Dutch grammar


This article outlines the grammar of the Dutch language, which shares strong similarities with German grammar and also, to a lesser degree, with English grammar.

Preliminary considerations

Vowel length is indicated in Dutch spelling using a combination of double vowels and double consonants. Changes from single to double letters are common when discussing Dutch grammar, but they are entirely predictable once one knows how the spelling rules work. That means that the spelling alternations do not form part of the grammar, and they are not discussed here. For more information, see Dutch orthography.

Word order

Dutch word order is underlyingly SOV. There is an additional rule called V2 in main clauses, which moves the finite verb into the second position in the sentence. That makes sentences with only one verb appear with SVO or VSO order.
However, any other verbs or verbal particles are placed at the end of the clause in accordance with the underlying SOV order, giving an intermediate order of SVOV...
In subordinate clauses, the order is exclusively SOV. In subordinate clauses two word orders are possible for the verb clusters and are referred to as the "red": omdat ik heb gewerkt, "because I have worked": as in English, where the auxiliary verb precedes the past participle, and the "green": omdat ik gewerkt heb, where the past participle precedes the auxiliary verb, "because I worked have": as in German. In Dutch, the green word order is most used in speech, and the red is the most used in writing, particularly in journalistic texts, but the "green" is also used in writing. Unlike in English, however, adjectives and adverbs must precede the verb: dat het boek groen is, "that the book is green". For an explanation of verb clusters of three or more see: V2 word order
In yes–no questions, the verb of the main clause is usually but not always placed, first instead of second. The verb coming second often implies disbelief like in English: "The prisoner escaped?" vs. "Did the prisoner escape?"
In imperative sentences, the verb of the main clause is always placed first, although it may be preceded by a noun phrase indicating who is being addressed.
In the following example, the SOV order in the subordinate clause causes the various noun phrases to be separated from the verbs that introduce them, creating a relatively deep "nesting" structure:
Adjectives always come before the noun to which they belong.
In contrast to English, adpositional phrases come in the order time–manner–place, again as in German, so that time modifiers usually come before place modifiers:

Nouns

In Dutch, nouns are marked for number in singular and plural. Cases have largely fallen out of use, as have the endings that were used for them. Standard Dutch has three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. However, in large parts of the Netherlands there is no grammatical distinction between what were originally masculine and feminine genders, and there is only a distinction between the resultant common and neuter. Gender is not overtly marked on nouns either, and must be learned for each noun.

Plural

The plural is formed by addition of -en or -s, with the usual spelling changes in the case of the former. Which of the two is used is somewhat unpredictable, although some general rules can be given:
  • Single-syllable words, which are common in Dutch, normally use -en:
  • * deur "door" → deuren
  • * boot "boat" → boten
  • * huis "house" → huizen
  • * dief "thief" → dieven
  • Words ending in a schwa often use -s, but a sizable number use -n, particularly if they are older. Some nouns may allow either ending. Nouns that are substantivised forms of adjectives always use -n.
  • * tante "aunt" → tantes
  • * chocolade "chocolate" → chocolades
  • * bode "messenger" → boden or bodes
  • * oxide "oxide" → oxiden
  • * grote "great one" → groten
  • Relatively modern words ending in a long vowel use -'s, but if they end in -ee or -é then no apostrophe is used. Older ones generally use -en or -ën.
  • * baby "baby" → baby's
  • * café "café, bar, pub" → cafés
  • * pizza "pizza" → pizza's
  • * radio "radio" → radio's
  • * ree "roe" → reeën
  • * la "drawer" → laden
  • Words ending in unstressed -el or -er usually use -s. If -en is allowed it tends to be more archaic or poetic.
  • * akker "agricultural field" → akkers
  • * appel "apple" → appels or appelen
  • * lepel "spoon" → lepels
  • * sleutel "key" → sleutels
  • * vader "father" → vaders or vaderen
  • Initialisms follow the rules for whatever the final syllable suggests, usually by adding -s but occasionally -en:
  • * APK "vehicle inspection" → APK's
  • * cd "CD" → cd's
  • * sms "text message" → sms'en
  • * BMX "BMX" → BMX'en

    Plurals with vowel change

A number of common nouns inherited from Old Dutch have a short vowel in the singular but a long vowel in the plural. When short i is lengthened in that way, it becomes long e.
  • dag "day" → dagen "days"
  • gebrek "lack, deficiency" → gebreken "deficiencies"
  • schip "ship" → schepen "ships"
  • slot "lock" → sloten "locks"
Other nouns with that change include bad "bath", bedrag " contribution", bevel "command", blad "sheet of paper; magazine", bod "offer", dak "roof", dal "valley", gat "hole", gebed "prayer", gebod "commandment", gen "gene", glas "glass", god "god", hertog "duke", hof "court", hol "cave; burrow", lid "member", lot "lottery ticket", oorlog "war", pad "path", schot "shot", slag "strike, battle", smid "smith", spel "large game; spectacle", staf "staff", vat "vat, barrel", verbod "ban, prohibition", verdrag "treaty", verlof "permission", weg "road, way".
The noun stad "town, city" has vowel alternation in the plural alongside lengthening: steden "towns, cities". The plural of nouns ending in the suffix -heid "-ness, -hood" is irregular -heden.

Plurals in

A few neuter nouns have a plural in -eren. The ending derives from the old Germanic "z-stem" nouns and is cognate with the English -ren. The following nouns have that type of plural:
  • been "bone" → beenderen
  • blad "leaf" → bladeren
  • ei "egg" → eieren
  • gelid "rank, file" → gelederen
  • gemoed "mood, emotion" → gemoederen
  • goed "good" → goederen
  • hoen "fowl" → hoenderen
  • kalf "calf" → kalveren
  • kind "child" → kinderen
  • kleed "cloth" → klederen or kleren "clothes"
  • lam "lamb" → lammeren
  • lied "song" → liederen
  • rad "wheel" → raderen
  • rund "cattle" → runderen
  • volk "people, nation" → volkeren
When used in compounds, the stem of those nouns usually includes the -er: eierschaal "eggshell", kinderarbeid "child labour", klederdracht "traditional costume", rundertartaar "beef tartare". That is not a rule, however, and compounds with the singular form also exist: eivorm "egg-shape", rundvlees "beef".

Foreign plurals

For a number of nouns of Latin origin, a Latin-like plural may be used. Depending on the word and the formalness of the setting, a regular plural in -en or -s can also be used.
  • museum "museum" → musea or museums
  • politicus "politician" → politici
Some modern scientific words borrowed from Latin or Greek form their plurals with vowel lengthening like the native words listed above. Those words are primarily Latin agent nouns ending in -or and names of particles ending in -on. Alongside the change in vowel length, there is also a stress shift in the plural, patterned on the Latin third declension in which that also occurs. In each case, the singular follows a Latin-like stress, and the plural stresses the -on- or -or-. Some examples:
  • elektron → elektronen
  • doctor → doctoren
  • graviton → gravitonen
  • reactor → reactoren
Words borrowed from English or French generally form their plural in -s, in imitation of the native plural of those languages. That applies especially to recent borrowings.
  • harddisk → harddisks
  • bonbon → bonbons

    Diminutive

Many nouns have a diminutive form alongside the normal base form. The form indicates a small size or emphasises a particular endearing quality. The use of diminutives is so common that they could be considered part of the noun's inflectional paradigm.
There are two basic ways to form the diminutive: with -tje or with -ke. The former is the standard way, and the latter is found in some dialects, mostly in the South. The diminutive on -ke is common in informal Belgian Dutch. All diminutives have neuter gender, whatever the gender of the original noun. The plural is always formed with -s.

Diminutive in

The basic suffix -tje is modified in different ways depending on the final sounds of the noun it is attached to.
The -t- is removed from the ending when added to words ending in a fricative or plosive.
  • hond → hondje
  • brief → briefje
  • hok → hokje
  • vis → visje
  • douche → doucheje
  • race → raceje
The last two words end in a consonant sound, despite not being spelled that way.
When the vowel of the last syllable is both short and stressed and it is followed by a sonorant, an extra schwa -e- is inserted, giving -etje.
  • kom → kommetje
  • pil → pilletje
  • lam → lammetje
  • ding → dingetje
  • vriendin → vriendinnetje
  • baron → baronnetje
In all other cases, the basic form -tje is used, which includes:
  • Words ending in a stressed tense/long vowel or diphthong.
  • Words ending in any unstressed vowel.
  • Words ending in one of the above types of vowel, followed by -l, -n, -r.
  • Words ending in one of the above types of vowel, followed by -m. The resulting combination -mtje is assimilated to -mpje.
  • Words ending in one of the above types of vowel, followed by -ng. The resulting combination -ngtje is assimilated to -nkje.
When the final vowel is long, it is doubled accordingly. Final -i, which does not really occur in native Dutch words, is converted into -ie. Final -y gets an apostrophe.
  • koe → koetje
  • auto → autootje
  • mama → mamaatje
  • vrouw → vrouwtje
  • taxi → taxietje
  • baby → baby'tje
  • school → schooltje
  • kuil → kuiltje
  • maan → maantje
  • muur → muurtje
  • appel → appeltje
  • boom → boompje
  • duim → duimpje
  • bodem → bodempje
  • koning → koninkje
  • houding → houdinkje
In the case of the vowels oe and ie, there is some ambiguity. While pronounced short in many dialects, they can also be long for some speakers, so forms both with and without the extra -e- can be found.
  • bloem → bloemetje or bloempje
  • wiel → wieltje or wieletje