Learn Hardcore Dutch: Ik ga morgen met Tom naar het museum. - I am going to the museum with Tom tomorrow.

In Dutch, the present tense often expresses future events when context or a time adverb (like morgen) makes it clear. You could say Ik zal morgen met Tom naar het museum gaan, but it’s more common and natural to use the simple present (Ik ga…) for planned actions. Using zal gaan adds emphasis on the futurity but isn’t necessary in everyday speech.

Is gaan here acting like the English “going to” where you need another verb after it (“I’m going to visit”)?

No. In English “going to” functions as a future auxiliary plus an infinitive. In Dutch, gaan is simply the main verb meaning “to go,” not a helper for future tense. You wouldn’t say Ik ga morgen met Tom naar het museum gaan—that’s redundant. If you want something closer to “I plan to go,” you can say Ik ben van plan morgen met Tom naar het museum te gaan.

Why does morgen come before met Tom, and could I place it elsewhere?

Dutch main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb (ga) must occupy the second position. Time adverbs like morgen often fill the first slot for emphasis. You can move morgen to other positions—for example, Ik ga met Tom morgen naar het museum—but the emphasis shifts (now you stress you’re going with Tom, and mention “tomorrow” almost as an afterthought).

Why is met used with Tom, and are there alternatives?

Met means “with” and indicates accompaniment. You always use met for people you go or do something with: met mijn zus, met de klas, met collega’s. There is no other preposition in Dutch that replaces met for this meaning.

Why is naar used before het museum? Can I use a different preposition for “to”?

Naar expresses movement toward a destination (“to” in English). You say naar huis, naar school, naar de winkel, etc. Other prepositions like in, op or aan change the meaning or require different contexts, so for “going to a place,” naar is the correct choice.

Why do we say het museum and not de museum or omit the article altogether?

Dutch nouns are classified as de- words (common gender) or het- words (neuter). Museum is neuter, so its definite article is het: het museum. If you speak generally (not a specific museum), use the indefinite article een: naar een museum. Omitting the article (naar museum) is ungrammatical—unlike some place names (e.g., naar school), you must include an article for museum.

Why is Tom capitalized and not preceded by an article?

Proper names in Dutch, just like in English, always start with a capital letter and take no article. You never say de Tom or het Tom unless you’re joking or using it as a nickname in very informal speech.