Knowing some of the Dutch grammar will help you understand how the language is build up, and it will also help you to understand the basic phrases better. The Dutch grammar guide presented at LanguageTrav.com should in no way be considered as complete, and if you would like to acquire an in-depth understanding we recomment you to purchase books or DVDs for further learning. The good news is that especially when you are traveling to The Netherlands, virtually everyone will speak English as a second language. However, it is a polite gesture to ask first.

The imperative is used when telling someone what to do. Dutch imperatives are very straightforward. In singular, the imperative equals the stem of the verb. The personal pronouns jij and u are not used. In plural, the imperative equals stem + t. For example:

Infinitive	Singular	Plural	English
gaan	ga!	gaat!	to go
komen	kom!	komt!	to come
lezen	lees!	leest!	to read

However, notice the following exception:

Infinitive	Singular	Plural	English
zijn	wees	weest	to be

In the case of compound verbs, such as weggaan, the first part is detached and placed after the word. For example:

Infinitive	Singular	Plural	English
weggaan	ga weg!	gaat weg!	to go away
instappen	Stap in!	Stapt in!	to get in, to board
uitgaan	Ga uit!	Gaat uit!	to go out.

<< Irregular verbs

Adjectives >>

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