De twaalfde les eindigt.

Twaalfde means twelfth. It is the ordinal form of twaalf = twelve.

In Dutch, ordinal numbers are usually formed with -de or -ste, but you have to learn which pattern a number takes. For twaalf, the correct form is twaalfde.

A few examples:

• vier → vierde = fourth
• twaalf → twaalfde = twelfth
• acht → achtste = eighth
• twintig → twintigste = twentieth

So de twaalfde les means the twelfth lesson.

Because les is a de-word in Dutch.

So:

• de les = the lesson
• de twaalfde les = the twelfth lesson

The article depends on the noun, not on the number. Since les takes de, the whole noun phrase takes de.

Because ordinal numbers used before a noun behave like adjectives in Dutch.

So when you put twaalfde before les, it appears in the adjective-like form:

• de twaalfde les

This is very normal in Dutch. Compare:

• de eerste dag = the first day
• de tweede keer = the second time
• de twaalfde les = the twelfth lesson

Les usually means lesson, but depending on context it can also mean class or teaching session.

So this sentence could be understood as:

• The twelfth lesson ends
• The twelfth class ends

The exact English wording depends on the situation.

The dictionary form is eindigen, which means to end.

Eindigt is the present-tense form used with a third-person singular subject, such as de les.

Conjugation:

• ik eindig = I end
• jij eindigt = you end
• hij/zij/het eindigt = he/she/it ends
• de les eindigt = the lesson ends

So the -t is there because the subject is not ik.

Yes. Eindigt is in the present tense.

In Dutch, the simple present often covers both:

• ends
• is ending

So De twaalfde les eindigt can mean:

• The twelfth lesson ends
• The twelfth lesson is ending

The exact English translation depends on context.

This is normal Dutch main-clause word order. In a main clause, the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

Here:

• De twaalfde les = subject
• eindigt = finite verb

So the structure is:

• Subject + verb

Because the sentence is very short, the verb also happens to be the last word.

No. Here eindigen is being used intransitively, meaning it does not need an object.

• De les eindigt. = The lesson ends.

That is perfectly normal Dutch.

If you want to express that someone causes something to end, Dutch often uses beëindigen:

• De docent beëindigt de les. = The teacher ends the lesson.

A rough pronunciation guide is TVAALF-duh.

A few helpful points:

• tw does not sound exactly like English tw; the Dutch w is more like a soft v
• aa is a long vowel
• the final -de is unstressed, like duh

If you know IPA, it is approximately /ˈtʋaːlfdə/.

A rough pronunciation guide is EYN-dikht.

Helpful points:

• ei sounds roughly like English eye
• the g is the Dutch throaty g, not an English g
• the final -t is pronounced

If you know IPA, it is approximately /ˈɛi̯ndəxt/.

Yes, that is also a natural Dutch sentence, but it is slightly different in feel.

• De twaalfde les eindigt. = The twelfth lesson ends / is ending.
• De twaalfde les is afgelopen. = The twelfth lesson is over / has finished.

So eindigt focuses on the ending event, while is afgelopen focuses more on the state of being finished.