Wij lezen een boek.

the book

Breakdown of Wij lezen een boek.

• wij: we
• lezen: to read

Questions & Answers about Wij lezen een boek.

Why do we sometimes see wij and sometimes we in Dutch?

Dutch has two forms for the first-person plural pronoun. Wij is the stressed form used for emphasis (similar to emphasizing we in English), and we is the unstressed or neutral form. If you want to put extra emphasis on the fact that we (and not someone else) are reading a book, you would use wij. Otherwise, we is more common in everyday speech.

Why is the verb form lezen here, while in other contexts I see lees or leest?

Dutch verbs change depending on the subject (who or what is doing the action). For first-person plural (wij/we), the base form lezen is used. For example:
• Ik lees (I read)
• Jij/Je leest (You read)
• Hij/Zij/Het leest (He/She/It reads)
• Wij/We lezen (We read)

Why does this sentence translate to both We read a book and We are reading a book in English?

Dutch doesn’t distinguish between the simple present and present continuous the way English does. Wij lezen een boek can mean either we read a book or we are reading a book, depending on context. If you want to make it very explicit that the action is happening right now, Dutch speakers might add words like nu (now), but usually the basic present tense form is enough.

When should I use een and not het or de?

In Dutch, een is the indefinite article (similar to a or an in English). Het and de are definite articles, meaning the. If you want to refer to a specific book, you would say het boek (the book), but if you mean any book, you say een boek (a book).

How do I pronounce wij?

The ij sound in Dutch can be tricky. It usually sounds similar to the ay sound in day, but with a slightly more open mouth position. Practice by saying ay while opening your mouth a bit more and flattening your tongue slightly. If you listen to Dutch speakers, you might notice small regional differences in how ij is pronounced, but aiming for an ay-like sound will get you close.