ELONIO

Basic word order

Basic Word Order

In a standard Dutch statement, the word order is exactly like English: Subject - Verb - Object.

The most important rule in Dutch is that the verb always comes in the second position. The subject usually takes the first position, right before the verb.

I read the newspaper.
Ik lees de krant.
The child eats an apple.
Het kind eet een appel.

If your sentence doesn't have a direct object, the verb still sits right next to the subject.

We eat together.
We eten samen.
She drinks water.
Ze drinkt water.

Connecting Sentences

When you connect two sentences with en (and), treat them as two separate statements. Each half has its own subject and keeps its verb in the second position.

The dog is tired and he drinks water.
De hond is moe en hij drinkt water.
The woman has a lot of money and she buys a car.
De vrouw heeft veel geld en ze koopt een auto.
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