Learn Hardcore Dutch: Wij koken samen voor het diner.

Dutch main clauses follow the Verb-Second (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second slot. In Wij koken samen voor het diner, Wij (subject) is first, koken (finite verb) is second. If you place another element first, the verb still moves to the second slot:
• Morgen koken wij samen voor het diner.
• Voor het diner koken wij samen.

Could you use we instead of wij, and what’s the difference?

Yes. Wij and we both mean we. Wij is the full form, used for emphasis or in formal contexts. We is the reduced form, used in casual speech.
• Wij koken samen… (more emphatic)
• We koken samen… (everyday speech)

What part of speech is samen, and why is it placed there?

Samen is an adverb meaning together. Adverbs of manner like samen typically follow the finite verb and precede objects or other complements. You can also place it after the object, but the verb still obeys V2:
• Wij koken samen voor het diner.
• Wij koken voor het diner samen. (less common/neutral emphasis)

Why do we use voor in this sentence, and can you replace diner with another word?

Voor is a preposition meaning for, indicating the intended mealtime. Diner is the standard word for dinner or evening meal. A common synonym is avondeten:
• Wij koken samen voor het avondeten.

Why is it het diner and not de diner?

Dutch nouns have grammatical gender. Diner is a neuter noun, so it takes the neuter article het in the singular: het diner. Using de would be incorrect here.

Can we omit the article and say Wij koken samen voor diner?

No. In Dutch, singular countable nouns almost always require an article. Omitting het (voor diner) is ungrammatical. You could pluralize (voor diners), but that changes the meaning.

How do you form a yes/no question from this sentence?

Swap the finite verb and subject (inversion). Koken goes first, then wij:
• Koken wij samen voor het diner?
This means “Are we cooking together for dinner?”

How do you pronounce koken and diner?

• Koken “o” like English go, final “-en” often reduced to a schwa [ə].
• Diner on the second syllable, “ee” like English day, final -r lightly pronounced.

What happens to the word order if you start with a time expression?

If you front a time or place expression, the verb still occupies second position and the subject comes third:
• Vanavond koken wij samen voor het diner.
• Op zaterdag koken wij samen voor het diner.

Is there a continuous form of this sentence in Dutch?

Yes. You can use the periphrastic (continuous) form:
• Wij zijn samen aan het koken voor het diner.
This stresses the ongoing nature (“we are cooking…”), similar to English present continuous but used more sparingly in Dutch.