Learn Dutch: Waar slaapt de hond? - Where does the dog sleep?

English uses helper words like 'do' or 'does' to make questions ('Where does the dog sleep?'). Dutch does not use helper verbs for this! Instead, you just put the main verb right after the question word. The literal translation is 'Where sleeps the dog?'.

What is the rule for word order when using a question word like waar?

In Dutch, when you start a question with a question word like waar (where), the verb must always come in the second position. That is why the verb slaapt comes immediately after waar, and the subject de hond comes after the verb.

Why does the verb slaapt end in a -t here?

The subject is de hond (the dog), which acts as a 'he, she, or it' (third-person singular) subject. In the present tense, you take the base stem of the verb (slaap) and add a -t for these subjects, making it slaapt.

Why do both waar and slaapt have a double aa?

Dutch uses double vowels to keep the vowel sound 'long' in words that end in a consonant. The double aa in waar and slaapt ensures you pronounce them with a long, drawn-out 'ah' sound.