Questions & Answers about Drink jij thee?
Why doesn't the Dutch sentence use a word for 'do' like in English?
In English, we ask questions using helping words like 'do' or 'does' (Do you drink tea?). In Dutch, you simply swap the order of the subject (jij) and the verb (drink). Putting the verb first is all it takes to turn a statement into a yes/no question.
Wait, shouldn't it be drinkt with a T for jij?
Usually, yes! The normal statement is jij drinkt. But there is a special rule for questions: when the informal 'you' (jij or je) comes immediately after the verb, you drop the -t. So it becomes drink jij.
Does the verb drop the -t for other pronouns in questions, like hij (he) or u (formal you)?
No, this dropped -t rule only applies to the informal 'you' (jij or je). If you ask the formal 'you' or 'he', you keep the -t: drinkt u thee? and drinkt hij thee?.
Why is there no article before thee?
Just like in English, we don't use 'the' (de) when talking about a general, uncountable concept like tea. You are asking if they drink tea in general, not a specific cup of tea.
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