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Questions & Answers about Waarom lach je?
Why does the verb come before je in this sentence?
In Dutch questions that start with a question word like waarom (why), the verb comes immediately after the question word. So the order is: question word (waarom) + verb (lach) + subject (je).
The translation says "are you laughing", but I don't see a word for "are". Why is that?
Dutch doesn't use a separate word for "are" or an "-ing" ending like English does. The simple present tense verb lach is used to mean both "laugh" and "are laughing".
Why is the verb lach and not lacht if the subject is je?
Normally, the "you" form of a verb gets a -t at the end (as in je lacht). But there is a special rule for questions: when je or jij comes right after the verb, you drop that -t. That is why it becomes lach je.
Could I say Waarom lach jij? instead?
Yes, you can! je is the unstressed word for "you", which is used most of the time. You would use jij if you want to put special emphasis on the person, like asking "Why are you laughing?"