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Questions & Answers about Hij drinkt water.
Why does it say drinkt instead of drink?
In Dutch, verbs are conjugated depending on the subject and the tense. Since the subject hij (he) is third-person singular in the present tense, you add a t to the base form drink, resulting in drinkt.
How do I pronounce hij correctly?
It sounds roughly like the English word hey, but with a slightly shorter e sound. Try saying hey quickly and you’ll be close to the Dutch hij.
Is water the same word in English and Dutch?
They look the same, but the Dutch pronunciation is different. In English, water often sounds like wah-ter or wot-er. In Dutch, it’s more like vah-ter, pronounced with a clear t sound.
Could this sentence also be Hij drinkt het water?
Yes, you can add het (the) before water to specify the water, but Dutch often omits the article when speaking about water in a general sense. Hij drinkt water is perfectly normal and means He drinks water in general. If you want to emphasize a specific glass of water, you would say Hij drinkt het water.