…
Questions & Answers about Tom drinkt water.
Why does the verb drinken change to drinkt?
In Dutch, verbs change based on the subject. Since Tom is a third-person singular subject (he), the verb drinken takes the -t ending, becoming drinkt.
Why is there no article before water?
In Dutch, you generally don’t use an article for uncountable or mass nouns when talking about them in a general sense. Here, water is being described simply as a substance, so no article is needed.
Is the word order important here?
Yes, Dutch typically follows a subject–verb–object word order in simple statements. So Tom (subject) drinkt (verb) water (object) follows the standard pattern.
Could the sentence be Tom drinkt het water?
That would mean Tom drinks the water, implying a specific amount or specific water. In general, if you’re just saying that Tom is drinking water, you’d stick with Tom drinkt water.
How would I say it in the past tense?
You’d typically say Tom dronk water. The verb drinkt changes to dronk in the simple past tense.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Dutch grammar?”
Dutch grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning DutchMaster Dutch — from Tom drinkt water to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions