When talking about grammar, it is useful to know at least some of the terminology. This chapter gives an overview of the most important grammar terms. Everything in this chapter is in English. Read the other chapters under the grammar tab to learn more about Dutch grammar.

Parts of speech

There are several different types of words that have specific functions in the sentence. Here is a list of the most common word classes, each with some sample sentences.

Noun

A word that describes a thing, a person, an animal or an abstract entity.

I always write with a red pen.

My teacher has a beautiful cat.

It's hard to learn a new language.

Verb

Verbs are words that describe actions.

The teacher answered all questions.

He ran all the way home.

I love you.

Adjective

Adjectives describe nouns. They tell you the size, the colour or some other characteristics of a noun.

I always write with a red pen.	Red describes the colour of the noun pen.
My teacher has a beautiful cat.	Beautiful describes the noun cat.
It's hard to learn a new language.	New describes the noun language.

Adjectives can also be linked to a noun with a form of the verb to be:

The sky is blue.

This language is difficult

The form of an adjective that is used to compare different things with each other is called the comparative.

My dog is bigger than yours.

His sister is older than his brother.

If you want to say that something is bigger, smaller, better, etc. than anything else, you can use a superlative:

This is the biggest house I've ever seen.

He is the best student of his year.

Adverb

We use adverbs to describe words that are not nouns (verbs, adjectives or other adverbs).

He always walks slowly.	Slowly describes walks (a verb)
He always walks very slowly.	Very describes slowly (an adverb, because it describes the verb walks)
Her wedding dress was very beautiful.	Very describes beautiful (an adjective, because it describes the noun wedding dress)

Pronoun

Pronouns refer to or replace nouns. When you tell a story about a guy named John, it sounds strange if you say the name in every sentence: John went to a pub. There John met a girl. John asked the girl to sit at John's table and John and the girl started talking. Instead of repeating the name John over and over again, you use pronouns: John went to a pub. There he met a girl. He asked her to sit at his table and they started talking.

There are not so many different pronouns (if you compare it with the huge amount of nouns, verbs and adjectives), but they do break into subclasses.

Personal pronouns directly replace nouns.

I saw him at the supermarket.

What are you doing?

Possessive pronouns indicate who owns something.

This is my car.

What is your favourite song?

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of a sentence.

I wash myself.

You can see yourself in the mirror.

Reciprocal pronouns are used to say that each of two subjects are acting in the same way towards the other.

John and Mary love each other.

The ten prisoners were all blaming one another.

Interrogative pronouns are words that ask a question.

What do you want?

Who is your teacher?

Demonstrative pronouns are used to verbally point at something.

That book is nice.

This is a beautiful house.

Relative pronouns refer to a noun and starts a sub-sentence that gives more information about that noun.

This is the house that Jack built.

That is the boy who kissed her.

Indefinite pronouns refer to something unspecific.

Everything has changed.

I would like to say something.

Article

In English (and Dutch) articles indicate whether a noun is defined (the) or not (a, an). Defined means that the noun has already been introduced in the conversation. Indefinite articles are used before new items that get introduced in the conversation or to make general statements.

Yesterday I met a man.	This is the first time the man got mentioned, so we use the indefinite article a.
The man asked me if I wanted to marry him.	Since this is still the same man as in the first sentence, he is now defined and therefore gets the definite the.
An adjective describes a noun.	General statement.

Conjunction

Conjunctions link two (parts of) sentences together.

My father has written a novel and I am designing the cover.

We were late because our train was delayed.

Just call me when you are at the station.

Preposition

Prepositions describe the relation between parts of a sentence.

The dog lies under the bed.

We will drop by after work.

There is a lot of fish in this lake.

Parts of a sentence

Words or groups of words can have different functions within a sentence. Knowing which part has which function is especially important in Dutch to create a good sentence with a natural word order.

Finite verb and other verbs

The core of each sentence is formed by the verb(s). The verb that indicates the tense of the sentence is the finite verb. Each sentence contains at least a finite verb, but there can also be more verbs. Sometimes verbs have particles that look like prepositions, but that are in fact part of the verb.

I read a book.	finite verb: read, no other verbs
He wants to eat.	finite verb: wants, other verb: to eat
I woke up early this morning.	finite verb: woke up, no other verbs.

Objects

If you’re a native speaker, you probably have a feeling about what objects a verb needs. For example, the verb to read can take an object that tells you what is read: to read something. Some verbs can have two different objects, for example the verb to give. You say give something to somebody. And sometimes you need a preposition between the verb and the object: to look at something, to wait for someone.

Objects without prepositions are direct objects:

I read a book.

We saw an elephant at the zoo.

If you can use a preposition, but you don’t have to, the object is an indirect object. The word order will probably change if you decide not to use the optional preposition.

He gave a rose to her. He gave her a rose.

I bought a present for you. I bought you a present.

Note that these sentences also have a direct object (a rose and a present, respectively)

Objects with a necessary preposition are called prepositional object.

I’ve been waiting for you.

We listen to the radio.

Subject

All verbs together with the objects form the predicate of a sentence. Now you can find the subject: the thing or person that is or does what the predicate describes.

In the following examples, the predicate is shown in italics and the subject in bold.

We listen to the radio.

I bought you a present.

The house at the corner of the street is yellow.

Note that the subject always has to agree with the finite verb. If you change the subject, the finite verb has to change accordingly:

We listen to the radio.

He listens to the radio.

Adverbials

Any parts of the sentence that are now left are most likely adverbials. Adverbials answer questions like when? (time), where? (place), how? (manner).

The train left at half past three.

The cinema is in the centre of the city.

He stayed home all night.