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### Adjectives Modifying Nouns

When a word describes a noun, it functions as an adjective. Dutch adjectives often take an **-e** ending when they come before a noun.

{{item:826112}}

Here, *complete* describes the noun *leugen* (lie), so it gets the inflected **-e** ending.

### Adverbs Modifying Adjectives

To intensify an adjective instead of describing a noun directly, you use an **adverb of degree**. In Dutch, adverbs **never** take an **-e** ending. They remain invariant (unchanged) in their base form.

{{item:826110}}

Notice how *schokkend* modifies *bizar*, and *compleet* modifies *onverklaarbaar*. Because they act as adverbs, they do not get an **-e**.

### Spotting the Difference

To know whether to add an **-e**, ask yourself what the word is modifying. Compare how *totaal* (total / totally) is used below.

If it describes the noun itself, it is an adjective and takes the **-e**:

{{item:826116}}

If it describes the adjective next to it, it acts as an adverb and gets no ending:

{{item:826117}}

It is a *totaal lege trein* (a totally empty train), not a *totale lege trein*. The train isn't total; its emptiness is!

### Extreme News Reports

When reporting on bizarre and exaggerated news stories, you will frequently use extreme adverbs like *gigantisch* (gigantically) and *ontzettend* (incredibly).

First, see *gigantisch* as an adjective modifying a noun:

{{item:826121}}

Now see what happens when it modifies the adjective *duur* (expensive):

{{item:826122}}

Another common degree adverb is *ontzettend*. It is almost exclusively used as an uninflected adverb meaning "incredibly" or "awfully."

{{item:826119}}

{{item:826124}}

Invariant adverbs of degree (een heel groot huis)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

determiner/pronoun

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and gender (de, het)

Indefinite article and formal 'you' (een, u)

Big and small (groot, klein)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (wij zijn)

The verb 'to have' (hebben)

Basic word order

Numbers 1 to 10 (een, twee, drie)

Verb stems and the 'I' form (ik werk)

Long vowels in verb stems (maken, ik maak)

Short vowels in verb stems (zitten, ik zit)

Present tense singular (-t)

Present tense plural (-en)

Yes/no questions

Question words (wie, wat, waar)

Noun negation (geen)

Plural nouns (-en)

Plural nouns (-s)

Diminutives (-je)

Adjective modifiers (heel, erg, te)

Verb negation (niet)

Singular possessives (mijn, jouw, zijn, haar)

Plural and formal possessives (ons/onze, jullie, hun, uw)

This and these (deze, dit)

That and those (die, dat)

Asking which (welke, welk)

Numbers 11 to 20 (elf, twaalf, dertien...)

Tens and compound numbers (dertig, veertig...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (eerste, tweede...)

Telling time: hours and half hours (uur, half)

Telling time: quarters (kwart over, kwart voor)

Question words (hoeveel, waarom)

Irregular verbs (doen, gaan, staan, zien, komen)

Adjective endings (+e)

Adjectives with 'het' words

Prepositions of place (uit, bij)

Subject-verb inversion

Time before place

Modal verbs (willen, kunnen)

Modal verbs (moeten, mogen)

The verb bracket

Separable prefix verbs

The imperative mood (kom, luister)

Singular object pronouns (mij, jou, hem, haar)

Plural and formal object pronouns (ons, jullie, hen, u)

Reflexive verbs and pronouns (zich, me, je)

Position of negation (niet)

The present perfect tense with regular verbs (hebben gewerkt)

The present perfect tense with motion verbs (zijn gegaan)

Irregular past participles (gezien, gedaan)

The present continuous (zijn aan het)

There is / there are (er is, er zijn)

Unstressed there (er)

And, but, or (en, maar, of)

Because (want)

Months of the year

Prepositions of time (om, van ... tot)

Greetings and politeness

Conversational glue

Prepositions with days (op)

Prepositions with seasons (in)

Genitive of time ('s morgens, 's nachts)

Adverbs of frequency (altijd, vaak)

The future tense (gaan)

The future tense (zullen)

Separable verbs with auxiliary verbs

Apostrophe plurals ('-s)

Irregular plurals (-eren)

Complex diminutives (-pje, -etje, -kje)

Possessive 's (Jan's, vaders)

Indefinite pronouns (iets, niemand, alles)

Indefinite subject pronoun (je)

Reciprocal pronoun (elkaar)

Comparative adjectives (-er dan)

Comparatives with spelling change (-der)

Superlative adjectives (-st)

Irregular comparisons (beter, meer, minder)

Expressing preference (graag, liever, het liefst)

Equality comparisons (even ... als)

Fixed prepositions

That clauses (dat)

Because clauses (omdat)

If and when clauses (als)

Inversion after clauses

Separable verbs in clauses

Negation in clauses (niet)

Past tense of to be (was / waren)

Past tense of to have (had / hadden)

Question	Answer
the reporter	de verslaggever
shocking / shockingly (upsetting, appalling)	schokkend
The reporter saw a shocking event in the village.	De verslaggever zag een schokkende gebeurtenis in het dorp.
the incident	het voorval
complete / completely (entire, total)	compleet
inexplicable / inexplicably	onverklaarbaar
The incident was shockingly bizarre and completely inexplicable.	Het voorval was schokkend bizar en compleet onverklaarbaar.
the headline	de krantenkop
That headline about the mayor was a complete lie.	Die krantenkop over de burgemeester was een complete leugen.
the mess (shambles, ruin)	de puinhoop
According to the headline, the storm had left a complete mess.	Volgens de krantenkop had de storm een complete puinhoop achtergelaten.
total / totally	totaal
The total damage to the street was unknown.	De totale schade aan de straat was onbekend.
A totally empty train caused an enormous panic.	Een totaal lege trein veroorzaakte een enorme paniek.
immense / incredibly	ontzettend
The reporter found an incredibly old document in the mess.	De verslaggever vond een ontzettend oud document in de puinhoop.
gigantic / gigantically	gigantisch
A gigantic UFO had stolen the cows.	Een gigantische ufo had de koeien gestolen.
It was a gigantically expensive project that failed inexplicably.	Het was een gigantisch duur project dat onverklaarbaar mislukte.
The witness who saw the incident was completely confused.	De getuige die het voorval zag, was compleet verward.
The reporter sees an incredibly big crater.	De verslaggever ziet een ontzettend grote krater.
complete / fully	volledig
The mess is completely total.	De puinhoop is volledig compleet.
The incident is completely inexplicable.	Het voorval is volledig onverklaarbaar.

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