Wij lezen de achtste pagina.

Both wij and we mean we.

• we is the unstressed, very common form in everyday speech.
• wij is the stressed form, often used for emphasis, contrast, or slightly more careful style.

So Wij lezen de achtste pagina and We lezen de achtste pagina can both be correct. In many ordinary situations, we sounds more natural in speech.

Because the subject is wij.

The verb lezen is the present-tense form used with wij / we.

Present tense of lezen:

• ik lees = I read / am reading
• jij leest = you read / are reading
• hij/zij leest = he/she reads / is reading
• wij lezen = we read / are reading
• jullie lezen = you all read / are reading
• zij lezen = they read / are reading

So wij lezen is the correct match.

It can mean both, depending on context.

Dutch often uses the simple present where English can use either:

• we read
• we are reading

So Wij lezen de achtste pagina could mean either:

• We read the eighth page
• We are reading the eighth page

Usually the situation tells you which is meant.

Because pagina is a de-word: de pagina.

In Dutch, nouns usually take either de or het as their definite article. You have to learn which article belongs to each noun.

So:

• de pagina = the page
• de achtste pagina = the eighth page

The article stays de because the main noun is pagina.

Because acht means eight, while achtste means eighth.

This is the difference between:

• a cardinal number: acht = eight
• an ordinal number: achtste = eighth

Since the sentence refers to a numbered page in a sequence, Dutch uses the ordinal form:

• de achtste pagina = the eighth page

It comes from acht + an ordinal ending.

Dutch ordinal numbers are often formed like this:

• vier → vierde = fourth
• zes → zesde = sixth
• zeven → zevende = seventh
• acht → achtste = eighth
• negen → negende = ninth

So achtste is simply the ordinal form of acht.

Because it is placed before a noun and used like an adjective.

In Dutch, ordinals before a noun usually take an -e ending:

• de eerste dag = the first day
• de tweede keer = the second time
• de achtste pagina = the eighth page

So in this sentence, achtste behaves like an adjective modifying pagina.

This is normal Dutch main-clause word order:

subject + finite verb + object

So:

• Wij = subject
• lezen = finite verb
• de achtste pagina = object

That is why the sentence is:

• Wij lezen de achtste pagina

and not:

• Wij de achtste pagina lezen in a normal main clause.

That other order can appear in subordinate clauses, but not in a simple main sentence like this one.

Wij is pronounced roughly like English why, though the Dutch w is a bit different from the English one.

A helpful approximation for beginners is:

• wij ≈ why

The spelling ij is a very common Dutch vowel combination, and in many words it sounds somewhat like the vowel in English eye.

A rough beginner-friendly pronunciation is:

AHKH-tstuh

A few notes:

• ach has the Dutch ch sound, which is not like English ch in chair. It is a throat/fricative sound.
• The cluster -tst- in achtste can feel hard to say at first.
• The final -e is usually a soft unstressed sound, like uh.

It is a word that many learners need to practise slowly at first:

• acht
• acht-ste
• de achtste pagina

For most learners, the important thing is that pagina is a de-word.

In modern Dutch, many learners do not need to worry much about whether a de-word is specifically masculine or feminine, especially at an early stage. What matters here is:

• singular definite article: de pagina
• plural: de pagina’s

So in this sentence, you simply need to know:

• de pagina
• therefore de achtste pagina

Yes. That is very natural.

In many everyday situations, we lezen de achtste pagina is more common than wij lezen de achtste pagina, unless you want emphasis.

For example:

• We lezen de achtste pagina. = neutral
• Wij lezen de achtste pagina. = more emphasis, contrast, or careful style

Both are grammatically correct.

Because Dutch, like English, can put the ordinal directly before the noun.

So Dutch says:

• de achtste pagina

just like English says:

• the eighth page

There is no extra word needed between achtste and pagina.

No, not in normal Dutch noun phrases.

The usual order is:

• article + ordinal/adjective + noun

So:

• de achtste pagina

not:

• de pagina achtste

Dutch modifiers such as adjectives and ordinals normally come before the noun.