Dutch has fixed rules for the order of words in a sentence. This page is about the normal sentence. It starts with the subject: the person or thing that does something.
The verb is in position 2
Position 1 is the subject. It can be one word (ik, Jan) or a group of words (mijn kleine dochter, my little daughter). Position 2 is the verb, in the form that matches the subject: ik werk, hij werkt.
| Position 1 (subject) | Position 2 (verb) | The rest | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ik | werk | vandaag. | I work today. |
| Mijn broer | woont | in Amsterdam. | My brother lives in Amsterdam. |
| Mijn kleine dochter | speelt | in de tuin. | My little daughter plays in the garden. |
If you start with a time, the verb still stays in position 2: Vandaag werk ik (this is called inversion).
After the verb: time, manner, place
The rest of the sentence comes after the verb. It often holds a time (when?), a manner (how?) and a place (where?). The fixed order is time, manner, place. English often does it the other way round: "I go to Utrecht by bus tomorrow". If there is no manner or place, just skip it.
| Subject + verb | Time (when?) | Manner (how?) | Place (where?) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ik ga | morgen | met de bus | naar Utrecht. |
| Wij fietsen | elke dag | samen | naar school. |
| Jan werkt | vandaag | - | op kantoor. |
| Maria zit | - | rustig | op de bank. |
The object: what or who
Many sentences also have an object: the thing or person the action is about. For example een brief (a letter), pasta or de taart (the cake). A short time word like nu, morgen or vandaag usually comes before the object.
- Wij eten vanavond pasta.We are eating pasta tonight.
- Ik schrijf morgen een brief.I am writing a letter tomorrow.
- Anna bakt morgen de taart.Anna is baking the cake tomorrow.
Two verbs: the second one goes to the end
Some sentences have two verbs, for example with willen (want), kunnen (can), moeten (must) or mogen (may). The first verb is in position 2. The second verb goes to the very end. It is the full verb, like schrijven (to write) or invullen (to fill in).
| Subject | Position 2 | Middle | End | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ik | wil | morgen een brief | schrijven. | I want to write a letter tomorrow. |
| Jij | moet | nu een formulier | invullen. | You must fill in a form now. |
| Hij | mag | vandaag thuis | werken. | He may work from home today. |
The middle keeps the same order: time, manner, place. It works the same way with gaan for the future (ik ga morgen werken). The perfect tense follows it too (ik heb gisteren gewerkt).