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- · Present Tense - Regular Verbs (stem + t/en)
- · Forming the Stem (drop -en, spelling rules)
- · Present Tense - Zijn (to be)
- · Present Tense - Hebben (to have)
- · Perfect Tense with Hebben
- · Perfect Tense with Zijn (movement, change of state)
- · Past Participle - Weak Verbs (ge + stem + d/t)
- · Past Participle - Common Strong Verbs (gegeten, gedronken, gelopen, geschreven)
- · Pluperfect (had/was + participle)
- · Future - Zullen vs Gaan vs Present
- · Future Perfect (zal/zullen + hebben/zijn + participle)
- · Conditional with Zou + Infinitive
- · Passive Voice - Full Paradigm (present, past, perfect, pluperfect, future)
- · Krijgen-passive (Hij kreeg het boek aangeboden)
- · Modal Verbs - Epistemic vs Deontic Use
- · Modal Verbs in Perfect with Double Infinitive - Nuance (heb moeten gaan)
- · Subjunctive Remnants in Modern Dutch
- · Complex Passive Paradigms: Modal, Perfect, Embedded
- · ACI Constructions: Perception and Causative Verbs
- · Infinitival Nominalization: het eten, het zwemmen
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- Present Tense - Regular Verbs (stem + t/en)
- Forming the Stem (drop -en, spelling rules)
- Present Tense - Zijn (to be)
- Present Tense - Hebben (to have)
- Present Tense - Irregular Core Verbs (gaan, doen, staan, zien, slaan)
- Present Tense - Komen and Willen
- Present Tense - Modal Verbs (kunnen, mogen, moeten, zullen)
- The 't kofschip / 't fokschaap Rule
- Present Tense - Stems Ending in -t or -d
- Present Tense - You-Inversion Drops -t (ga jij, kom jij)
- Present Tense - U Form (u + stem + t)
- Gaan + Infinitive for Near Future
- Zijn vs Hebben - Basic Distinction
- Er is / Er zijn - Existence (there is / are)
- Idiomatic Hebben Expressions (honger, dorst, het koud, het warm, gelijk)
- Common Zijn Expressions (moe, ziek, klaar, jarig)
- Kunnen + Infinitive (ability/possibility)
- Willen + Infinitive (wanting)
- Moeten + Infinitive (obligation/necessity)
- Weather Constructions with 'het' (het regent, het waait)
- Vinden + Adjective for Opinion (Ik vind het leuk)
- De-words vs Het-words - Basic Introduction
- All Diminutives are Het-words
- Gender Clues from Endings and Semantic Classes
- Indefinite Article Een
- No Article with Indefinite Plurals and Mass Nouns
- Demonstratives Deze/Die vs Dit/Dat
- Basic Quantifiers (veel, weinig, een paar, wat, genoeg)
- Adjective +E Rule (basic: after de, plural, definite)
- No -e with Indefinite Het-words (een leuk boek)
- Plural Formation (-en vs -s)
- Plural Spelling Changes (doubling, v→v, z→z, long-vowel simplification)
- Subject Pronouns (ik, jij/je, u, hij, zij/ze, het, wij/we, jullie, zij/ze)
- Full vs Reduced Pronoun Forms (jij/je, wij/we, zij/ze, het/'t)
- Object Pronouns (me, je, hem, haar, ons, jullie, hen/hun/ze)
- Hen vs Hun vs Ze (object forms)
- Reflexive Pronouns (me, je, zich, ons, je, zich)
- Possessive Adjectives (mijn, jouw/je, uw, zijn, haar, ons/onze, jullie, hun)
- Ons vs Onze (depending on de/het)
- Interrogative Pronouns and Adjective (wie, wat, welk(e), wat voor)
- Basic Location Prepositions (in, op, onder, naast, tussen, achter, voor, boven)
- In vs Op vs Aan (surface, container, attached to)
- Naar vs In (movement direction / into)
- Basic Time Prepositions (om, op, in, van... tot)
- Met, Zonder, Voor
- Preposition Bij (at, near, with someone's place)
- Cities, Countries, Regions (naar/in/uit + Nederland, Amsterdam)
- Niet - Sentence Negation
- Geen - Indefinite Noun Negation (contrast with niet)
- Questions by Intonation (informal)
- Basic Coordinating Conjunctions (en, maar, of)
- Cause: want vs omdat (intro; word-order preview)
- Time Sequence (eerst, dan, daarna, ten slotte)
- Addition (ook, en... ook)
- V2 Rule - Verb Second in Main Clauses
- Inversion after Fronted Element (Vandaag ga ik…)
- Yes/No Questions (verb-first inversion)
- WH-Questions (wie, wat, waar, wanneer, hoe, waarom)
- Modal + Infinitive at the End (werkwoordelijke eindgroep)
- Time - Manner - Place order (TMP / TMiP)
- Basic Placement of Niet
- Object Pronoun Position in Main Clauses
- Open vs Closed Syllables and Vowel Doubling
- Final Devoicing in Spelling (v→f, z→s)
- IJ vs EI - Basic Awareness
- Basic Capitalization (sentence, names, nationalities)
- IJ as a Single Letter in Capitalization (IJsland, IJssel)
- Jij/Je vs U - Basic Formal/Informal
- Greetings (Hallo, Hoi, Dag, Goedemorgen, Tot ziens, Doei)
- Recognising Cognates (NL-EN)
- Cardinal Numbers 1-100, Days, Months
- Perfect Tense with Hebben
- Perfect Tense with Zijn (movement, change of state)
- Past Participle - Weak Verbs (ge + stem + d/t)
- Past Participle - Common Strong Verbs (gegeten, gedronken, gelopen, geschreven)
- Mixed Verbs (brengen-bracht-gebracht, denken, kopen, zoeken, vragen)
- No "ge-" with Unstressed Prefixes (be-, ver-, ge-, ont-, her-, er-)
- Simple Past - Weak Verbs (stem + te/ten or de/den)
- Simple Past - Common Strong Verbs (at, dronk, liep, schreef)
- Simple Past - Was/Waren, Had/Hadden
- Imperative (stem / stem + t for u)
- Separable Verbs - Basic (opbellen, aankomen, meenemen)
- Separable Verbs - Position in Main Clause (particle to the end)
- Separable Verbs - Participle with -ge- Infix (opgebeld)
- Inseparable Prefix Verbs (vertellen, begrijpen, ontmoeten)
- Zullen + Infinitive (future, offer, promise)
- Mogen + Infinitive (permission)
- Aan het + Infinitive (progressive)
- Te + Infinitive after Common Verbs (proberen te, beloven te, vergeten te)
- Er - Existential (Er is/zijn …)
- Er - Locative (there, with fronting)
- Er - Quantitative ("of them / any of it")
- Relative Pronouns Die (de-words) and Dat (het-words)
- Demonstratives as Pronouns (dit is / die vind ik leuk)
- Possession with 's and Van
- Indefinite Pronouns (iemand/niemand, iets/niets, alles, ergens/nergens, overal)
- Zich vs Zichzelf
- Reciprocal Pronoun Elkaar (each other)
- Movement Prepositions (naar, door, over, langs, uit, vanuit)
- Time & Duration (sinds, sedert, tot, tussen, binnen, voor, na)
- Verb + Preposition - Basic Fixed Combinations (denken aan, houden van, luisteren naar, wachten op)
- Pronominal Adverbs - Basic (ermee, erop, erover, erbij, ervan)
- WH-Pronominal Adverbs (waarmee, waarover, waarvan)
- Transport (met de / op de / te voet)
- Geleden ("ago") Position after Time Expression
- Indirect Questions (Ik weet niet waar/of…)
- Comparative of Adjectives (-er, dan)
- Superlative of Adjectives (het + adj + -st)
- Irregular Comparatives (goed → beter → best; veel → meer → meest)
- Als vs Dan in Comparisons
- Equality Comparisons (net zo … als, even … als)
- Core Subordinating Conjunctions (omdat, dat, als, wanneer, terwijl)
- Consequence with Dus and Daarom
- Contrast (maar, hoewel)
- Purpose with Om + te + Infinitive
- Als vs Wanneer vs Toen (time/conditional)
- Subordinate Clauses - Verb(s) at the End
- Word Order after Omdat, Dat, Als, Wanneer
- Verb-First in Main Clause after Fronted Subordinate
- Perfect Tense Word Order (aux V2, participle final)
- Modal + Infinitive Cluster at the End
- Niet Placement - Intermediate Cases
- Position of Sentential Adverbs in the Middle Field
- Spelling Changes in Conjugation/Plural (zz→z, ff→f, double consonants)
- Compound Nouns - One Word (avondeten, kinderboek)
- Days, Months, Languages, Nationalities - Capitalization
- Apostrophe-S in Plurals and Possessives (foto's, Anna's boek)
- Politeness - Kunt/Kun je, Zou u (requests)
- Basic Letter/Email Openings and Closings
- Diminutives - Basic Meaning and Semantics
- Diminutives - Formation (-je, -tje, -etje, -pje, -kje)
- Common False Friends - Basic (NL-EN, NL-DE: bellen, slim, eventueel)
- Telling Time, Dates, Ordinals (eerste, tweede, twintigste)
- Pluperfect (had/was + participle)
- Future - Zullen vs Gaan vs Present
- Future Perfect (zal/zullen + hebben/zijn + participle)
- Conditional with Zou + Infinitive
- Conditional Perfect (zou + infinitive + hebben/zijn)
- Passive with Worden - Present
- State Passive with Zijn
- Perfect Passive (is/zijn + participle + ...)
- Perfect vs Imperfect - Choice in Narration
- Zullen - Will, Shall, Suggestion, Probability
- Moeten - Obligation, Deduction, Advice
- Mogen - Permission, Politeness, Probability
- Hoeven + niet/geen + te + Infinitive (don't have to)
- Laten - Causative / Letting
- Perception Verbs + Bare Infinitive (zien, horen, voelen)
- Komen, Gaan, Blijven + Bare Infinitive
- Past Participle Used as an Attributive Adjective
- Pseudo-Copulatives (worden, blijven, lijken, schijnen, blijken)
- Te + Infinitive after Adjectives (moeilijk te doen, leuk om te zien)
- Er + Preposition (replacing het + preposition)
- Er in Impersonal / Passive Constructions (Er wordt gedanst)
- Er - Quantitative - Advanced (Hoeveel heb je er?)
- Er - Combined Functions in One Clause
- Relative Wie / Wat + Preposition (voor wie, waarmee)
- Hetgeen / Datgene / Wat as Free Relatives
- Core Reflexive Verbs (zich vergissen, zich vervelen, zich herinneren)
- Independent Possessive Pronouns (de mijne, het zijne, van mij)
- Impersonal Subject: je (generic you) vs men (formal one)
- Verb + Preposition - Advanced Fixed Combinations
- Adjective + Preposition (blij met, bang voor, trots op)
- Noun + Preposition (behoefte aan, interesse in, angst voor)
- Pronominal Adverbs - Split vs Unsplit (Er denk ik niet over na)
- Compound Prepositions (ten opzichte van, door middel van, met behulp van)
- Voor vs Sinds vs Geleden (time expressions)
- Semantic Nuances of Aan, Op, Bij
- Conditional Clauses with Als (Type 1 & 2)
- Conditional Inversion (Had ik … geweten, …)
- Reported Speech (tense shift, pronoun shift)
- Advanced Relative Clauses (non-restrictive, prepositional antecedents)
- Cleft Sentences (Het is Jan die…)
- Exclamative Sentences (Wat mooi!, Wat een dag!)
- Advanced Reason Connectors (aangezien, doordat, vanwege)
- Result (zodat, zo … dat, zodanig dat)
- Concession (hoewel, ondanks, toch, desondanks)
- Addition (bovendien, daarnaast, verder, tevens)
- Advanced Time Connectors (zodra, sinds, totdat, voordat, nadat)
- Opinion Markers (volgens mij, mijns inziens, ik vind/denk dat)
- The "Tang" Construction (left and right sentence brackets)
- Verb Cluster Order (modal + participle / infinitive; "groene" vs "rode" volgorde)
- IPP - Infinitivus Pro Participio (Ik heb hem zien lopen)
- Te + Infinitive - Position in Clusters
- Separable Verbs in Subordinate Clauses
- Information Structure and Topicalization
- Position of Er as Preliminary Subject
- Tussen-n in Compounds (pannenkoek, boekenkast)
- Tussen-s in Compounds (stationsplein, dorpsplein)
- Hyphenation and Joining Rules
- Adverbial Use of Adjectives (no -ly equivalent, no -e inflection)
- Adjective Used as a Noun (de zieke, het goede, iets leuks)
- Formal Letter / Application Language
- Spoken vs Written Dutch Features (reduction, d-dropping, t-drop)
- Netherlands Dutch vs Flemish - Awareness
- Hedging and Softening (eigenlijk, eerlijk gezegd, misschien, een beetje)
- Intermediate False Friends (NL-EN, NL-DE)
- Common Dutch Collocations
- Word Formation: Common Suffixes (-heid, -ing, -schap, -ling)
- Percentages, Fractions, Large Numbers
- Passive Voice - Full Paradigm (present, past, perfect, pluperfect, future)
- Krijgen-passive (Hij kreeg het boek aangeboden)
- Modal Verbs - Epistemic vs Deontic Use
- Modal Verbs in Perfect with Double Infinitive - Nuance (heb moeten gaan)
- Zou - Hedging, Reported Content, Politeness
- Laten - Advanced Causative, Permissive, Reflexive (ik laat me snijden)
- Doen - Causative and Emphatic
- Posture Verbs + te + Infinitive (zit te lezen)
- Aspectual Periphrases (beginnen te, ophouden met, blijven, gaan)
- Past Participle in Complex Verb Clusters
- Stacked Er-Functions: Multiple Roles in One Clause
- Partitive Er with Numerals and Quantifiers
- Er in Impersonal Passive
- Er-Stranding: Long-Distance and Question Movement
- Er Placement with Modals and Verb Clusters
- Modal Particle 'wel': Affirmation and Contradiction
- Modal Particle 'toch': Contrast, Plea, Question Tag
- Modal Particle 'maar': Casual Permission and Reassurance
- Modal Particle 'even': Brief, Quick Action
- Modal Particle 'eens': Try It / Once
- Modal Particle 'nou' (nu): Discourse Setup and Mild Surprise
- Modal Particle 'hoor': Reassurance and Confirmation
- Modal Particle 'zeg': Address and Mild Surprise
- Stacked Particles: maar even, toch maar, nou eens
- Advanced Verb + Preposition Rection
- Adjective + Preposition Rection (Advanced)
- Noun + Preposition Rection (Advanced)
- Pronominal Adverbs in Formal vs Informal Register
- Abstract Prepositional Idioms and Set Phrases
- Concessive Connectors: hoewel, ofschoon, alhoewel
- Contrastive: terwijl, daarentegen, echter
- Causal: aangezien, doordat, vanwege
- Formal Conditionals: indien, mocht, tenzij
- Temporal Subordinators: zodra, voordat, nadat, totdat
- Indirect Speech: Backshifting and Pronoun Shift
- Cleft and Pseudo-Cleft Constructions
- Ellipsis and Gapping in Coordinate Clauses
- Proportional Comparison: naarmate, hoe...hoe..., hoe...des te...
- Purpose and Result: zodat, opdat, om te
- Multi-Clause Combining: Coordination + Subordination
- Dat-Clauses as Modifiers and Complements
- Verb Raising in Complex Clusters
- Green vs Red Order: Advanced Choices
- Extraposition of PP and Subordinate Clauses
- Scrambling: Object vs Adverb Order
- Advanced Niet Placement: Scope and Focus
- Advanced TMP: Time-Manner-Place with Multiple Adverbs
- Weesconstructie: Stranded te-Infinitive
- Fronting for Focus and Topicalization
- Advanced Formal Letter Conventions
- Register Shift: Lexical and Syntactic Markers
- Long/Short Vowel Spelling: Advanced Cases
- Compound Linking Letters: tussen-n, tussen-s
- Advanced False Friends EN/DE/NL
- Intermediate Idiomatic Expressions
- Advanced Collocations: Verb-Noun and Adjective-Noun
- Pragmatic Use of Diminutives
- Productive Suffixes for Word Formation
- Advanced De/Het Patterns and Predictors
- Loanword Inflection: Plurals and Diminutives
- Advanced Capitalisation Rules
- Register-Marked Lexical Pairs
- Advanced Hedging and Stance
- Subjunctive Remnants in Modern Dutch
- Complex Passive Paradigms: Modal, Perfect, Embedded
- ACI Constructions: Perception and Causative Verbs
- Infinitival Nominalization: het eten, het zwemmen
- Double Perfect: Hyper-Anteriority Marking
- Modal Complexity: Layered Inference and Distance
- Complex Counterfactual zou-Constructions
- Aspect via Periphrasis: Inceptive, Continuative, Iterative
- Extraposition with Complex Verb Clusters
- Disambiguating Er's Five Functions
- Complex Stranding Chains Across Clause Boundaries
- Partitive Er with Complex Quantifier Phrases
- Existential and Presentative Constructions: Subtle Distinctions
- Idiomatic Er-Chunks: erop, ervan, ertussen
- Reasoning Particles: immers, namelijk, toch
- Focus Particles: alleen, zelfs, juist, ook
- Ironic and Sarcastic Particle Combinations
- Textual Discourse Markers: Cohesion in Writing
- Modal Particle Chains for Layered Stance
- Regional/Dialectal Particles: Flemish vs Hollandic
- Pragmatic Softening Devices in Spoken Dutch
- Academic Dutch: Style and Conventions
- Journalistic Dutch: Headlines, Leads, Quotes
- Legal Dutch: Conventions and Archaic Forms
- Literary Devices: Inversion, Archaisms, Ellipsis
- Genre-Specific Passive Preferences
- Nominalisation Density: Style Calibration
- Archaic Pronouns and Relative Forms
- Advanced Text Cohesion: Reference, Substitution, Conjunction
- Near-Synonym Discrimination: kennen vs weten, leggen vs zetten, etc.
- Advanced Idiomatic Expressions
- Scalar Intensifiers and Approximators
- Precision with Aspectual Verbs: blijven, raken, slaan, vallen
- Register Bridging: Calibrating to Audience
- Collocational Extension: Advanced Verb-Noun and Light Verb Constructions
- Metaphor Recognition and Production
- Culturally Loaded Terms: gezelligheid, polderen, etc.
What the dutch guide covers
Verb usage (45) · Register (36) · Verb tenses (32) · Word order (30) · Prepositions (26) · Connectors (22) · Syntax (20) · Pronouns (19) · Vocabulary usage (19) · Er (18) · Orthography (16) · Determiners (7) · Agreement (7) · Numbers dates time (3)
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