Breakdown of Goedemorgen! Ben je moe?
zijn
to be
moe
tired
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
goedemorgen
good morning
Questions & Answers about Goedemorgen! Ben je moe?
Why is it ben je and not bent je?
In Dutch, when you ask a yes/no question using je or jij (you), the verb moves in front of the subject. When this happens, the verb drops its final -t. So the regular statement is je bent (you are), but the question becomes ben je (are you).
Why is there an e in the middle of goedemorgen?
The word for "good" is indeed goed. However, in Dutch, adjectives often get an extra -e ending depending on the noun they describe. Because morgen (morning) is a "de-word" (de morgen), the adjective gets an -e. Over time, this common greeting merged into the single word goedemorgen.
Could I say Ben jij moe? instead of Ben je moe?
Yes, you can! Both je and jij mean "you" (singular, informal). You use jij when you want to put emphasis on the person, like asking "Are you tired? (Because I am not!)". For a normal, everyday question like this one, the unstressed je is the most natural choice.