Breakdown of Ik spreek Engels en Duits.
spreken
to speak (a language) / to speak (give a statement / speak for someone)
Engels
English
Duits
German
Questions & Answers about Ik spreek Engels en Duits.
Wait, does Duits mean "Dutch"?
No, this is a classic false friend! Duits actually means "German" (it sounds very similar to the German word Deutsch). If you want to say "Dutch" in Dutch, you use the word Nederlands.
Why is it spreek with a double "e", when the full verb is spreken with a single "e"?
This is to keep the vowel sound exactly the same. In the full verb spreken, the first "e" is at the end of a syllable (spre-ken), which makes it a long sound. When you drop the -en for the ik (I) form, you would be left with "sprek". To stop the "e" from becoming a short sound, Dutch spelling rules require you to double it: spreek.
Are languages always capitalized in Dutch?
Yes, they are! Just like in English, names of languages like Engels and Duits are always written with a capital letter in Dutch.
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