back of the throat with a "scratching" sound. In the south of the Netherlands, the G is spoken differently (so called *soft G*) than in the north (*hard G*).
* h
* j – like "y" in *you*
* k
* l
* m
* n
* p
* q – only used rarely; spoken as k
* r – not like English; the Dutch R is a more rolling R
* s
* t
* v
* w
* x – only used rarely, mostly in foreign words, pronounced as ks
* z

Note: In words that end with "-d", the "-d" is pronounced like "-t".

## Grammar

Spoken Dutch
Eva speaking Dutch
The grammar of Dutch is slightly more complex than that of English. Word order in sentences is different in complex sentences. The basic simple sentence-structure is subject-verb.

### Verbs

Dutch has few grammatical *tenses*. These are most used:

* *onvoltooide tegenwoordige tijd* (present simple)
* *onvoltooide verleden tijd* (past simple)
* *voltooide tegenwoordige tijd* (present perfect)
* *voltooide verleden tijd* (past perfect)

### Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd

The most simple verb-time is the onvoltooide tegenwoordige tijd (ott; present simple). The ott is used when something happens *now*, or *regularly* (like *Hij eet regelmatig* (He eats regularly)). Most verbs are conjugated (changed) in a regular form (these verbs are called *regelmatige werkwoorden* (regular verbs)). The word stem of the verb is still there in all of the conjugations (verb changes). The correct way of doing so is

| Person | Verb conjugation | Example with "lopen" (to walk) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ik (I) | Stem | Ik loop |
| Jij (you) | Stem+**t** | Jij loopt |
| Hij/Zij (he/she) | Stem+**t** | Hij loopt |
| Wij (we) | stem+**en**\* (infinitive) | Wij lopen |
| Zij (they) | stem+**en**\* | Zij lopen |
| Jullie (you, plural) | stem+**en**\* | Jullie lopen |
| U (you, polite) | stem+**t'** | U loopt |

Note: The stem of a verb is the infinitive of the verb without the *-en*. In some verbs, the first syllable is open and so any vowel is **long**. The stem changes to a written **long** vowel so the stem of *lopen* becomes *loop*. If the *-en* is then added to the stem (like with *wij*), the written form becomes short again, but it is still said as a long vowel).

### Onvoltooid verleden tijd

The past form of the ott is the *onvoltooid verleden tijd* (ovt; past simple). How verbs are conjugated (changed) in the ovt is not easy to understand. Mistakes are common because some verbs are add a D, but others add a T. The "'t kofschip" rule is that the verb without *-en* (the stem in most verbs) ends with a consonant, which is also in "'t kofschip", the verb is changed with a T:

The verb *praten* (to talk) is changed with a T because *prat* ends with a T.
The verb can now be changed as the following:

| Person | Verb conjugation (with T) | Result with *praten* |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ik | stem+**te** | Ik praatte |
| Jij | stem+**te** | Jij praatte |
| Hij/Zij | stem+**te** | Hij praatte |
| Wij | stem+**ten** | Wij praatten |
| Zij (they) | stem+**ten** | Zij praatten |
| Jullie | stem+**ten** | Jullie praatten |
| U | stem+**te** | U praatte |

There are some words for which "'t kofschip" is not so easy. In *vrezen* (to fear), the stem of the verb is *vrez*, but the singular form is *vrees* and it looks as if it is changed with a T. However, it changes to a D because *vrezen* without *-en* is *vrez*. The Z is not in "'t kofschip" and so the verb is changed to a D.

The verb can now be changed as follows:

| Person | Verb conjugation (with D) | Result with *Vrezen* |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ik | stem+**de** | Ik vreesde |
| Jij | stem+**de** | Jij vreesde |
| Hij/Zij | stem+**de** | Hij vreesde |
| Wij | stem+**den** | Wij vreesden |
| Zij (they) | stem+**den** | Zij vreesden |
| Jullie | stem+**den** | Jullie vreesden |
| U | stem+**de** | U vreesde |

### Continuating verbs

Although Dutch has *present continuous* (the -ing form of verbs in English), it is not used often:

The senctence "I am eating", is in Dutch "Ik eet", which is literally "I eat".
The present continuous in Dutch is "Ik ben etende", but it is almost never used.
Actually, there are three types of continuous verbs in Dutch.

1. The first type is a form of the verb *zijn* (to be) with the actual continuous verb. That is done by adding *de* on the infinitive. It is rare but correct to use it in Dutch, and it is used only in very formal texts.
2. The second type is a type in and which the verb actually functions as an adverb. Depending on the subject, the verb is changed by adding either a "d" or "de" to the infinitive. The verb then has the function of *while....*. An example: *Hij liep **drinkend** de supermarkt uit*. English uses *He walked out of the supermarket while **drinking .
3. The third type is a type that is often used. Its use can be compared with the English type of continuous. Something is being done at the moment but is not completed. The form of *zijn* + *aan het* comes before the infinitive: *Ik ben aan het lopen*, which means *I am walking (at the moment)*.

## Examples

Spoken Dutch

  *hallo*  (hello)

  *Ik heet ...*  (my name is...)

  *Ik hou van je*  (I love you)

  *ja*  (yes)

  *nee*  (no)

### Numbers

  *een*  (one)

  *twee*  (two)

  *drie*  (three)

  *vier*  (four)

  *vijf*  (five)

  *zes*  (six)

  *zeven*  (seven)

  *acht*  (eight)

  *negen*  (nine)

  *tien*  (ten)

  *elf*  (eleven)

  *twaalf*  (twelve)

In number with three digits (e.g. 100), the Dutch change the u into o and replace 1 of the r's. Example:

The number 100 becomes: *honderd*, which literally means *hundred*.
### Basic Dutch expressions

| Dutch | English |
| --- | --- |
| Hallo | Hello |
| Hoi | Hi |
| Dag | Bye (formal) |
| Doei! | Bye! (informal) |
| Tot later! | See you later! |
| Goedemorgen/Goedemiddag | Good morning/Good afternoon |
| Goedenavond/Goedenacht | Good evening/Good night |
| Hoe gaat het met je? | How are you? (informal) |
| Hoe gaat het met u? | How are you? (formal) |
| Met mij gaat het goed! | I am fine! |
| Dank je/Dank u | Thank you (informal/formal) |
| Graag gedaan | You are welcome |
| Spreekt u Engels? | Do you speak English? |
| Spreekt u Nederlands? | Do you speak Dutch? |
| Ik begrijp het niet | I do not understand |
| Ik weet het niet | I do not know |
| Tot ziens | Goodbye |
| Tot straks | See you later |
| Mijn naam is... | My name is... |
| Ik ben... | I am... |
| Alsjeblieft | Please (informal) |
| Alstublieft | Please (formal) |
| Wat is je naam? | What is your name? (informal) |
| Wat is uw naam? | What is your name? (formal) |
| Waar kom je vandaan? | Where are you from? (informal) |
| Waar komt u vandaan? | Where are you from? (formal) |
| Ik kom uit Nederland/België | I'm from the Netherlands/Belgium |
| Wat is er? | What's wrong? |
| Sorry, waar is het station? | Excuse me, where is the train station? |
| Hoeveel kost deze trui? | How much is this sweater? |
| Mevrouw | Miss/Mrs. |
| Meneer | Mr. |
| Waar | Where |
| Misschien | Maybe |
| Goede reis | Have a good trip |
| Prettige dag | Have a nice day |