Breakdown of Jij wast je met water en zeep.
jij
you
en
and
het water
the water
met
with
wassen
to wash
zich
oneself
de zeep
the soap
Questions & Answers about Jij wast je met water en zeep.
Why do we need the word je right after wast?
In Dutch, zich wassen (to wash oneself) is a reflexive verb. When you are the one doing the washing and also the one being washed, you must use a reflexive pronoun. For the 'you' form (jij or je), the reflexive pronoun is je, meaning 'yourself'.
Can I say Je wast je instead of Jij wast je?
Yes, you can! Jij is just the stressed version of 'you'. Using Jij at the beginning puts extra focus on the fact that you are the one washing yourself, perhaps in contrast to someone else. However, the reflexive pronoun that comes after the verb is always the unstressed je.
Wait, why is the verb wast with a -t? Doesn't the -t disappear for 'you' forms?
The -t only drops when the subject jij or je comes immediately after the verb, like when asking a question (Was jij je?). Because the subject Jij comes before the verb in this sentence, it follows the normal rule and gets a -t added to the stem (was + t).
Do I always have to use a reflexive pronoun with wassen?
Not always! You only use the reflexive pronoun when you are washing yourself. If you are washing an object, like a car or your clothes, you just use the normal verb without the extra je. For example: Jij wast de auto (You wash the car).
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