Here is one of the genuine surprises of Dutch for an English speaker: there is no everyday verb that means "to like (doing) something." Where English reaches for the verb like — I like drinking coffee — Dutch keeps a perfectly ordinary verb (drinken, to drink) and slips in the little adverb graag ("gladly"): Ik drink graag koffie. Literally that is "I drink gladly coffee," but it is the completely normal, neutral way to say I like drinking coffee. Master graag and its two relatives liever and het liefst, and you can express the whole scale of liking and preference the way Dutch actually does it.
Graag: liking an activity
The core move is this: to say you like doing X, you say that you do X graag. The liking is carried by the adverb, not by a separate verb. English bolts a verb of liking onto a second verb (like to drink, enjoy reading); Dutch uses one verb plus graag.
Ik drink graag koffie.
I like (drinking) coffee. (lit. I drink gladly coffee)
Mijn dochter leest heel graag, vooral in het weekend.
My daughter really likes reading, especially at the weekend.
Werk je graag thuis, of mis je het kantoor?
Do you like working from home, or do you miss the office?
Notice there is no Dutch equivalent of "like to" sitting in front of the verb. The verb does the work it always does, and graag tells you the speaker enjoys it. You can intensify it (heel graag, erg graag — really like) or weaken it (niet zo graag — don't much like).
Where graag sits: the middle field
Graag lives in the mittelfeld — the middle of the clause — like other short adverbs. The reliable rule: graag comes after the finite verb and the subject, and before the object when the object is a full noun.
| Subject | Verb | (graag) | Object |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ik | eet | graag | vis. |
| Wij | kijken | graag | naar voetbal. |
Ik eet graag vis, maar mijn vriend niet.
I like eating fish, but my boyfriend doesn't.
We gaan graag naar de markt op zaterdag.
We like going to the market on Saturdays.
If you front another element (a time word, for instance), Dutch inverts and the verb stays in second position, with graag still in the middle:
's Ochtends drink ik graag een grote kop thee.
In the mornings I like a big cup of tea.
Liever: rather, prefer
Liever is simply the comparative of graag — historically "more gladly." It means rather / would prefer to. There is no separate verb "to prefer" needed in everyday speech: you just do something liever.
Ik wil liever thee, als dat mag.
I'd rather have tea, if that's okay.
Zullen we lopen? — Nee, ik ga liever met de fiets.
Shall we walk? — No, I'd rather go by bike.
Ze blijft liever thuis dan dat ze in de regen naar buiten gaat.
She'd rather stay home than go out in the rain.
To compare two options explicitly, use liever … dan … (rather … than …). The dan introduces the rejected option.
Ik drink liever water dan cola.
I prefer (drinking) water to cola.
There is a formal verb prefereren and a phrase de voorkeur geven aan (to give preference to), but in normal conversation they sound stiff. Reach for liever.
Het liefst: most of all
The superlative of graag is het liefst (or just liefst) — like most of all, favourite thing to do. It tops the scale: graag → liever → het liefst, exactly parallel to gladly → more gladly → most gladly.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| graag | like (doing) | Ik fiets graag. |
| liever | prefer / rather | Ik fiets liever dan dat ik loop. |
| het liefst | like best of all | Ik fiets het liefst langs de zee. |
In de zomer ben ik het liefst de hele dag buiten.
In summer I most love being outside all day.
Wat eet je het liefst? — Verse pasta, zonder twijfel.
What do you most like to eat? — Fresh pasta, no doubt about it.
Two set phrases you will use daily
Two fixed expressions built on graag are everywhere in Dutch and worth memorising as units:
- Ja, graag = Yes, please. When someone offers you something, the polite acceptance is Ja, graag — literally "yes, gladly." (The polite refusal is Nee, dank je / Nee, bedankt.)
- Graag gedaan = You're welcome (in response to dank je / bedankt). Literally "gladly done."
Wil je nog een kopje koffie? — Ja, graag!
Would you like another cup of coffee? — Yes, please!
Bedankt voor je hulp. — Graag gedaan, hoor.
Thanks for your help. — You're welcome.
What about "hou(d)en van"?
English speakers often hunt for a verb and land on houden van (to love / be fond of). It exists and it is correct — but it is stronger and narrower than English like. Houden van works beautifully for people, things, and nouns: Ik hou van jou (I love you), Ik hou van koffie (I love coffee). It works far less well in front of a verb: Ik hou van koffie drinken is grammatical but sounds heavy and unidiomatic, like saying "I am fond of the drinking of coffee." For liking an activity, native speakers overwhelmingly use graag.
Ik hou van jazz, maar ik luister er niet zo vaak naar.
I love jazz, but I don't listen to it all that often. (houden van + noun: fine)
Ik luister graag naar jazz.
I like listening to jazz. (graag + verb: the natural choice)
There is also leuk vinden (to find nice — for things and people) and lekker vinden (to find tasty — for food/drink), which cover "like a thing." But none of these replaces graag for liking what you do.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ik like koffie drinken.
Incorrect — there is no Dutch verb 'liken' in this sense. Use the adverb graag with the normal verb.
✅ Ik drink graag koffie.
I like drinking coffee.
❌ Ik hou van koffie drinken.
Awkward/stiff — 'houden van' in front of a verb sounds unidiomatic. For an activity, use graag.
✅ Ik drink graag koffie.
I like drinking coffee.
❌ Ik graag eet vis.
Incorrect — graag is not a verb and can't sit before the verb like English 'like to'. It goes in the middle field, after the verb.
✅ Ik eet graag vis.
I like eating fish.
❌ Ik wil meer graag thee.
Incorrect — 'more gladly' is not formed with 'meer'; graag has a suppletive comparative, liever.
✅ Ik wil liever thee.
I'd rather have tea.
❌ Wil je suiker? — Ja, alsjeblieft.
Unnatural as an acceptance — 'alsjeblieft' means 'please/here you go' but isn't how you accept an offer; the idiom is 'Ja, graag'.
✅ Wil je suiker? — Ja, graag.
Do you want sugar? — Yes, please.
Key Takeaways
- Dutch has no everyday verb for "to like an activity" — it uses the adverb graag with an ordinary verb: Ik drink graag koffie.
- graag sits in the middle field, after the finite verb and subject, before a noun object.
- liever = rather/prefer (comparative of graag); het liefst = like best of all (superlative). Compare with liever … dan ….
- Ja, graag = yes, please; graag gedaan = you're welcome.
- For liking a noun, use houden van / leuk vinden / lekker vinden; for liking a verb (activity), use graag.
Now practice Dutch
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Start learning Dutch→Related Topics
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- Ja, Nee, Wel, Toch, Jawel: Affirmation and ContradictionB1 — Dutch's polarity system — ja/nee, the positive polarity word 'wel' that English lacks (the counter to niet), 'toch' for contradiction and 'after all', and 'jawel' for answering a negative question with yes — including the crucial 'Kom je niet?' → 'Jawel!' pattern.
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