Questions & Answers about Het is erg koud in november en december.
Why aren't november and december capitalized?
Unlike in English, months of the year are not capitalized in Dutch. You write them with a lowercase letter, just like days of the week and seasons, unless they are the very first word of a sentence.
Doesn't erg mean "bad" or "terrible"?
It can! However, when you put erg right before a describing word like koud (cold), it means "very". You will often hear Dutch speakers use erg and heel interchangeably to mean "very".
Do we always use the word in before months in Dutch?
Yes! Just like in English, Dutch uses the word in to talk about something happening during a specific month.
Is Het is the normal way to talk about the weather in Dutch?
Yes, it is. Dutch uses het (it) as a neutral word for weather conditions, exactly the same way we say "It is cold" or "It is sunny" in English.