Breakdown of Dat lekkere toetje eet ik heel graag!
ik
I
eten
to eat
lekker
tasty / nicely / pleasantly
heel
very
dat
that (het-words)
graag
gladly
het toetje
the dessert
Questions & Answers about Dat lekkere toetje eet ik heel graag!
Why isn't there a verb for "to like" in the Dutch sentence?
In Dutch, you often express that you like doing an action by using the action verb plus the adverb graag (gladly). Instead of using a separate verb for "like", this sentence says eet ik graag, which literally means "I eat gladly".
How do you express that you "really like" doing something rather than just liking it?
While graag means you like doing something, adding heel (very) makes it stronger. You use heel graag to express that you "really like" or "love" doing an activity.
Why is it eet ik instead of ik eet?
Because the sentence starts with the object Dat lekkere toetje, the verb must take the second position in the sentence. This pushes the subject ik right after the verb, which is a common word order rule called inversion.
Why does lekker have an -e on the end here?
Adjectives usually get an -e ending when they come before a noun. Because toetje is a het word, the adjective would drop the -e if you used "een" (a), but because we are using the specific pointer word dat (that), the -e must be added to make it lekkere.
Why do we use dat for toetje instead of die?
The word toetje (dessert) ends in -je, making it a diminutive. In Dutch, all diminutives are automatically het words. Because it is a het word, you must use dat for "that" instead of die.
Learn Dat lekkere toetje eet ik heel graag and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free