Dutch · Unit 2
Lessons 6 to 10
Parts of Speech I
Onverschilligheid van een geleerde; Gestrafte gulzigheid; De bedrogen bedrieger; In een medicijnkist verdronken; Tantalus
Lesson 6: Hebben: infinitive and participles (and 1 more)
The infinitive and the two participles
Every verb has an infinitive and two participles. For have, the infinitive is hebben, to have. Gehad hebben is to have had.
The present participle is hebbend, having. The past participle is gehad, had. Gehad is the form that later joins hebben to make the perfect tenses.
The present participle drops its final e. It keeps the e only before a noun that it describes: de hebbende partij, the possessing party.
Dutch uses the present participle little. A clause with terwijl, meaning while, usually says the same thing.
Have now and had before
Hebben has a present tense and a past tense. The present is ik heb een boek, I have a book. The past is wij hadden een schat, we had a treasure.
The present has three forms for one person: heb, hebt, heeft. The past has one: ik had, jij had, u had, hij had.
More than one person takes hadden in the past, as it takes hebben in the present.
A question puts the verb before the subject, in the past as in the present: had u geduld?
- 1
to have, to have had
hebben,to have, to have hadgehadto have, to have hadhebbento have, to have had - 2
having, had
hebbend,to have, to have hadgehadto have, to have had - 3
the possessing party
dethehebbendethe possessing partypartijthe possessing party - 4
I have a book.
IkIhebto have, to have hadeenaboek.book - 5
Do you have a dog?
Hebhavejijyoueenahond?the dog, dogs
| ik | heb | I have |
|---|---|---|
| jij | hebt | you have |
| u | hebt | you have |
| hij | heeft | he has |
| zij | heeft | she has |
| het | heeft | it has |
| wij | hebben | we have |
| jullie | hebben | you have |
| zij | hebben | they have |
| ik | had | I had |
|---|---|---|
| jij | had | you had |
| u | had | you had |
| hij | had | he had |
| wij | hadden | we had |
| jullie | hadden | you had |
| zij | hadden | they had |
Hebben: infinitive and participles
Infinitive. Present: hebben, to have. Past: gehad hebben, to have had.
Participles. Present: hebbend, having. Past: gehad, had. The present participle drops its final -e, except when it stands before a noun as an adjective, such as de hebbende partij, the possessing party. A clause with terwijl (while) usually stands in for a present-participle phrase.Hebben: present and past indicative
Present
ik heb I have
jij hebt you have
u hebt you have
hij heeft he has
zij heeft she has
het heeft it has
wij hebben we have
jullie hebben you have
zij hebben they have
Past
ik had I had
jij had you had
u had you had
hij had he had
wij hadden we had
jullie hadden you had
zij hadden they hadHebben: present perfect and pluperfect indicative
Present perfect
ik heb gehad I have had
jij hebt gehad you have had
u hebt gehad you have had
hij heeft gehad he has had
wij hebben gehad we have had
jullie hebben gehad you have had
zij hebben gehad they have had
Pluperfect
ik had gehad I had had
jij had gehad you had had
u had gehad you had had
hij had gehad he had had
wij hadden gehad we had had
jullie hadden gehad you had had
zij hadden gehad they had had
The present perfect is the present of hebben plus the past participle; the pluperfect is the past of hebben plus the past participle.Hebben: future and future perfect indicative
Future
ik zal hebben I shall have
jij zult hebben you will have
u zult hebben you will have
hij zal hebben he will have
wij zullen hebben we shall have
jullie zullen hebben you will have
zij zullen hebben they will have
Future perfect
ik zal gehad hebben I shall have had
hij zal gehad hebben he will have had
wij zullen gehad hebben we shall have had
zij zullen gehad hebben they will have had
The future is zullen with the infinitive; the future perfect is zullen with the perfect infinitive gehad hebben.The conditional: present and past
Present conditional
ik zou hebben I should have
jij zou hebben you would have
u zou hebben you would have
hij zou hebben he would have
wij zouden hebben we should have
jullie zouden hebben you would have
zij zouden hebben they would have
Past conditional
ik zou gehad hebben I should have had
hij zou gehad hebben he would have had
wij zouden gehad hebben we should have had
zij zouden gehad hebben they would have had
The conditional is zou or zouden with the infinitive; the past conditional is zou or zouden with the perfect infinitive gehad hebben. There is one conditional, not two: zoude is the same word as zou. Multatuli and other writers before the war spell zoude in full beside zou.The subjunctive is gone
Dutch has no separate subjunctive verb forms; the indicative carries every tense above. A wish or a hypothesis is carried by a modal verb instead: mocht for a hypothesis (mocht hij komen, should he come), zou for the unreal (als hij geduld had, zou hij winnen, if he had patience, he would win). A handful of subjunctive forms survive as fixed phrases: leve de koning, long live the king; het zij zo, so be it; God zegene u, God bless you. Multatuli, the Statenbijbel, and formal Dutch before the war use hebbe and hadde as living verb forms.Verbs of this lesson, with their principal parts
schrijven to write ik schrijf, ik schreef, ik heb geschreven
komen to come ik kom, ik kwam, ik ben gekomen
toelopen to run to ik loop toe, ik liep toe, ik ben toegelopen
toeroepen to cry to ik roep toe, ik riep toe, ik heb toegeroepen
weten to know ik weet, ik wist, ik heb geweten
zich bemoeien to meddle with, to interfere ik bemoei mij, ik bemoeide mij, ik heb mij bemoeidLesson 6: Hebben: present perfect and pluperfect indicative (and 1 more)
Hebben plus gehad
The present perfect is the English I have had. Dutch makes it from the present of hebben and the past participle: ik heb gehad.
The pluperfect is the English I had had. Dutch makes it from the past of hebben and the past participle: ik had gehad.
Only hebben changes with the person. Gehad stays the same: hij heeft gehad, wij hadden gehad.
Other words stand between the two parts, and gehad comes last: ik heb geduld gehad, hij had moed gehad.
Zullen plus the infinitive
The future tells what will happen. Dutch makes it from zullen and the infinitive. Ik zal hebben means I shall have.
Zullen changes with the person: ik zal, jij zult, wij zullen. Hebben stays the same. Other words stand between the two parts: ik zal geduld hebben.
The future perfect tells what will have happened. It uses zullen with gehad hebben, the perfect infinitive. Ik zal gehad hebben means I shall have had.
Again only zullen changes. Gehad hebben stays the same for every person.
- 8
I have had patience.
IkIhebto have, to have hadgeduldpatiencegehad.to have, to have had - 9
He had had courage.
Hijhehadto have, to have hadmoedcouragegehad.to have, to have had - 10
We had had a great book.
Wijwehaddento have, to have hadeenagrootgreatboekbookgehad.to have, to have had - 11
I shall have patience.
IkIzalshall, willgeduldpatiencehebben.to have, to have had - 12
We will have a long winter.
Wijwezullenshall, willeenalangelongwinterwinterhebben.to have, to have had - 13
He will have had it.
Hijhezalshall, willgehadto have, to have hadhebben.to have, to have had
| ik | heb gehad | I have had |
|---|---|---|
| jij | hebt gehad | you have had |
| u | hebt gehad | you have had |
| hij | heeft gehad | he has had |
| wij | hebben gehad | we have had |
| jullie | hebben gehad | you have had |
| zij | hebben gehad | they have had |
| ik | had gehad | I had had |
|---|---|---|
| jij | had gehad | you had had |
| u | had gehad | you had had |
| hij | had gehad | he had had |
| wij | hadden gehad | we had had |
| jullie | hadden gehad | you had had |
| zij | hadden gehad | they had had |
| ik | zal hebben | I shall have |
|---|---|---|
| jij | zult hebben | you will have |
| u | zult hebben | you will have |
| hij | zal hebben | he will have |
| wij | zullen hebben | we shall have |
| jullie | zullen hebben | you will have |
| zij | zullen hebben | they will have |
| ik | zal gehad hebben | I shall have had |
|---|---|---|
| hij | zal gehad hebben | he will have had |
| wij | zullen gehad hebben | we shall have had |
| zij | zullen gehad hebben | they will have had |
Lesson 6: The conditional: present and past (and 1 more)
Zou plus the infinitive
The conditional says what would happen. Dutch makes it from zou or zouden and the infinitive. Ik zou hebben means I should have.
Zou goes with ik, jij, u and hij. Zouden goes with wij, jullie and zij. The pattern is the same as had and hadden.
The past conditional says what would have happened. It uses zou or zouden with gehad hebben: wij zouden een schat gehad hebben.
Zoude is the same word as zou. Multatuli and other writers before the war spell it in full.
Wishes without a subjunctive
Dutch has no separate subjunctive forms. The ordinary forms carry every tense.
Another verb carries a wish or a hypothesis instead. Mocht marks a hypothesis: mocht hij komen, should he come. Zou marks what is not real: als hij geduld had, zou hij winnen.
A few subjunctive forms survive in fixed phrases: leve de koning, long live the king. Het zij zo, so be it.
Multatuli and formal Dutch before the war use hebbe and hadde as living verb forms.
Verbs of this lesson, with their principal parts
- 14
I would write a great book.
IkIzoushould, wouldeenagrootgreatboekbookschrijven.to write - 15
We would have had a treasure.
Wijwezoudenshould, wouldeenaschattreasuregehadto have, to have hadhebben.to have, to have had - 16
The cricket would have sung in winter.
Dethekrekelcricketzoushould, wouldinindethewinterwintergezongento singhebben.to have, to have had - 17
Should he have patience.
Mochtmight, was allowedhijhegeduldpatiencehebben.to have, to have had - 18
If he had courage, he would win.
Alsifhijhemoedcouragehad,to have, to have hadzoushould, wouldhijhewinnen.win over - 19
Long live the king!
Levelivedethekoning!king, kings
| ik | zou hebben | I should have |
|---|---|---|
| jij | zou hebben | you would have |
| u | zou hebben | you would have |
| hij | zou hebben | he would have |
| wij | zouden hebben | we should have |
| jullie | zouden hebben | you would have |
| zij | zouden hebben | they would have |
| ik | zou gehad hebben | I should have had |
|---|---|---|
| hij | zou gehad hebben | he would have had |
| wij | zouden gehad hebben | we should have had |
| zij | zouden gehad hebben | they would have had |
Onverschilligheid van een geleerde
- 20
A scholar's indifference
Onverschilligheidindifferencevanof, fromeenageleerdea learned man - 21
A scholar was busy in his study writing a great book.
Eenageleerdea learned manwasto be (irregular)ininzijnhis; to bestudeervertrekstudybezigbusymetwitheenagrootgreatboekbooktetoschrijven.to write - 22
A servant came running up in fright and called out to him: “Sir, sir, the house is on fire!”
Eenaknechtservantkwamcameverschriktfrightenedtoelopento run toenandriepcriedhemhimtoe:to“Mijnheer,sir!; Mr. (as a title before a name)mijnheer,sir!; Mr. (as a title before a name)erthe house is on fireisthe house is on firebrandthe house is on fireinthe house is on firehuis!”the house is on fire - 23
The scholar coolly answered: “Then go and warn my wife, you know very well that I do not concern myself with the household.”
Koeltjescool(ly)antwoorddeansweredhieropthereupondethegeleerde:a learned man“Gagodanthenmijnmy wifevrouwmy wifewaarschuwen,warnjeyou; yourweetknowwel,butdatthat; that (conjunction)ikImijmenietnotmetwithhetit; thehuishoudenhouseholdbemoei.”to meddle with, to interfere
- Onverschilligheid
- indifference
- geleerde
- a learned man
- studeervertrek
- study
- boek
- book
- brand
- fire
- huis
- house
- vrouw
- my wife (mijn vrouw)
- bezig
- busy
- huishouden
- household
- groot
- great
- verschrikt
- frightened
- Koeltjes
- cool(ly)
- hierop
- thereupon
- wel
- very well
- huis
- the house is on fire (er is brand in huis)
- waarschuwen
- go and warn (ga waarschuwen)
Lesson 6: conversation
- 24
What was the scholar busy with?
Waarmedewith whichwasto be (irregular)dethegeleerdea learned manbezig?busy - 25
Where did he write?
Waarwhere; trueschreefto writehij?he - 26
What did the frightened servant call out to him?
Watwhatriepto cry todetheverschriktefrightenedknechtservanthemhimtoe?to - 27
What did the scholar coolly answer?
Watwhatantwoorddeto answerdethegeleerdea learned mankoeltjes?cool(ly) - 28
He was busy writing a great book.
Hijhewasto be (irregular)bezigbusyeenagrootgreatboekbooktetoschrijven.to write - 29
He wrote in his study.
Hijheschreefto writeininzijnhis; to bestudeervertrek.study - 30
The servant called out: “Sir, sir, the house is on fire!”
Detheknechtservantriep:cried“Mijnheer,sir!; Mr. (as a title before a name)mijnheer,sir!; Mr. (as a title before a name)erthe house is on fireisthe house is on firebrandthe house is on fireinthe house is on firehuis!”the house is on fire - 31
He answered: “Then go and warn my wife, you know very well that I do not concern myself with the household.”
Hijheantwoordde:answered“Gagodanthenmijnmy wifevrouwmy wifewaarschuwen,warnjeyou; yourweetknowwel,butdatthat; that (conjunction)ikImijmenietnotmetwithhetit; thehuishoudenhouseholdbemoei.”to meddle with, to interfere
- 32
What did he not concern himself with?
Waarmedewith whichbemoeideto meddle with, to interferehijhezichoneself, himself, themselvesniet?not - 33
What quality did the scholar therefore have?
Welkewhich, whateigenschapquality(quality)qualityhadto have, to have haddusso(therefore)thereforedethegeleerde?a learned man - 34
He did not concern himself with the household.
Hijhebemoeideto meddle with, to interferezichoneself, himself, themselvesnietnotmetwithhetit; thehuishouden.household - 35
The scholar was indifferent.
Dethegeleerdea learned manwasto be (irregular)onverschillig.indifferent
Lesson 6: exercise 10
- 36
The king had eggs for (voor) his breakfast.
Dethekoningking, kingshadto have, to have hadeierenegg, eggsvoorforzijnhis breakfastontbijt.his breakfast - 37
The inn-keeper had had a bill.
Detheherbergierinnkeeper, hosthadto have, to have hadeenarekeningthe billgehad.to have, to have had - 38
The cricket will sing in the summer.
Dethekrekelcricketzalshall, willinindethezomersummerzingen.to sing - 39
We shall have a long winter.
Wijwezullenshall, willeenalangelongwinterwinterhebben.to have, to have had - 40
Somebody has stolen the treasure, which was in the garden.
Iemandsomeoneheeftto have, to have haddetheschat,treasurediewho (relative)inindethetuingardenwas,to be (irregular)gestolen.to steal - 41
You will not have the treasure.
Uyou (polite)zultshall, willdetheschattreasurenietnothebben.to have, to have had - 42
The commoner said: “I have no servants”
Detheburgermancommonerzei:said“Bediendenthe servant, the servantshebhaveikIniet.”not
- 43
I shall have the honour.
IkIzalshall, willdetheeerhonorhebben.to have, to have had - 44
He has written a fine book.
Hijheheeftto have, to have hadeenagrootgreatboekbookgeschreven.to write - 45
Have (S. and Pl.) patience (geduld)!
Hebto have, to have hadgeduld!patience - 46
I should have had patience.
IkIzoushould, wouldgeduldpatiencegehadto have, to have hadhebben.to have, to have had - 47
They have had fine (mooie) dogs.
Zijshe; theyhebbento have, to have hadmooiebeautifulhondenthe dog, dogsgehad.to have, to have had - 48
We had had a fine book.
Wijwehaddento have, to have hadeenagrootgreatboekbookgehad.to have, to have had - 49
He has had courage.
Hijheheeftto have, to have hadmoedcouragegehad.to have, to have had
- 50
We should have had a treasure.
Wijwezoudenshould, wouldeenaschattreasuregehadto have, to have hadhebben.to have, to have had - 51
The cricket would have sung in [the] winter.
Dethekrekelcricketzoushould, wouldinindethewinterwintergezongento singhebben.to have, to have had - 52
Have (S. and Pl.) courage (moed)!
Hebhavemoed!courage
Lesson 7: Zullen: shall, will (and 1 more)
Zullen and the future
Zullen means shall or will. Its present tense makes the future.
Ik zal morgen komen means I will come tomorrow.
The form follows the person. Ik, hij, zij and het take zal. Jij and u take zult. Wij, jullie and zij take zullen.
Zou and zouden
Zullen also makes the conditional, with two forms: zou and zouden.
Zou is for one person: ik zou, jij zou, u zou, hij zou. Zouden is for more than one: wij zouden, jullie zouden, zij zouden.
Zou jij dat doen? means Would you do that? Wij zouden graag blijven means We would like to stay.
Older written Dutch kept a separate form, zoude. It survives only in a very old book.
Zullen: shall, will
Zullen has two forms in living use: the present tense, which makes the future, and zou/zouden, which makes the conditional. The infinitive zullen and the present participle zullende are rarely used on their own.
Conditional
The verb that makes the passive
In a passive sentence the subject receives the action. Het huis wordt gebouwd means The house is being built. The house does not do the building.
Worden makes this sentence. It stands with a participle, here gebouwd. Worden also means to become: hij is ziek geworden means He has become ill.
Worden has one set of forms for every use. It has no separate subjunctive.
The forms of worden
The present tense follows the person: ik word, jij wordt, hij wordt, wij worden. The past tense is ik werd and wij werden. De brief werd geschreven means The letter was written.
The present perfect uses zijn and geworden: ik ben geworden, hij is geworden, wij zijn geworden.
The command is word! It serves one person or several, a friend or a stranger. Older written Dutch had a separate plural command, wordt! It is gone.
Worden: to be (of the passive voice)
Worden, to be, to become (the passive auxiliary).
Worden is a full verb, with one form for every function; there is no separate subjunctive.
Past
- 53
I will come tomorrow.
IkIzalshall, willmorgenmorningkomen.to come - 54
Would you do that?
Zoushould, wouldjijyoudatthat; that (conjunction)doen?to do - 55
We would like to stay.
Wijwezoudenshould, wouldgraaggladlyblijven.stay - 56
The house is being built.
Hetit; thehuishousewordtto become, to getgebouwd.built - 57
He has become ill.
Hijheisto be (irregular)ziekillgeworden.to become, to get
Zullen: shall, will
Zullen has two forms in living use: the present tense, which makes the future, and zou/zouden, which makes the conditional. The infinitive zullen and the present participle zullende are rarely used on their own.
Present (future)
ik zal
jij zult / je zult
u zult
hij/zij/het zal
wij zullen
jullie zullen
zij zullen
Conditional
ik zou
jij zou
u zou
hij/zij/het zou
wij zouden
jullie zouden
zij zouden
Older written Dutch, and Multatuli, kept a separate subjunctive zoude standing apart from zou; it survives only in a very old book.Worden: to be (of the passive voice)
Worden, to be, to become (the passive auxiliary).
Worden is a full verb, with one form for every function; there is no separate subjunctive.
Present
ik word
jij wordt / je wordt
u wordt
hij/zij/het wordt
wij worden
jullie worden
zij worden
Past
ik werd
jij werd
u werd
hij werd
wij werden
jullie werden
zij werden
Present perfect (with zijn)
ik ben geworden
jij bent geworden
u bent/is geworden
hij is geworden
wij zijn geworden
jullie zijn geworden
zij zijn geworden
Pluperfect: ik was geworden, wij waren geworden, and so on.
Future: ik zal worden, wij zullen worden, and so on.
Future perfect: ik zal geworden zijn, and so on.
Conditional: ik zou worden (present), ik zou geworden zijn (past).
Imperative: word!, for one person or several, familiar or polite alike.
Older written Dutch, and Multatuli, kept a full subjunctive (worde, werde, zij, ware, zoude) and a separate plural imperative wordt!; both are gone from ordinary written Dutch.Note 1: worden as the copula "to become"
Note 1. The copula verb worden, to become (to get, to grow, to turn), is conjugated the same way; compare: hij wordt gestraft he is punished; hij wordt een geleerd man he is becoming a learned man.Note 2: word order in compound tenses
Note 2. In a compound tense the participle, noun or adjective is placed directly after the finite verb: hij zal gestraft worden he will be punished, hij zou rijk geworden zijn he would have grown rich, ik zou kapitein worden I should become a captain. The perfect passive uses zijn plus the plain participle, with no second geworden: hij is gestraft he has been punished, not hij is gestraft geworden.
Older written Dutch, and Multatuli, doubled the participle in the perfect passive (hij is gestraft geworden); that doubling survives in Flemish and German-influenced Dutch, but a Dutch newspaper drops it.Note 3: translating the English passive progressive
Note 3. Instead of “the house is building, was building” and so on, translate as if the English ran “the house is built,” “the house was built”: het huis wordt gebouwd; het huis werd gebouwd.Verbs of this lesson, with their principal parts
houden to keep ik houd, ik hield, ik heb gehouden
zwemmen to swim ik zwem, ik zwom, ik heb gezwommen
zien to see ik zie, ik zag, ik heb gezien
afnemen to take away ik neem af, ik nam af, ik heb afgenomen
loslaten to let loose ik laat los, ik liet los, ik heb losgelatenLesson 7: Note 1: worden as the copula "to become" (and 2 more)
Worden meaning to become
Worden also means to become, to get, to grow or to turn. Its forms are the same in this use.
Compare two sentences. Hij wordt gestraft means He is punished. Hij wordt een geleerd man means He is becoming a learned man.
In the first, a participle follows the verb. In the second, a noun follows it.
The first verb and what follows it
In a compound tense, the participle, noun or adjective comes directly after the verb that carries the person.
Hij zal gestraft worden means He will be punished. Hij zou rijk geworden zijn means He would have grown rich. Ik zou kapitein worden means I would become a captain.
The perfect passive has one participle
The perfect passive uses zijn and the plain participle, with no second geworden. Hij is gestraft means He has been punished.
Older written Dutch added geworden: hij is gestraft geworden. That form survives in Flemish and German-influenced Dutch. A Dutch newspaper drops it.
Translate the plain passive
English can say the house is being built or the house was being built. Dutch uses the plain passive for both.
Translate as if the English said the house is built, the house was built. Het huis wordt gebouwd. Het huis werd gebouwd.
Wordt is the present. Werd is the past.
- 60
He is punished.
Hijhewordtto become, to getgestraft.punished - 61
He is becoming a learned man.
Hijhewordtto become, to geteenageleerdlearnedman.man; husband - 62
He will be punished.
Hijhezalshall, willgestraftpunishedworden.to become, to get - 63
He has been punished.
Hijheisto be (irregular)gestraft.punished - 64
I would become a captain.
IkIzoushould, wouldkapiteincaptainworden.to become, to get
Gestrafte gulzigheid
- 67
Punished Gluttony
Gestraftepunished mangulzigheidgluttony - 68
A dog, which held a piece of meat in its mouth, swam across a river.
Eenahond,the dog, dogsdiewho (relative)eenastukpiecevleesmeatininzijnhis; to bebekmouth (of an animal)hield,to keepzwomto swimoveracross, overeenarivier.river - 69
When he noticed his reflection in the water, he thought he saw another dog, which had another piece in its mouth.
Toenas, whenhijhezijnhis; to bespiegelbeeldreflectionininhetit; thewaterwaterbemerkte,to observe, to noticemeendeto think, to believehijheeenaandereotherhondthe dog, dogstetozien,to seediewho (relative)eenaanderanother (person)stukpieceinindethebekmouth (of an animal)had.to have, to have had - 70
Full of greed, he wanted to take it from him and let go of his own piece of meat.
Volfull (of)begeerlijkheidavidity, greedwildeto want, to wishhijhehetit; thehemhimafnemento take awayenandlietlet (past)zijnhis; to bestukpiecevleesmeatlos.loose - 71
He was now without it forever, and how great was his astonishment, when he saw the other dog was likewise without its meat, looking just as sad as he was.
Hijhewasto be (irregular)hetit; thenunow, at presentvoorforaltijdalwayskwijt,lost, goneenandhoehowgrootgreatwasto be (irregular)zijnhis; to beverbazing,astonishmenttoenas, whenhijhedetheandereotherhondthe dog, dogsookalso, likewisezonderwithoutzijnhis; to bevleesmeatzag,to seeevena moment, justbedroefdsadkijkendlookingalsifhij.he
- gulzigheid
- gluttony
- stuk
- piece
- vlees
- meat
- bek
- mouth (of an animal)
- rivier
- river
- water
- water
- begeerlijkheid
- avidity, greed
- verbazing
- astonishment
- kwijt
- to lose, to get rid of (kwijt worden)
- over
- across, over
- Vol
- full (of)
- kwijt
- lost, gone
- groot
- great, big
- bedroefd
- sad
- als
- as ... as (even ... als)
- kijkend
- looking
- ook
- also, likewise
- zonder
- without
Lesson 7: conversation
- 72
What did the dog hold in its mouth?
Watwhathieldto keepdethehondthe dog, dogsininzijnhis; to bebek?mouth (of an animal) - 73
What did he swim across?
Waaroverabout whichzwomto swimhij?he - 74
Where did he notice his reflection?
Waarwhere; truebemerkteto observe, to noticehijhezijnhis; to bespiegelbeeld?reflection - 75
What did he think he saw in it?
Watwhatmeendeto think, to believehijhedaarinin ittetozien?to see - 76
The dog held a piece of meat in its mouth.
Dethehondthe dog, dogshieldto keepeenastukpiecevleesmeatininzijnhis; to bebek.mouth (of an animal) - 77
He swam across a river.
Hijhezwomto swimoveracross, overeenarivier.river - 78
He noticed his reflection in the water.
Hijhebemerkteto observe, to noticezijnhis; to bespiegelbeeldreflectionininhetit; thewater.water - 79
He thought he saw another dog.
Hijhemeendeto think, to believeeenaandereotherhondthe dog, dogstetozien.to see
- 80
What did he think that other dog had?
Waarmeewith whichmeendeto think, to believehijhediewho (relative)andereotherhondthe dog, dogstetozien?to see - 81
What did he want to do out of greed?
Watwhatwildeto want, to wishhijhevolfull (of)begeerlijkheidavidity, greeddoen?to do - 82
What happened to his piece of meat?
Watwhatgebeurdehappenedertheremetwithzijnhis; to bestukpiecevlees?meat - 83
When was his astonishment great?
Wanneerwhenwasto be (irregular)zijnhis; to beverbazingastonishmentgroot?great - 84
He thought that other dog had another piece of meat in its mouth.
Hijhemeendeto think, to believedatthat; that (conjunction)diewho (relative)andereotherhondthe dog, dogseenaanderanother (person)stukpiecevleesmeatinindethebekmouth (of an animal)had.to have, to have had - 85
He wanted to take it from him.
Hijhewildeto want, to wishhetit; thehemhimafnemen.to take away - 86
He let go of his piece of meat and lost it for good.
Hijhelietlet (past)zijnhis; to bestukpiecevleesmeatloslooseenandraaktebecomehetit; thevoorgoedfor goodkwijt.lost, gone - 87
His astonishment was great when he saw that the other dog was also without meat.
Zijnhis; to beverbazingastonishmentwasto be (irregular)grootgreattoenas, whenhijhezagto seedatthat; that (conjunction)detheandereotherhondthe dog, dogsookalso, likewisezonderwithoutvleesmeatwas.to be (irregular)
Lesson 7: exercise 11
- 88
The woman would have been forgotten.
Dethevrouwa woman, a ladyzoushould, wouldvergetento forgetzijn.to be (irregular) - 89
The sleeping dogs have been awakened.
Detheslapendesleephondenthe dog, dogszijnto be (irregular)wakkerawakegeworden.to become, to get - 90
The eggs will be laid.
Detheeierenegg, eggszullenshall, willgelegdto layworden.to become, to get - 91
The cricket would have sung in [the] summer.
Dethekrekelcricketzoushould, wouldinindethezomersummergezongento singhebben.to have, to have had - 92
Be (become, S. and Pl.) happy!
Wordbecome, am (passive)gelukkig!happy, unhappy - 93
The miser would have been robbed.
Dethevrekmiserzoushould, wouldbestolenrobbedzijn.to be (irregular) - 94
A stone was laid in its (zijne) place.
Eenasteenstonewerdto become, to getininzijnhis; to beplaatsplacegelegd.to lay
- 95
The book was written.
Hetit; theboekbookwerdto become, to getgeschreven.to write - 96
Do not be (become) sad!
Wordbecome, am (passive)nietnotbedroefd!sad - 97
The other dogs were seen in the river.
Detheandereotherhondenthe dog, dogswerdento become, to getinindetherivierrivergezien.to see - 98
I should have been seen in the garden.
IkIzoushould, wouldinindethetuingardengeziento seezijn.to be (irregular) - 99
We should have been forgotten.
Wijwezoudenshould, wouldvergetento forgetzijn.to be (irregular) - 100
The piece (of) meat would have been eaten (gegeten).
Hetit; thestukpiecevleesmeatzoushould, wouldgegetento eatzijn.to be (irregular) - 101
I am robbed.
IkIwordto become, to getbestolen.robbed
- 102
You are awakened.
Uyou (polite)wordtto become, to getgewekt.awakened - 103
The palace (paleis, n.) was being built.
Hetit; thepaleispalacewerdto become, to getgebouwd.built - 104
He was observed.
Hijhewerdto become, to getbemerkt.to observe, to notice - 105
The song (lied, n.) will be sung.
Hetit; theliedsongzalshall, willgezongento singworden.to become, to get - 106
We got rid of it.
Wijweraaktenbecomehetit; thekwijt.lost, gone - 107
The eggs had been eaten.
Detheeierenegg, eggswarento be (irregular)gegeten.to eat - 108
The book will be written.
Hetit; theboekbookzalshall, willgeschrevento writeworden.to become, to get
Lesson 8: Conjugation of weak verbs (§ 190) (and 1 more)
Present and past of a regular verb
Antwoorden means to answer. Wensen means to wish. Both are regular weak verbs, so every form follows one pattern.
In the present, ik takes the stem alone: ik antwoord, ik wens. Jij and hij add t: jij wenst, hij antwoordt. Wij, jullie and zij take the whole verb: wij antwoorden.
The past adds de or te to the stem. A stem that ends in a voiced sound, like d, takes de: ik antwoordde. A stem that ends in a voiceless sound, like s, takes te: ik wenste.
More than one person adds n: wij antwoordden, wij wensten.
The other tenses
Every other tense uses an auxiliary verb and a second form of the main verb. The auxiliary verb carries the person.
The present perfect uses hebben and the past participle: wij hebben geantwoord, wij hebben gewenst. The pluperfect uses had: ik had gewenst.
The future uses zal or zult and the infinitive: ik zal antwoorden. The conditional uses zou: ik zou wensen.
The imperative has one form for everyone: antwoord! wens!
Saying not
To say not, Dutch puts niet after the verb. English adds do or did. Dutch adds nothing.
Ik antwoord niet means I do not answer. Ik heb niet means I have not. Ik zong niet means I did not sing.
The verb keeps its own form and its own tense. Only niet is new: hij antwoordt niet, wij wensten niet.
- 109
I do not answer.
IkIantwoordto answerniet.not - 110
Do you wish him luck?
Wensto wishjijyouhemhimgeluk?happiness - 111
We have answered.
Wijwehebbento have, to have hadgeantwoord.to answer - 112
They had wished that he would come.
Zijshe; theyhaddento have, to have hadgewenstto wishdatthat; that (conjunction)hijhekwam.to come - 113
He does not answer.
Hijheantwoordtto answerniet.not - 114
We did not wish.
Wijwewenstenwishedniet.not
Conjugation of weak verbs (§ 190)
Conjugation of weak verbs. Antwoorden, to answer, and wensen, to wish (the book spells it wenschen), are regular weak verbs. Infinitive: antwoorden / wensen. Perfect infinitive: geantwoord hebben / gewenst hebben. Participles: present antwoordend / wensend; past geantwoord / gewenst. Present indicative: ik antwoord, jij antwoordt (antwoord jij?), u antwoordt, hij antwoordt, wij antwoorden, jullie antwoorden, zij antwoorden; ik wens, jij wenst (wens jij?), u wenst, hij wenst, wij wensen, jullie wensen, zij wensen. Past indicative, by 't kofschip, -de after a voiced stem and -te after a voiceless one: ik antwoordde, jij antwoordde, wij antwoordden, jullie antwoordden, zij antwoordden; ik wenste, jij wenste, wij wensten, jullie wensten, zij wensten. Present perfect: ik heb, jij hebt, u hebt, hij heeft, wij hebben, jullie hebben, zij hebben, plus geantwoord / gewenst. Pluperfect: ik had, jij had, and so on, plus geantwoord / gewenst. Future: ik zal, jij zult, and so on, plus antwoorden / wensen. Future perfect: ik zal, jij zult, and so on, plus geantwoord hebben / gewenst hebben. Conditional: ik zou, jij zou, and so on, plus antwoorden / wensen. Past conditional: ik zou, jij zou, and so on, plus geantwoord hebben / gewenst hebben. Imperative: one form serves everyone, singular, plural and polite alike: antwoord! wens! Older written Dutch, and Multatuli, kept a full subjunctive mood (antwoorde, wensche, hebbe, hadde, zoude, and their gij-forms in -et) and a separate plural imperative in -t (antwoordt!, wenscht!), both long gone from ordinary written Dutch.The negative form (§ 191)
The negative form of all Dutch verbs is like that of the English auxiliary verbs: ik heb niet, I have not; ik ben niet, I am not; ik antwoord niet, I do not answer; ik wens niet, I do not wish; ik zing niet, I do not sing; ik zong niet, I did not sing.The interrogative form (§ 192)
The interrogative form corresponds likewise to that of the English auxiliaries: heb ik? have I? ben ik? am I? antwoord ik? do I answer? wens ik? do I wish? zing ik? do I sing? zong ik? did I sing?The negative-interrogative form (§ 193)
Negative-interrogative form: heb ik niet? have I not? ben ik niet? am I not? antwoord ik niet? do I not answer? wens ik niet? do I not wish? zing ik niet? do I not sing? zong ik niet? did I not sing?Verbs of this lesson, with their principal parts
stortregenen to pour with rain het stortregent, het stortregende, het heeft gestortregend
verdwijnen to disappear ik verdwijn, ik verdween, ik ben verdwenenLesson 8: The interrogative form (§ 192) (and 1 more)
Asking a question
To ask a question, Dutch puts the verb before the subject. English often adds do or did. Dutch adds nothing.
Ik antwoord becomes antwoord ik? and means do I answer. Hij antwoordt becomes antwoordt hij? Zij wensten becomes wensten zij?
The verb keeps its tense. Zong ik? means did I sing.
With jij the verb loses its t: jij antwoordt becomes antwoord jij?
A question with not
A question that also says not joins the two patterns. The verb comes first, then the subject, then niet.
Antwoord ik niet? means do I not answer. Heb ik niet? means have I not. Zong ik niet? means did I not sing.
Niet stands after the subject: antwoordt hij niet? wensten zij niet?
De bedrogen bedrieger
- 119
The deceived deceiver
Dethebedrogendeceivedbedriegerdeceiver - 120
Once it was pouring with rain in London.
Eensonce, one daystortregendeto pour with rainhetit; theinin LondonLonden.in London - 121
A rich merchant, coming from the Exchange, notices a cab, gets in, and has himself taken to a quarter of the city very far away.
Eenarijkerichkoopman,merchantdiewho (relative)vanof, fromdetheBeursBeurskwam,to comebemerktto observe, to noticeeenavigilante,cab (a horse-drawn hansom cab)staptsteps (stappen)erinin itenandlaatlet; latezichoneself, himself, themselvesnaarto, towardseenazeerveryverfarverwijderderemovewijkquarter, districtvanof, fromdethestadcity, townbrengen.bring
- bedrieger
- deceiver
- koopman
- merchant
- Beurs
- the (Stock) Exchange
- Beurs
- purse
- vigilante
- cab (a horse-drawn hansom cab)
- wijk
- quarter, district
- stad
- city, town
- Londen
- in London (in Londen)
- bedrogen
- deceived
- Eens
- once, one day
- ver
- far
- erin
- he gets in, he got out (hij stapt erin)
- brengen
- he has himself taken (somewhere) (hij laat zich brengen)
- 122
On the way the merchant notices that he has forgotten to bring his purse.
Onderwegon the waybemerktto observe, to noticedethekoopmanmerchantdatthat; that (conjunction)hijhevergetento forgetheeftto have, to have hadzijnhis; to beportemonneepurse, walletbijat, near, withzichoneself, himself, themselvestetosteken.stitches - 123
What to do now?
Watwhatnunow, at presenttetodoen?to do - 124
Having arrived in front of the house where he had to be, he got out of the cab and said to the driver: “Be so kind as to give me a match, I have dropped a sovereign in the carriage.”
Voorforhetit; thehuishouseaangekomen,arrivedwaarwhere; truehijhewezenbemoest,had tostaptesteppedhijheuitout of, fromdethevigilantecab (a horse-drawn hansom cab)enandzeisaidtegento (a person)dethekoetsier:cabman, driver“Weesbe (imperative)zoso, asgoedgood, welleenalucifertjelittle matchteto (before a verb); at, in (before a place); toogeven,giveikIhebhaveeenasouvereinsovereign (a gold coin)ininhetit; therijtuigcarriage, cablatenletvallen.”fall - 125
At once the driver lays the whip over the horse and soon disappears around the corner of the street.
Dadelijkimmediatelylegtto laydethekoetsiercabman, driverdethezweepwhipoveracross, overhetit; thepaardhorseenandverdwijntto disappearweldrasoonomaround; at (time); in order todethehoekcornervanof, fromdethestraat.street
- portemonnee
- purse, wallet
- koetsier
- cabman, driver
- lucifertje
- little match
- souverein
- sovereign (a gold coin)
- rijtuig
- carriage, cab
- zweep
- whip
- paard
- horse
- hoek
- corner
- straat
- street
- aangekomen
- arrived
- Onderweg
- on the way
- Voor
- before
- Dadelijk
- immediately
- over
- over, on
- weldra
- soon
- vallen
- I have dropped (some) money (ik heb geld laten vallen)
Lesson 8: conversation
- 126
Where did the rich merchant come from?
Vanwaarwherekwamto comedetherijkerichkoopman?merchant - 127
What did he notice?
Watwhatbemerkteto observe, to noticehij?he - 128
Why did he want to have a cab?
Waaromwhywildeto want, to wishhijheeenavigilantecab (a horse-drawn hansom cab)hebben?to have, to have had - 129
Where did he have himself taken?
Waarheenwhere tolietlet (past)hijhezichoneself, himself, themselvesbrengen?bring - 130
He came from the Exchange.
Hijhekwamto comevanof, fromdetheBeurs.Beurs - 131
He noticed a cab.
Hijhebemerkteto observe, to noticeeenavigilante.cab (a horse-drawn hansom cab) - 132
Because he had to go to a quarter of the city that was far away.
Omdatbecausehijhenaarto, towardseenaverfarverwijderderemovewijkquarter, districtvanof, fromdethestadcity, townmoest.to have to, must - 133
He had himself taken to a quarter of the city very far away.
Hijhelietlet (past)zichoneself, himself, themselvesnaarto, towardseenazeerveryverfarverwijderderemovewijkquarter, districtvanof, fromdethestadcity, townbrengen.bring
- 134
What did the merchant notice on the way?
Watwhatbemerkteto observe, to noticedethekoopmanmerchantonderweg?on the way - 135
When did he get out of the cab?
Wanneerwhenstaptesteppedhijheuitout of, fromdethevigilante?cab (a horse-drawn hansom cab) - 136
What did he say to the driver?
Watwhatzeito sayhijhetegenagainst; todethekoetsier?cabman, driver - 137
What did the driver do?
Watwhatdeedto dodethekoetsier?cabman, driver - 138
He noticed that he had forgotten his purse.
Hijhebemerkteto observe, to noticedatthat; that (conjunction)hijhezijnhis; to beportemonneepurse, walletvergetento forgetwas.to be (irregular) - 139
He got out of the cab when he had arrived in front of the house where he had to be.
Hijhestaptesteppeduitout of, fromdethevigilantecab (a horse-drawn hansom cab)toenas, whenhijhevoorforhetit; thehuishousewasto be (irregular)aangekomen,arrivedwaarwhere; truehijhewezenbemoest.to have to, must - 140
He said: “Be so kind as to give me a match, I have dropped a sovereign in the carriage.”
Hijhezei:said“Weesbe (imperative)zoso, asgoedgood, welleenalucifertjelittle matchteto (before a verb); at, in (before a place); toogeven,giveikIhebhaveeenasouvereinsovereign (a gold coin)ininhetit; therijtuigcarriage, cablatenletvallen.”fall - 141
He laid the whip over the horse and disappeared around the corner of the street.
Hijhelegdeto laydethezweepwhipoveracross, overhetit; thepaardhorseenandverdweento disappearomaround; at (time); in order todethehoekcornervanof, fromdethestraat.street
Lesson 8: exercise 12
- 144
ik leg
I lay
- 145
hij legt
he lays
- 146
wij leggen
we lay
- 147
jij dient
you serve
- 148
jullie dienen
you (plural) serve
- 149
zij dienen
they serve
- 150
ik bezorg
I procure
Lesson 8: exercise 13
Lesson 8: exercise 14
- 168
zet ik? zet jij? zet u? zet hij? zetten wij? zetten jullie? zetten zij?
do they put?
Lesson 9: The noun: het zelfstandig naamwoord. Gender: het geslacht
Two classes, three names
Every Dutch noun is a de-word or a het-word. The class decides the article. De dokter and de matroos are de-words. Het schip and het ongeval are het-words.
Grammars and dictionaries give three names. Masculine and feminine words are de-words. Neuter words are het-words.
The article cannot tell masculine from feminine. Only the pronoun can. A speaker says hij or zij when the noun comes up again: De kapitein? Hij is aan boord.
How the gender shows
Two things often show the gender. One is the meaning, such as a man or a woman. The other is the ending of the word.
The name of a thing can be of any of the three genders. The rules of this lesson give the main groups. For many words, look in the dictionary.
- 169
the doctor, the sailor (de-words)
dethedokter,physician, doctordethematroossailor, sailors - 170
the ship, the accident (het-words)
hetit; theschip,ship, shipshetit; theongevalaccident - 171
The captain? He is on board.
Dethekapitein?captainHijheisto be (irregular)aanon, at, toboord.board (of a ship) - 172
The opportunity? It will not come back.
Dethegelegenheid?occasion, opportunityZijshe; theykomtto comenietnotterug.back
The noun: het zelfstandig naamwoord. Gender: het geslacht
Dutch nouns fall into two classes, and the class decides the article: de-words, which take de, and het-words, which take het. Grammars and dictionaries call the de-words masculine (mannelijk) or feminine (vrouwelijk) and the het-words neuter (onzijdig). The difference between masculine and feminine shows only in the pronoun that refers back to the noun (hij or zij), never in the article; for the article it is enough to know whether a word is a de-word or a het-word. Names of inanimate objects may be of any of the three. The gender of a noun can generally be told either by its meaning, i. e. natural gender, or by its ending, i. e. word gender. The following are the chief rules for determining gender; in many cases the dictionary will have to be resorted to. Older written Dutch, and Multatuli, kept the three genders apart in the article and the adjective as well (den, der, des), which is why the old grammars set out masculine and feminine at length.Masculine nouns
Masculine, and so de-words referred to as hij, are:
All appellations of men and male animals. The names of trees: beuk beech, berk birch. Except: linde (f.) lime-tree. The names of coins: euro, cent, and the old gulden guilder and stuiver (five cents). Except: munt coin and guinje guinea, which are feminine. The names of mountains: de Etna, de Mont Blanc. The names of a) months: januari, februari, maart, etc.; b) days: zondag, maandag, dinsdag, woensdag, donderdag, vrijdag, zaterdag; c) seasons: zomer summer, herfst autumn, winter; except lente (f.) spring. The primary nouns corresponding with the root of a strong verb, having an abstract meaning: val fall, greep grasp; but val = trap and lettergreep = syllable are feminine. Note. If such nouns are preceded by an inseparable prefix they are neuter. All dissyllabic nouns ending in -aar, -aard, -erd, -el, -em, -sem, -lm, -rm, -er and most words ending in -en: beukelaar buckler, luiaard sluggard, mosterd mustard, beitel chisel, adem breath, wasem vapour, storm storm, loper strip of carpet, regen rain. All words ending in -ing (if they are not derived from verbs) and -ling: ketting chain, penning medal, krakeling cracknel. The words ending in -dom, expressing a state or condition: adeldom nobility, rijkdom wealth, wasdom growth, eigendom = right of possession.Feminine nouns
Feminine, and so de-words referred to as zij (ze), are:
All names of female persons and of female animals. Except: het wijf, a coarse word for a woman, never used in polite language.
Such names of materials as are not neuter: kant lace, wol wool, zijde silk.
Most names of flowers, grains, fruits, vegetables and foreign produce: roos rose, lelie lily, bes berry, peer pear, rogge rye, tarwe wheat, spinazie spinach, koffie coffee, siroop syrup, zwavel sulphur.
The names of kinds of vessels: aak barge, bark barque, brik brig. Except: those ending in -er, which are masculine: driemaster three-master, schoener schooner. A ship with a name is referred to as hij: de Willem III verloor zijn masten.
The names of the letters of the alphabet, the figures, the notes and the intervals in music: een onduidelijke a, b, 6, 7, an indistinct a, b, 6, 7; een fa-kruis an F-sharp, een grote terts a major third.
The foreign names of musical instruments: trompet trumpet, gitaar guitar.
All dissyllabic nouns ending in -e, -de, -te, denoting inanimate objects: aarde earth, koude cold, ellende misery, hoogte height. Except: vrede (m.) peace, einde (n.) end, and the collective nouns ending in -te.
All derivative nouns formed with the suffixes -heid, -nis, -teit and all nouns ending in -iek, -age, -ij, -ei, -uw: goedheid goodness, beeltenis image, majesteit majesty; fabriek factory, slijtage wear and tear, bedelarij beggary, lei slate, schaduw shadow.
Most words ending in -ing, -st, -t, formed from verbal roots: beloning reward, gunst favour, vaart canal. Except: dienst (m.) service, last (m.) load, schrift (n.) writing (de Schrift = scripture), gewicht (n.) weight.
Words ending in -schap expressing a body or an association of persons or a condition: burgerschap citizenship, priesterschap priesthood, vriendschap friendship.
In the Netherlands the feminine pronoun is kept for female persons and animals and for the derived nouns in -heid, -ing, -nis, -teit, -schap and -ij; a concrete feminine noun such as roos or tafel is referred to as hij, or in speech as die. Older written Dutch, and Multatuli, marked the feminine in the article and the possessive as well: der vrouw, hare masten.Neuter nouns
Of the neuter gender, and so het-words, are:
The names of animals that express a whole class and the names of the young of animals: paard horse, zwijn swine, veulen foal, kalf calf.
The collective nouns: volk people, leger army, woud wood, dorp village, gehucht hamlet, gebergte chain of mountains, gebeente bones, geboomte trees; but stad town or city is feminine.
The names of materials: goud gold, brood bread, zout salt, water water. Except: a) some clothing materials; b) the masculine nouns: azijn vinegar, honing honey, inkt ink, mosterd mustard, room cream, wijn wine. Note. Some names of materials are also used to denote an object; in this case they are de-words: het diamant (material), de diamant; het doek linen, de doek (m.) the cloth; het draad wire, de draad (m.) the thread.
The infinitive of verbs and all other parts of speech used as nouns: het opgaan van de zon sunrise, het ondergaan van de maan moonset, het schone the beautiful, het ja the yes, het waarom the why.
Names of continents, countries, provinces and towns: Amerika, Engeland, Zuid-Holland, Londen.
All diminutives ending in -je (-pje, -tje, etc.): kindje little child, bloempje little flower, mannetje little man.
The words ending in -dom, except those which denote a state or condition: bisdom bishopric, vorstendom principality, christendom Christianity, heidendom paganism.
All words ending in -schap when they express a dignity, an occupation or a territory: priesterschap priesthood, koningschap kingship, meesterschap mastery; also: genootschap society, gereedschap tools, gezelschap company. Verwantschap relationship or affinity is feminine.
All words ending in -sel: overblijfsel remainder, raadsel riddle, blauwsel laundry blue.
The nouns formed from the root of a verb with the inseparable prefixes be-, ge-, onder-, ont-, ver-: bedrag amount, gebruik use, onderwijs or onderricht instruction, ontstaan origin, verlies loss. Except: verkoop (m.) sale, verbouw (m.) cultivation, and ontvangst (f.) reception.Compound nouns
Compound nouns have the gender of the principal word, which is the last: hoef (m.) hoof, de paardenhoef (m.) a horse's hoof; maand (f.) month, de zomermaand (f.) the summer month; geloof (n.) belief, het bijgeloof superstition.Words with two genders
Some words have two genders with a difference in meaning. Where one of the two is neuter, the article shows the difference: de atlas atlas, het atlas satin; de patroon patron, de patroon cartridge, het patroon pattern; de stof subject, material, het stof dust; de veer feather, spring, het veer ferry. Where both are de-words the difference is one of gender only and shows in the pronoun: deken (m.) = dean, (f.) = blanket; gang (m.) = gait, (f.) = corridor; hoop (m.) = heap, (f.) = hope; muil (m.) = mule or muzzle, (f.) = slipper; traan (m.) = tear, (f.) = train-oil; val (m.) = fall, (f.) = trap; vorst (m.) = prince, (f.) = frost or ridge; zegen (m.) = blessing, (f.) = drag-net. Zaal (f.) is a hall; the neuter zaal for a saddle survives only in older texts, the word being zadel (n.).Verbs of this lesson, with their principal parts
plegen to be accustomed, to be in the habit of ik placht (past tense only; the present pleeg is formal and rare)
verdrinken to drown, to be drowned ik verdrink, ik verdronk, ik ben verdronken
vragen to ask ik vraag, ik vroeg, ik heb gevraagdLesson 9: Masculine nouns
Masculine nouns are de-words
Masculine nouns take de, and the pronoun for them is hij. Some groups of meaning are masculine: men, male animals, trees, stones, coins, mountains, months, days and seasons.
Examples are de beuk, de berk, de euro, de cent and de zomer. A few groups have exceptions. Lente is feminine, though the other seasons are masculine.
Each entry in the list gives the Dutch word and then its English meaning, as in beuk beech. The mark f. means feminine. The mark m. means masculine.
Masculine endings
Some endings mark a masculine word. Words of two syllables ending in -el, -em or -er are masculine, and most words ending in -en: de adem, de regen.
Words ending in -ling are masculine, such as krakeling. Words ending in -ing are masculine too when they do not come from a verb, such as ketting.
Words ending in -dom are masculine when they name a state or condition. De rijkdom is wealth.
- 173
the beech, the birch
dethebeuk,beechdetheberkberk - 174
the euro, the cent, the guilder
detheeuro,eurodethecent,penniesdetheguldenguilders - 175
the summer and the winter
dethezomersummerenanddethewinterwinter - 176
the rain, the storm, the breath
detheregen,raindethestorm,stormdetheadembreath - 177
wealth, the right of possession
detherijkdom,wealthdetheeigendomproperty
Lesson 9: Feminine nouns
Feminine nouns are de-words
Feminine nouns take de, and the pronoun for them is zij. Female persons and female animals are feminine. So are most flowers, fruits and vegetables, and some materials, such as wol and zijde.
Examples are de roos, de lelie and de peer. One exception is het wijf, a coarse word that polite speakers never use.
Words of two syllables ending in -e, -de or -te are feminine when they name things. Examples are de aarde, de hoogte and de ellende.
Feminine endings and the pronoun
The endings -heid, -nis, -teit, -iek, -age and -ij mark feminine words: de goedheid, de majesteit, de fabriek. Words in -schap are feminine when they name a group of people or a condition: de vriendschap.
In the Netherlands, zij is kept for female people and animals, and for nouns in -heid, -ing, -nis, -teit, -schap and -ij. A thing such as roos or tafel is referred to as hij, or in speech as die.
The article is de in every case. Only the pronoun differs: De regering? Zij heeft geantwoord.
- 178
the rose, the lily, the pear
detheroos,rosedethelelie,lilydethepeerpear - 179
the earth, the height, the misery
detheaarde,earthdethehoogte,heightdetheellendemisery - 180
goodness, majesty, the factory
dethegoedheid,goodnessdethemajesteit,Majestydethefabriekfactory - 181
the reward, the friendship
dethebeloning,rewarddethevriendschapfriendship - 182
The government? It has answered.
Detheregering?GovernmentZijshe; theyheeftto have, to have hadgeantwoord.to answer
Lesson 9: Neuter nouns
Neuter nouns are het-words
Neuter nouns take het. Some groups of meaning are neuter: young animals, groups of people or things, materials, continents, countries and towns.
Examples are het veulen, het kalf, het volk, het leger, het goud, het brood and het zout. A material that becomes an object may change class. Het doek is linen. De doek is a cloth.
Neuter endings and forms
All words ending in -je are neuter, such as het kindje and het bloempje. They name something small.
Words ending in -sel are neuter, such as het raadsel. So are most nouns made from a verb with be-, ge-, onder-, ont- or ver- at the front: het gebruik, het verlies.
A verb used as a noun is neuter too: het opgaan van de zon.
- 183
the horse, the foal, the calf
hetit; thepaard,horsehetit; theveulen,veulenhetit; thekalfcalf - 184
the people, the army, the village
hetit; thevolk,peoplehetit; theleger,armyhetit; thedorpvillage - 185
gold, bread, salt, water
hetit; thegoud,goldhetit; thebrood,breadhetit; thezout,salthetit; thewaterwater - 186
the little child, the little flower
hetit; thekindje,childhetit; thebloempjelittle flower - 187
the riddle, the use, the loss
hetit; theraadsel,riddlehetit; thegebruik,usehetit; theverliesloss
Lesson 9: Compound nouns (and 1 more)
The last part decides
A compound noun joins two words into one noun. The last part is the main word, and it decides the gender.
Hoef is masculine, so paardenhoef is masculine. Maand is feminine, so zomermaand is feminine.
Geloof is a het-word, so bijgeloof is a het-word too: het geloof, het bijgeloof.
One word, two meanings
A few words have two genders, and the gender changes the meaning.
Where one of the two is a het-word, the article shows the difference. De stof is material. Het stof is dust. De veer is a feather. Het veer is a ferry.
Two de-words with different meanings
Sometimes both meanings are de-words. The article is the same, so only the pronoun shows the meaning.
Hoop as a masculine word is a heap. Hoop as a feminine word is hope. Gang as a masculine word is a gait, and as a feminine word it is a corridor.
So de hoop is groot can mean the heap is big, or the hope is great.
- 188
the hoof, the horse's hoof
dethehoef,needdethepaardenhoefhorse's hoof - 189
the month, the summer month
dethemaand,monthdethezomermaandsummer month - 190
the belief, the superstition
hetit; thegeloof,believehetit; thebijgeloofsuperstition - 191
the material, the dust
dethestof,matterhetit; thestofmatter - 192
the feather, the ferry
detheveer,springhetit; theveerspring
In een medicijnkist verdronken
- 195
Drowned in a medicine chest
Inineenamedicijnkistmedicine chestverdronkento drown, to be drowned - 196
The doctor of an English ship used to prescribe salt water to his patients for every ailment.
Dethedokterphysician, doctorvanof, fromeenaEngelsEngelsschipship, shipsplachtto be accustomed, to be in the habit ofbijat, near, withalleallkwalenindisposition, ailmentzoutsalt waterwatersalt wateraanon, at, tozijnhis; to bepatiëntenpatientsvoorfortetoschrijven.to write - 197
One evening, during a sailing trip, he fell overboard and drowned.
Opon, uponeenaavond,eveningtijdensduringeenazeiltocht,sailing tripvielfellhijheoverboordoverboardenandverdronk.to drown, to be drowned - 198
The next day the captain, who knew nothing of the accident, asked one of the sailors: “Do you happen to know where the doctor is?”
Dethevolgendenext, followingdagdayvroegaskeddethekapitein,captaindiewho (relative)nietsnothingvanof, fromhetit; theongevalaccidentwist,knewaanon, at, toeenavanof, fromdethematrozen:sailor, sailors“Weetknowjeyou; yourookalso, likewisewaarwhere; truedethedokterphysician, doctoris?”is - 199
“Oh yes,” answered Jack, “he drowned last night in his own medicine chest.”
“Jawel,”oh yes! yes indeed!antwoorddeansweredJack,Jack“hijheisisgisternachtlast nightininzijnhis; to beeigenownmedicijnkistmedicine chestverdronken.”to drown, to be drowned
- dokter
- physician, doctor
- schip
- ship, ships
- zout
- salt
- water
- salt water (zout water)
- avond
- evening
- van
- on the occasion of; during (bij gelegenheid van)
- zeiltocht
- sailing trip
- kapitein
- captain
- ongeval
- accident
- medicijnkist
- medicine chest
- Engels
- English
- Jawel
- oh yes! yes indeed!
- zijn
- to prescribe to his (patients) (voorschrijven aan zijn)
Lesson 9: conversation
- 200
What did the English doctor use to prescribe for every ailment?
Watwhatplachtto be accustomed, to be in the habit ofdetheEngelseEnglishdokterphysician, doctorbijat, near, withalleallkwalenindisposition, ailmentvoorfortetoschrijven?to write - 201
To whom did he prescribe that?
Aanon, at, towiewhoschreefto writehijhedatthat; that (conjunction)voor?for - 202
When and on what occasion did he fall overboard and drown?
Wanneerwhenenandbijat, near, withwelkewhich, whatgelegenheidoccasion, opportunityvielfellhijheoverboordoverboardenandverdronkto drown, to be drownedhij?he - 203
Of what did the captain know nothing?
Waarvanof whichwistto knowdethekapiteincaptainniets?nothing - 204
He used to prescribe salt water for every ailment.
Hijheplachtto be accustomed, to be in the habit ofbijat, near, withalleallkwalenindisposition, ailmentzoutsalt waterwatersalt watervoorfortetoschrijven.to write - 205
He prescribed that to his patients.
Hijheschreefto writedatthat; that (conjunction)aanon, at, tozijnhis; to bepatiëntenpatientsvoor.for - 206
One evening, during a sailing trip, he fell overboard and drowned.
Opon, uponeenaavond,eveningtijdensduringeenazeiltocht,sailing tripvielfellhijheoverboordoverboardenandverdronkto drown, to be drownedhij.he - 207
The captain knew nothing of the accident.
Dethekapiteincaptainwistto knownietsnothingvanof, fromhetit; theongeval.accident
- 208
What did he ask one of the sailors?
Watwhatvroegto askhijheaanon, at, toeenavanof, fromdethematrozen?sailor, sailors - 209
What did Jack answer?
Watwhatantwoorddeto answerJack?Jack - 210
He asked one of the sailors: “Do you happen to know where the doctor is?”
Hijhevroegaskedaanon, at, toeenavanof, fromdethematrozen:sailor, sailors“Weetknowjeyou; yourookalso, likewisewaarwhere; truedethedokterphysician, doctoris?”is - 211
Jack answered: “Oh yes, he drowned last night in his own medicine chest.”
JackJackantwoordde:answered“Jawel,oh yes! yes indeed!hijheisisgisternachtlast nightininzijnhis; to beeigenownmedicijnkistmedicine chestverdronken.”to drown, to be drowned
Lesson 9: exercise 16
- 212
een aanbod
offer
- 213
een afgod
idol
- 214
een avond
evening
- 215
een aarde
earth
- 216
een april
April
- 217
een arbeid
labour
- 218
een adem
breath
- 219
een adeldom
nobility
- 220
een azijn
vinegar
- 221
een aak
longboat
- 222
een boek
book
- 223
een brand
fire
- 224
een bek
beak
- 225
een beeltenis
image
- 226
een begeerlijkheid
desirability
- 227
een berk
birch
- 228
een beurs
purse
- 229
een bezem
broom
- 230
een blauwsel
blue (laundry blue)
- 231
een bankier
banker
- 232
een blad
leaf
- 233
een bad
bath
- 234
een bevel
command
- 235
een brood
bread
- 236
een boom
tree
- 237
een bouw
building, construction
- 238
een beuk
beech
- 239
een beitel
chisel
- 240
een bark
barque
- 241
een beloning
reward
- 242
een bedelarij
beggary
- 243
een bisdom
bishopric
- 244
een bloempje
little flower
- 245
een bedrag
amount
- 246
een bes
berry
- 247
een brik
brig
- 248
een christendom
Christianity
- 249
een cent
cent
- 250
een canapé
sofa
- 251
een dag
day
- 252
een dood
death
- 253
een dorpsherberg
village inn
- 254
een dracht
dress, costume
- 255
een dorst
thirst
- 256
een duif
pigeon
- 257
een december
December
- 258
een dienst
service
- 259
een dwaasheid
folly
- 260
een doek
cloth
- 261
een diamant
diamond
- 262
een dinsdag
Tuesday
- 263
een dienstbaarheid
servitude
- 264
een driemaster
three-master
- 265
een draad
thread
- 266
een eten
food, meal
- 267
een ei
egg
- 268
een einde
end
- 269
een eikenloof
oak leaves
- 270
een ellende
misery
- 271
een fabriek
factory
- 272
een februari
February
- 273
een goed
goods, property
- 274
een gelegenheid
occasion
- 275
een gebergte
mountain range
- 276
een guinje
guinea
- 277
een gat
hole
- 278
een goedheid
goodness
- 279
een genootschap
society
- 280
een graan
grain
- 281
een gulden
guilder
- 282
een gereedschap
tools
- 283
een gewin
gain
- 284
een goud
gold
- 285
een gehucht
hamlet
- 286
een gebruik
use
- 287
een gezelschap
company
- 288
een gebeente
bones
- 289
een honger
hunger
- 290
een hond
dog
- 291
een honing
honey
- 292
een heidendom
paganism
- 293
een huis
house
- 294
een hoofd
head
- 295
een hemel
sky, heaven
- 296
een horloge
watch
- 297
een hoogte
height
- 298
een hand
hand
- 299
een invloed
influence
- 300
een inkt
ink
- 301
een juni
June
- 302
een jaar
year
- 303
een krekel
cricket
- 304
een kalf
calf
- 305
een kind
child
- 306
een kleed
garment, cloth
- 307
een kleinood
jewel
- 308
een kruin
crown (of the head, of a tree)
- 309
een kracht
strength
- 310
een koffie
coffee
- 311
een koude
cold
- 312
een lucifertje
little match
- 313
een lepel
spoon
- 314
een lam
lamb
- 315
een lied
song
- 316
een lid
member, limb
- 317
een lucht
air
- 318
een lei
slate
- 319
een lelie
lily
- 320
een linde
lime-tree
- 321
een lettergreep
syllable
- 322
een last
load
- 323
een lichaam
body
- 324
een leger
army
- 325
een maaltijd
meal
- 326
een misdaad
crime
- 327
een maand
month
- 328
een maart
March
- 329
een mond
mouth
- 330
een maag
stomach
- 331
een mosterd
mustard
- 332
een maandag
Monday
- 333
een majesteit
majesty
- 334
een nacht
night
- 335
een ontbijt
breakfast
- 336
een ongesteldheid
indisposition
- 337
een onderwijs
instruction
- 338
een ontstaan
origin
- 339
een oktober
October
- 340
een oog
eye
- 341
een overblijfsel
remainder
- 342
een plaats
place
- 343
een plan
plan
- 344
een pen
pen
- 345
een pracht
splendour
- 346
een peer
pear
- 347
een paard
horse
- 348
een prijs
price
- 349
een rekening
bill
- 350
een rivier
river
- 351
een rijtuig
carriage
- 352
een rots
rock
- 353
een rad
wheel
- 354
een rund
head of cattle
- 355
een rij
row
- 356
een room
cream
- 357
een robijn
ruby
- 358
een rijksdaalder
rijksdaalder (two and a half guilders)
- 359
een regen
rain
- 360
een raadsel
riddle
- 361
een rogge
rye
- 362
een rijkdom
wealth
- 363
een schat
treasure
- 364
een steen
stone
- 365
een schouwburg
theatre
- 366
een stokslag
blow with a stick
- 367
een stuk
piece
- 368
een straat
street
- 369
een stad
town
- 370
een schip
ship
- 371
een sieraad
ornament
- 372
een spel
game
- 373
een slot
lock, castle
- 374
een sofa
sofa
- 375
een standbeeld
statue
- 376
een som
sum
- 377
een september
September
- 378
een stam
trunk, stem
- 379
een schoener
schooner
- 380
een storm
storm
- 381
een siroop
syrup
- 382
een schaduw
shadow
- 383
een slijtage
wear and tear
- 384
een tuin
garden
- 385
een twist
quarrel
- 386
een tak
branch
- 387
een tafel
table
- 388
een tralie
bar (of a grating)
- 389
een turf
peat
- 390
een tijd
time
- 391
een trompet
trumpet
- 392
een tarwe
wheat
- 393
een uurwerk
clockwork
- 394
een uniform
uniform
- 395
een vinger
finger
- 396
een vlees
meat
- 397
een vigilante
cab
- 398
een vrees
fear
- 399
een verjaardag
birthday
- 400
een vlo
flea
- 401
een vat
barrel
- 402
een verbazing
astonishment
- 403
een vogeltje
little bird
- 404
een verdriet
sorrow
- 405
een vrede
peace
- 406
een vonnis
sentence, verdict
- 407
een vaderland
native country
- 408
een val
fall
- 409
een vriendschap
friendship
- 410
een veulen
foal
- 411
een verwantschap
relationship
- 412
een verlies
loss
- 413
een volk
people
- 414
een vorstendom
principality
Lesson 10: Declension: verbuiging
A noun has two forms
A Dutch noun does not change for the job it does in the sentence. It changes only for number.
The singular is the form for one thing: de vorst. The noun has one singular form and one plural form.
De vorst komt. Ik zie de vorst. Het paleis van de vorst. The noun vorst looks the same each time.
Case in older Dutch
A case is a form of a noun that shows its job in the sentence. Modern Dutch nouns have no cases.
Older written Dutch had them, and so did Multatuli. A noun could take an ending to show that it was the owner of something.
Most nouns took -s, as in des velds. A small group took -en, as in des boden and des harten.
- 429
The monarch is coming.
Dethevorstprincekomt.to come - 430
I see the monarch.
IkIzieto seedethevorst.prince - 431
the palace of the monarch
hetit; thepaleispalacevanof, fromdethevorstprince
Declension: verbuiging
A noun is not declined for case. It has two forms, the singular and the plural, and the same form serves as subject, object and after a preposition: de vorst komt, ik zie de vorst, het paleis van de vorst. Possession is expressed with van or, for persons, with -s. Older written Dutch, and Multatuli, had two declensions, a strong one with the genitive in -s (des vorsten, des velds) and a weak one with the genitive in -en (des boden, des harten).The noun in the singular: possession
The singular (enkelvoud) of a noun has one form, whatever its place in the sentence. Possession is expressed in two ways.
With van, for any noun: van het huis of the house, van het moeras of the swamp, van de loods of the pilot, van het gebergte of the mountain range, van het einde of the end, van de mens, van de paus, van de getuige.
With -s on the name of a person or a family word standing before the noun it possesses: moeders verjaardag mother's birthday, tantes hondje aunt's little dog, Maries hoed Mary's hat, vaders huis father's house. The -s is written straight on to the name; an apostrophe is used only after a name ending in a vowel that would otherwise be read short (Anna's hoed, Otto's boek) or in s (Hans' boek). A pronoun or an adjective before such an expression keeps its ordinary form: mijn moeders verjaardag, mijn oude tantes hondje.
Older written Dutch, and Multatuli, had a genitive case with its own endings, -s for most masculine and neuter nouns (des vaders, des velds) and -en for a small weak class (des boden, des getuigen, des menschen, des prinsen, des harten), and it survives in fixed phrases such as de heer des huizes, in naam der wet, 's lands wijs.The plural: meervoud
Rules for the formation of the plural (meervoud): All nouns take -en or -s. Note. A few neuter nouns take -er- before the plural ending.
The following nouns take -s in the plural: a) all diminutives (verkleinwoorden), which are of more frequent use than in English or German: het huisje, de huisjes; het boompje the little tree, de boompjes. b) nearly all words ending in -el, -em, -en, -aar, -ier, -aard, -erd, -age; some of them admit also of the ending -en, especially in elevated style; conversational language and common style prefer -s. Examples: lepel spoon, lepels; bezem broom, bezems; keten chain, ketens or ketenen; leraar teacher, leraars or leraren; bankier banker, bankiers; luiaard sluggard, luiaards; lieverd darling, lieverds; bosschage (n.) little wood, bosschages. Except: engel angel, lauwer laurel, wonder wonder, miracle, christen Christian, which take -en: engelen, lauweren, wonderen, christenen. c) The words: ra (f.) yard, vla (f.) custard, eega husband, kok cook, bruigom bridegroom, vaandrig ensign; plural: ra's, vla's, eega's, koks, bruigoms, vaandrigs. A word ending in a single vowel takes the -s with an apostrophe.
All the other nouns take -en: pen (f.) pen, pennen; hoed (m.) hat, hoeden; duif (f.) pigeon, duiven; turf (f.) peat, turven; huis (n.) house, huizen; muis (f.) mouse, muizen. Note. In words of foreign origin s is generally written in the plural instead of z: struis (m.) ostrich, struisen; kruis (n.) cross, kruisen; kaars (f.) candle, kaarsen; kers cherry, kersen; dans (m.) dance, dansen; krans (m.) garland, kransen; lans (f.) lance, lansen; schrans sponger, schransen; prins, prinsen; spons (f.) sponge, sponsen; boomschors (f.) bark, boomschorsen; paus pope, pausen; saus sauce, sausen; kous stocking, kousen.
Some neuter nouns take -er- before the plural ending -en: ei, eieren; goed goods (ware), goederen; kalf calf, kalveren; lam lamb, lammeren; lied song, liederen; rad wheel, raderen; volk nation, volken or volkeren; gemoed mind, gemoederen.
A few neuter nouns have -eren beside another plural, with a difference of meaning or of style: blad, bladeren (leaves of a tree) and bladen (sheets, newspapers); hoen hen, hoenders; kind, kinderen; rund cow, runderen.The noun's two forms: strong nouns
A noun with its article has one form in the singular and one in the plural, and the article of the plural is de for every noun.
Masculine de leraar, plural de leraars or de leraren; een mond, plural monden.
Feminine de vrouw, plural de vrouwen; een hand, plural handen.
Neuter het veld (field), plural de velden; een boekje, plural boekjes.
The same forms serve as subject, object and after a preposition: de leraar spreekt, ik zie de leraar, het boek van de leraar, aan de leraar. Older written Dutch, and Multatuli, gave each of these nouns four cases (des leeraars, den leeraar; der vrouw; des velds, den velde), and the old dative survives in te velde in the field and in phrases such as in den beginne.The noun's two forms: the old weak nouns
The nouns of the old weak class go like every other noun: de bode messenger, plural de boden; een graaf count, plural graven; het hart heart, plural de harten. Older written Dutch, and Multatuli, gave these a genitive in -en (des boden, eens graven, des harten), and that ending is met in fixed phrases such as van ganser harte with all one's heart and in the official name of Den Haag, 's-Gravenhage, the count's hedge.Verbs of this lesson, with their principal parts
toelaten to admit, to permit ik laat toe, ik liet toe, ik heb toegelaten
nemen to take ik neem, ik nam, ik heb genomen
weggaan to go away ik ga weg, ik ging weg, ik ben weggegaan
hangen to hang ik hang, ik hing, ik heb gehangen
wegdrijven to drive away; to drift away ik drijf weg, ik dreef weg, ik heb weggedreven (driven away), ik ben weggedreven (drifted away)Lesson 10: The noun in the singular: possession
Two ways to show who owns
Possession means that a thing belongs to someone. Dutch has two ways to show it.
The first way uses van, and it works for any noun: het huis van de vader, van het moeras, van de loods.
The second way adds -s to the name of a person or to a family word: Maries hoed, vaders huis, moeders verjaardag. The owner comes first, then the thing owned.
Writing the -s
The -s is written straight on to the name. After a name that ends in a vowel, an apostrophe keeps the vowel long: Anna's hoed, Otto's boek.
After a name that ends in s, the apostrophe stands alone: Hans' boek.
A word before the owner keeps its ordinary form: mijn moeders verjaardag, mijn oude tantes hondje.
Older written Dutch had a separate form for the owner. It survives in fixed phrases such as in naam der wet.
- 432
the house of the father
hetit; thehuishousevanof, fromdethevaderthe father - 433
mother's birthday
moedersMothersverjaardagbirthday - 434
aunt's little dog
tantesauntshondjethe dog, dogs - 435
Mary's hat
MariesMariehoedhat - 436
my old aunt's little dog
mijnmyoudeoldtantesaunt's little doghondjeaunt's little dog - 437
in the name of the law
ininnaamnamederof thewetlaw
Lesson 10: The plural: meervoud
Plural: -en or -s
Every Dutch noun forms its plural with -en or with -s. The end of the word mostly decides which one.
A diminutive is a word for a small thing. Every diminutive takes -s: het huisje, de huisjes.
Most other nouns take -en: de hoed, de hoeden. A final f becomes v: de duif, de duiven. A final s usually becomes z: het huis, de huizen.
Many borrowed words keep the s: de prins, de prinsen.
Nouns that take -s, and plurals in -eren
Nearly all words that end in -el, -em, -en, -aar or -ier also take -s: de lepel, de lepels. Some admit -en as well. Conversation prefers -s.
A few words take -en although their ending belongs to this group: de engel, de engelen.
A word that ends in a single vowel takes -s with an apostrophe: ra's, vla's.
Some neuter nouns put -er- before -en: het ei, de eieren. Het kind becomes de kinderen.
- 438
the little house, the little houses
hetit; thehuisje,little housedethehuisjeshouse - 439
the spoon, the spoons
dethelepel,spoondethelepelsspoon - 440
the angel, the angels
detheengel,angeldetheengelenangels - 441
the pigeon, the pigeons
detheduif,pigeonsdetheduivenpigeons - 442
the house, the houses
hetit; thehuis,housedethehuizenhouses
Lesson 10: The noun's two forms: strong nouns
One plural article for every noun
A noun with its article has one singular form and one plural form. The article of the plural is de for every noun, whatever its gender.
De vrouw becomes de vrouwen. Het veld becomes de velden. The plural of een mond is monden, with no article.
The same form serves as subject, as object and after a preposition: de leraar spreekt, ik zie de leraar, aan de leraar.
Older written Dutch gave each noun four cases, such as den velde. A few survive in fixed phrases: in den beginne.
The noun's two forms: strong nouns
A noun with its article has one form in the singular and one in the plural, and the article of the plural is de for every noun.
- 446
the teacher, the teachers
detheleraar,teacherdethelerarenteachers - 447
a mouth, mouths
eenamond,a mouth, mouthsmondena mouth, mouths - 448
the woman, the women
dethevrouw,a woman, a ladydethevrouwenwomen - 449
a hand, hands
eenahand,a hand, handshandena hand, hands - 450
the field, the fields
hetit; theveld,fielddetheveldenfields
Lesson 10: The noun's two forms: the old weak nouns
Old weak nouns follow the same pattern
A small group of nouns once formed a separate class, the old weak nouns. Today they go like every other noun.
Each has one singular and one plural: de bode, de boden. Een graaf becomes graven. Het hart becomes de harten.
Older written Dutch gave these nouns an ending in -en for the owner, as in des boden and des harten.
That ending survives in fixed phrases: van ganser harte, and 's-Gravenhage, the official name of Den Haag.
- 453
the messenger, the messengers
dethebode,messengerdethebodenoffered - 454
a count, counts
eenagraaf,a count, countsgravena count, counts - 455
the heart, the hearts
hetit; thehart,heartdethehartenhearts - 456
with all one's heart
vanof, fromganserwholeharteheart - 457
The Hague, the count's hedge
's-GravenhageThe Hague, the count's hedge
Tantalus
- 458
Tantalus
TantalusTantalus - 459
Tantalus, the son of Jupiter, was so loved by the gods that Jupiter admitted him to the meals of the gods and entrusted him with his plans for the future.
Tantalus,Tantalusdethezoonsonvanof, fromJupiter,Jupiterwasto be (irregular)bijat, near, withdethegodenthe godszoso, asgeliefd,loveddatthat; that (conjunction)JupiterJupiterhemhimtotuntil, todethemaaltijdenmeal, mealsvanof, fromdethegodenthe godstoelietpermittedenandhemhimzijnhis; to beplannenplan, plansvoorfordethetoekomstfuturetoevertrouwde.to entrust - 460
But Tantalus passed on to the mortals what he had heard from his father.
MaarbutTantalusTantalusdeeldeto communicate, to pass onwatwhathijhevanof, fromzijnhis; to bevaderthe fathergehoordto hearhadto have, to have hadaanon, at, todethestervelingenmortal, mortalsmee.along, with
- zoon
- son
- goden
- the gods
- toekomst
- future
- vader
- father
- geliefd
- loved
- Maar
- but
- 461
For this crime he was set in the water in the underworld.
Wegenson account of, because ofdezethe latter (the most recently mentioned)misdaadcrimewerdto become, to gethijheinindetheonderwereldunderworldininhetit; thewaterwatergezet.to put, to set - 462
But he always had to suffer thirst, for every time he wanted to take a drink, the water went away.
Hijhemoestto have to, mustechterhoweveraltijdalwaysdorstto suffer thirstlijden,to suffer thirstwantfor, becausetelkensevery timealsifhijheeenaslokdraught, sipwildeto want, to wishnemen,to takegingto gohetit; thewaterwaterweg.away; road - 463
Apples hung above his head, but every time he tried to pluck them, the wind drove the branches away.
Erthere hunghingenthere hungappelsapplesbovenabove, overzijnhis; to behoofd,headmaarbuttelkensevery timealsifhijhediewho (relative)trachttetriedafofftetoplukken,to pluckdreefto drive away; to drift awaydethewindwinddethetakkenbranch, branchesweg.away; road - 464
According to others a rock must have hung above his head, and he lived in the everlasting fear that it would come crashing down.
Volgensaccording toanderenothersmoetto have to, musterthereeenarotsrockbovenabove, overzijnhis; to behoofdheadhebbento have, to have hadgehangen,to hangenandleefdelivedhijheinindetheeeuwigdurendeeverlastingvreesfeardatthat; that (conjunction)dezethe latter (the most recently mentioned)zoushould, wouldneerstorten.come crashing down
- misdaad
- crime
- onderwereld
- underworld
- dorst
- thirst
- slok
- draught, sip
- hoofd
- head
- wind
- wind
- rots
- rock
- vrees
- fear
- Wegens
- on account of, because of
- Volgens
- according to
- boven
- above, over
- echter
- however
- want
- for, because
- telkens
- every time
- hingen
- there hung (er hingen)
- lijden
- to suffer thirst (dorst lijden)
- gezet
- to be set; he was set (gezet worden)
Lesson 10: conversation
- 465
Who was Tantalus?
Wiewhowasto be (irregular)Tantalus?Tantalus - 466
How much was he loved by the gods?
Hoezeeralthoughwasto be (irregular)hijhebijat, near, withdethegodenthe godsgeliefd?loved - 467
What did the gods entrust to him?
Watwhatvertrouwdentrusteddethegodenthe godshemhimtoe?to - 468
What did Tantalus pass on to the mortals?
WatwhatdeeldesharedTantalusTantalusaanon, at, todethestervelingenmortal, mortalsmee?along, with - 469
Tantalus was the son of Jupiter.
TantalusTantaluswasto be (irregular)dethezoonsonvanof, fromJupiter.Jupiter - 470
He was so loved by the gods that Jupiter admitted him to the meals of the gods.
Hijhewasto be (irregular)bijat, near, withdethegodenthe godszoso, asgeliefd,loveddatthat; that (conjunction)JupiterJupiterhemhimtotuntil, todethemaaltijdenmeal, mealsvanof, fromdethegodenthe godstoeliet.permitted - 471
Jupiter entrusted him with his plans for the future.
JupiterJupitervertrouwdeentrustedhemhimzijnhis; to beplannenplan, plansvoorfordethetoekomstfuturetoe.to - 472
He passed on to the mortals what he had heard from his father.
Hijhedeeldeto communicate, to pass onaanon, at, todethestervelingenmortal, mortalsmeealong, withwatwhathijhevanof, fromzijnhis; to bevaderthe fathergehoordto hearhad.to have, to have had
- 473
How was he punished?
Hoehowwerdto become, to gethijhegestraft?punished - 474
Could he quench his thirst? No, for . . .
Koncouldhijhezijnhis; to bedorstthirstlessen?lessonsNee,nowantfor, because... - 475
Why could he not pluck the apples above his head?
Waaromwhykonto be able (can)hijhedetheappelsapplesbovenabove, overzijnhis; to behoofdheadnietnotafplukken?to pluck - 476
What, according to others, must have hung above his head?
Watwhatmoetto have to, mustertherevolgensaccording toanderenothersbovenabove, overzijnhis; to behoofdheadgehangento hanghebben?to have, to have had - 477
He was set in the water in the underworld.
Hijhewerdto become, to getinindetheonderwereldunderworldininhetit; thewaterwatergezet.to put, to set - 478
No, for every time he wanted to take a drink, the water went away.
Nee,nowantfor, becausetelkensevery timealsifhijheeenaslokdraught, sipwildeto want, to wishnemen,to takegingto gohetit; thewaterwaterweg.away; road - 479
Because the wind drove the branches away every time.
Omdatbecausedethewindwindtelkensevery timedethetakkenbranch, brancheswegdreef.drove away - 480
According to others a rock must have hung above his head.
Volgensaccording toanderenothersmoetto have to, musterthereeenarotsrockbovenabove, overzijnhis; to behoofdheadgehangento hanghebben.to have, to have had
Lesson 10: exercise 17
Lesson 10: exercise 18
- 491
de avonden
the evenings
- 492
de boeken
the books
- 493
de bruigoms
the bridegrooms
- 494
de bekken
the beaks
- 495
de bezems
the brooms
- 496
de beeltenissen
the images
- 497
de beurzen
the purses
- 498
de boorden
the boards
- 499
de bankiers
the bankers
- 500
de christenen
the Christians
- 501
de dorpsherbergen
the village inns
- 502
de dokters
the doctors
- 503
de dronken
the draughts
- 504
de eega's
the husbands (spouses)
- 505
de engelen
the angels
- 506
de goederen
the goods
- 507
de guinjes
the guineas
- 508
de gierigaards
the misers
- 509
de geneesheren
the physicians
- 510
de honden
the dogs
- 511
de herbergiers
the innkeepers
- 512
de huizen
the houses
- 513
de hoeken
the corners
- 514
de hoofden
the heads
- 515
de jaren
the years
- 516
de krekels
the crickets
- 517
de koks
the cooks
- 518
de koningen
the kings
- 519
de knechten
the servants
- 520
de koetsiers
the coachmen
- 521
de lauweren
the laurels
- 522
de lucifertjes
the little matches
- 523
de monden
the mouths
- 524
de matrozen
the sailors
- 525
de medicijnkisten
the medicine chests
- 526
de misdaden
the crimes
- 527
de maaltijden
the meals
- 528
de nachten
the nights
- 529
de heren
the gentlemen
- 530
de gastheren
the hosts
- 531
de hertogen
the dukes
- 532
de prinsen
the princes
- 533
de ketens
the chains
- 534
de duiven
the pigeons
- 535
de lammeren
the lambs
- 536
de runderen
the cattle
- 537
de gemoederen
the minds
- 538
de liederen
the songs
- 539
de luiaards
the sluggards
- 540
de huisjes
the little houses
- 541
de loodsen
the pilots
- 542
de einden
the ends
- 543
de huizen
the houses
- 544
de gebergten
the mountain ranges
- 545
de klinkers
the vowels
- 546
de maten
the comrades
- 547
de medeklinkers
the consonants
- 548
de muizen
the mice
- 549
de ongevallen
the accidents
- 550
de profeten
the prophets
- 551
de plaatsen
the places
- 552
de paarden
the horses
- 553
de pausen
the popes
- 554
de patiënten
the patients
- 555
de plannen
the plans
- 556
de ra's
the yards (of a ship)
- 557
de reizigers
the travellers
- 558
de rekeningen
the bills
- 559
de rivieren
the rivers
- 560
de rijtuigen
the carriages
- 561
de rotsen
the rocks
- 562
de schatten
the treasures
- 563
de stenen
the stones
- 564
de schouwburgen
the theatres
- 565
de stokslagen
the blows with a stick
- 566
de studeervertrekken
the studies (rooms)
- 567
de stukken
the pieces
- 568
de straten
the streets
- 569
de stervelingen
the mortals
- 570
de tuinen
the gardens
- 571
de turven
the peats
- 572
de twisten
the quarrels
- 573
de takken
the branches
- 574
de vaandrigs
the ensigns
The particulars
- The course
- Valette, Dutch Conversation-Grammar (1913) and its Key (1893); Defense Language Institute, Dutch Refresher Course, Books I to III (1961). Public domain. The teaching pages, the readings' English, the answers to the conversations and the narration are ours.
- Reading aloud
- Digital narration, directed by 1732 Studios.
- The book
- Max Havelaar, the work this course leads to, free to read here.
- Data
- JSON · Markdown · A guide for agents