Dutch word order: how to build a sentence

You may already know quite a few Dutch words. But in what order do you put them? In Dutch, the verb has a fixed place in the sentence. Once you know that place, you can quickly make correct sentences. This lesson shows the most important rules, with lots of examples.

Main clause: the verb in second place

In an ordinary sentence (a main clause), the conjugated verb comes in second place. The conjugated verb is the one that changes with ik (I), jij (you) or hij (he): ik werk, hij werkt. The subject often comes first.

Note: a ‘place’ is not always one word. Mijn broer (my brother) or om negen uur (at nine o’clock) together count as one place.

place 1	place 2 (verb)	the rest	meaning
Ik	woon	in Utrecht.	I live in Utrecht.
Mijn broer	werkt	in een winkel.	My brother works in a shop.
Wij	leren	Nederlands.	We are learning Dutch.
De les	begint	om negen uur.	The lesson starts at nine.

Starting with a time or place? Then inversion

You can also start the sentence with something else, such as a time (morgen ‘tomorrow’, vandaag ‘today’, om acht uur ‘at eight’) or a place (in de winkel ‘in the shop’, hier ‘here’). The verb stays in place 2. The subject then comes straight after the verb. This is called inversion.

place 1	place 2 (verb)	subject	the rest	meaning
Morgen	ga	ik	naar de dokter.	Tomorrow I am going to the doctor.
Vandaag	werkt	mijn vrouw	thuis.	Today my wife is working from home.
In de winkel	spreek	ik	Nederlands.	In the shop I speak Dutch.
Op zaterdag	speel	ik	voetbal.	On Saturdays I play football.

Not: Morgen ik ga naar de dokter. Correct: Morgen ga ik naar de dokter.

Questions

A yes/no question starts with the verb. A question with a question word (wat ‘what’, waar ‘where’, wanneer ‘when’, hoe ‘how’, wie ‘who’, waarom ‘why’) starts with the question word, and the verb comes in place 2.

type of question	example	meaning
yes/no	Woon je in Utrecht?	Do you live in Utrecht?
yes/no	Heb je kinderen?	Do you have children?
question word	Waar woon je?	Where do you live?
question word	Hoe laat begint de les?	What time does the lesson start?
question word	Wat doe je morgen?	What are you doing tomorrow?

Note: when je or jij comes after the verb, the -t disappears. You say jij werkt, but Werk jij morgen? (Are you working tomorrow?)

Two verbs: the second verb goes to the end

Does the sentence have two verbs? Then the conjugated verb stays in place 2 and the other verb goes all the way to the end. This happens, for example, with willen (want), kunnen (can), moeten (must) and gaan (going to), and in the perfect tense with hebben and zijn.

place 1	place 2	middle	end	meaning
Ik	wil	morgen	komen.	I want to come tomorrow.
Wij	moeten	om negen uur	beginnen.	We have to start at nine.
Ik	ga	vanavond	koken.	I am going to cook tonight.
Ik	heb	gisteren	gewerkt.	I worked yesterday.
Zij	is	naar de markt	gegaan.	She went to the market.
Morgen	kan	ik niet	komen.	I can’t come tomorrow.

Clauses with omdat or dat: the verb at the end

A subordinate clause is a clause that cannot stand on its own. It often starts with omdat (because), dat (that) or als (if, when). In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end.

main clause	subordinate clause	meaning
Ik blijf thuis,	omdat ik ziek ben.	I am staying at home because I am ill.
Ik kom niet,	omdat ik moet werken.	I am not coming because I have to work.
Ik denk	dat de winkel dicht is.	I think (that) the shop is closed.
Hij zegt	dat hij morgen komt.	He says (that) he is coming tomorrow.
Bel me	als je tijd hebt.	Call me if you have time.

Starting with the subordinate clause? Then the whole clause counts as place 1, and the verb comes next: Omdat ik ziek ben, blijf ik thuis.

Note: after want (because) it is not a subordinate clause. The verb simply stays in place 2: Ik blijf thuis, want ik ben ziek.

Verbs in two parts

Some verbs have two parts, such as opbellen (to call), meenemen (to take along), opstaan (to get up) and afspreken (to arrange to meet). In a main clause, the first part goes to the end of the sentence.

verb	example	meaning
opbellen	Ik bel mijn moeder vanavond op.	I am calling my mother tonight.
meenemen	Neem je een paraplu mee?	Are you taking an umbrella?
opstaan	Ik sta om zeven uur op.	I get up at seven.
afspreken	We spreken morgen om drie uur af.	We are meeting tomorrow at three.

With two verbs or in a subordinate clause, the verb stays in one piece: Ik wil mijn moeder opbellen. / …omdat ik mijn moeder opbel. In the perfect tense, ge goes in the middle: Ik heb mijn moeder opgebeld.

Everything at a glance

type of sentence	example	where is the verb?
main clause	Ik werk morgen.	place 2
inversion	Morgen werk ik.	place 2, subject after it
yes/no question	Werk je morgen?	place 1
question word	Wanneer werk je?	place 2
two verbs	Ik wil morgen werken.	place 2 + end
subordinate clause	…omdat ik morgen werk.	end

If you speak Farsi or Dari

• In Persian, the verb usually comes at the end of the sentence. In a Dutch main clause you move it forward, to place 2. Not: Ik morgen naar mijn werk ga. Correct: Ik ga morgen naar mijn werk.
• Starting with morgen, vandaag or nu (now)? Then put the verb straight after it: Vandaag ga ik naar school.
• In Persian you often turn a sentence into a question with just your voice. In Dutch, the word order changes too: Je woont hier. → Woon je hier?
• Good news: in a subordinate clause with omdat, dat or als, the verb goes at the end, just like in Persian. You already know that order.

You can practise this in the A1 course or with the free A1 word list.