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CHEAT SHEET · DUTCH GRAMMAR · A0–A1

What is Dutch word order? The verb takes second position.

In a Dutch main statement, the conjugated verb comes second. Start with the subject: Ik werk morgen. Or put time first: Morgen werk ik. The subject moves; the verb keeps its place.

Second sentence part, not always second word. In Mijn broer werkt thuis, mijn broer is one part.

What if time comes first?

Flip the switch. Watch the subject move behind the verb.

1 · SubjectMijn broer2 · Verbmoet3 · Timevanavond4 · Placethuis5 · Second verbkoken

Mijn broer moet vanavond thuis koken.

My brother has to cook at home tonight.

“Mijn broer” is two words, but one subject. “Moet” is the conjugated verb in position 2.

The cheat sheet

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01

Subject first

Subject → verb → rest

Ik werk morgen thuis.

I work at home tomorrow.

02

Time first

Time → verb → subject → rest

Morgen werk ik thuis.

Tomorrow I work at home. This swap is called inversion.

03

Two verbs?

Keep the conjugated verb second.

Ik wil morgen in Utrecht werken.

I want to work in Utrecht tomorrow. In this basic pattern, the infinitive goes at the end.

What is a conjugated verb? The verb form that matches the subject: ik werk, hij werkt. In ik wil werken, it is wil.

This rule is for main statements. Questions, commands and clauses after words such as omdat have other patterns. See the examples below.

Build a Dutch sentence

6 sentences · one round

Drag or tap the word groups into order. Use the neutral pattern from the cheat sheet: time before place, with any second verb at the end.

Common Dutch word-order questions

Is the verb always the second word?

No. It is the second sentence part in a main statement. Mijn broer werkt thuis. The subject mijn broer counts as one part.

Why is “Morgen ik werk” wrong?

Time has taken the first position, so the verb must come next: Morgen werk ik. This is inversion.

Does the rule apply to questions and directions?

A yes/no question starts with the verb: Werk je morgen? A command often does too: Ga rechtdoor. For commands with a linking word, follow the patterns in the directions lesson.

Does the verb move after “en”, “maar” or “want”?

No. En (and), maar (but), want (because), of (or) and dus (so) join two sentences without taking a position, so the second sentence starts again with its own subject: Ik blijf thuis, want ik ben ziek, not want ben ik ziek. If time comes first after them, the verb still goes second: Ik werk vandaag, maar morgen werk ik thuis.

When does the verb go to the end?

In a clause introduced by omdat (because), for example: Ik blijf thuis omdat ik morgen werk. The verb belongs near the end of that clause. That is a different pattern from the main-statement rule here.