De reis duurt vijftig minuten.

Because reis is a de-word in Dutch. Nouns in Dutch take either de or het, and this has to be learned with the noun.

So:

• de reis = the journey / the trip

There is no simple rule that always tells you whether a noun takes de or het, though some patterns exist. For reis, you just memorize it as de reis.

Reis usually means trip or journey.

In this sentence, de reis duurt vijftig minuten means the trip/journey takes fifty minutes.

A few notes:

• reis = a specific trip or journey
• reizen = to travel
• reis is not usually the general idea of travel as an activity in the same way English uses the uncountable noun travel

So in this sentence, reis refers to one particular journey.

Dutch main clauses normally follow the verb-second rule, often called V2. That means the finite verb comes in the second main slot of the sentence.

Here:

• De reis = subject
• duurt = finite verb
• vijftig minuten = expression of duration

So the normal word order is:

• De reis duurt vijftig minuten.

This is very similar to English:

• The trip takes fifty minutes.

The base form, or infinitive, is duren, which means to last or to take (when talking about time).

Conjugation in the present tense:

• ik duur = I last / take
• jij duurt
• hij/zij/het duurt
• wij duren
• jullie duren
• zij duren

In this sentence, the subject is de reis, which is singular, so Dutch uses the -t form:

• de reis duurt

Dutch often uses duren where English uses take for time.

So:

• De reis duurt vijftig minuten. literally: The journey lasts fifty minutes. natural English: The journey takes fifty minutes.

This is very normal in Dutch. English and Dutch simply choose different common verbs here.

Because Dutch does not normally use a preposition here.

In English, we say:

• The trip takes fifty minutes not usually takes for fifty minutes

Dutch works similarly:

• De reis duurt vijftig minuten.

The time expression vijftig minuten directly follows the verb. It functions as a duration expression, so no extra word like voor is needed.

Because the number is vijftig (fifty), so the noun must be plural.

• één minuut = one minute
• twee minuten = two minutes
• vijftig minuten = fifty minutes

This is the same basic idea as in English:

• one minute
• fifty minutes

A rough English-friendly guide is:

• vijftig ≈ VEIF-tukh or VEIF-tikh

A few important points:

• The ij sound is a Dutch vowel sound that is somewhat like the vowel in some pronunciations of English day, but not exactly.
• The g at the end is a Dutch throaty sound, not an English g as in go.

If you want a practical learner approximation, VEIF-tikh is a decent start, even though it is not perfectly native.

Reis is pronounced roughly like rice, but with a slightly different vowel quality depending on accent.

A useful approximation:

• reis ≈ race / rice somewhere in between for many learners

More importantly:

• The ei/ij sound in Dutch is one vowel sound
• It is common in words like reis, blij, and tijd

If you say something close to race with a Dutch-style vowel, you will be understood.

Yes, trip exists in Dutch, and De trip duurt vijftig minuten is understandable.

But reis is often more neutral and standard for journey/trip. Trip can sound a bit more informal or more like a specific outing, depending on context.

So:

• de reis = very standard
• de trip = possible, often a bit more casual

Normally, no. That sounds unnatural in Dutch.

To talk about duration, Dutch usually uses duren:

• De reis duurt vijftig minuten.

You can also use a construction like:

• De reis is vijftig minuten lang. This means:
• The journey is fifty minutes long.

So is by itself is not enough here; Dutch needs either:

• duurt or
• is ... lang

Yes, but because of the Dutch V2 rule, the finite verb still stays in second position.

For example:

• Vijftig minuten duurt de reis.

This is grammatically possible, but it is less neutral and sounds more marked or emphatic. The normal, straightforward order is:

• De reis duurt vijftig minuten.

So learners should usually stick with the original version unless they have a reason to emphasize vijftig minuten.

Yes, it is in the present tense:

• duurt = lasts / takes

Dutch often uses the present tense for general facts, schedules, and normal statements, just like English:

• The trip takes fifty minutes.
• De reis duurt vijftig minuten.

It does not mean it is happening right this second only. It can also describe a general or usual duration.

You can make it negative with niet:

• De reis duurt geen vijftig minuten.
  = The journey does not take fifty minutes.

Or more naturally in some contexts:

• De reis duurt niet vijftig minuten.
  = The journey doesn’t take fifty minutes.

The difference is subtle:

• geen vijftig minuten often means not fifty minutes / no fifty minutes
• niet vijftig minuten can sound contrastive, as in not fifty minutes, but something else

In a yes/no question, Dutch puts the finite verb first:

• Duurt de reis vijftig minuten?

That means:

• Does the journey take fifty minutes?

This is very common Dutch question word order:

• verb + subject + rest

Normally, no. Dutch does not capitalize ordinary nouns the way German does.

So:

• De reis duurt vijftig minuten.

Only the first word of the sentence is capitalized here because it starts the sentence:

• De

Words like reis and minuten stay lowercase unless there is a special reason, such as being part of a title.