……
Breakdown of De directeur spreekt met de conciërge.
spreken
to speak
met
with
de conciërge
the caretaker
de directeur
the director
Questions & Answers about De directeur spreekt met de conciërge.
Why is the verb in the sentence spreekt and not spreken?
spreken is the infinitive (“to speak”). In Dutch present‐tense conjugation, the third‐person singular (hij/zij/het) uses the verb stem plus -t. The stem of spreken is sprek-, so you add -t to get spreekt (“he/she/it speaks”).
Why is spreekt the second element in the sentence, and why does met de conciërge come afterward?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule (“verb second”). Whatever you put in first position (here De directeur), the finite verb must come second (here spreekt). The remainder of the sentence (met de conciërge) follows the verb.
Why do we need the preposition met? Could I say De directeur spreekt de conciërge instead?
Most of the time, Dutch uses spreken met (“to speak with”) to indicate a two‐way conversation.
- De directeur spreekt met de conciërge = “The director speaks with the concierge.”
You can drop met and say spreekt de conciërge, but that usage is more formal/archaic and can imply “to get an appointment to speak to someone” rather than “have a chat.” For everyday talk, always use spreken met.
What is the role of met de conciërge in this sentence? Is that a direct object?
No, met de conciërge is a prepositional phrase functioning as a prepositional object. The verb spreken here is intransitive and needs met to link to the person you’re talking with. A direct object would come without a preposition (e.g. Ik spreek Nederlands).
Why do both directeur and conciërge take the article de? Aren’t there gender rules?
Modern Dutch has two grammatical genders: common (de) and neuter (het). Most words referring to people—including directeur and conciërge—are common‐gender nouns, so they take de.
How do you pronounce conciërge, and why is there a trema (diaeresis) on the ë?
conciërge is pronounced [kɔnˈsiːɛrʒə]. The trema on ë tells you to pronounce i and e in separate syllables: “con‐ci‐ër‐ge,” not “con‐cier‐ge.” The final g is the Dutch voiced/voiceless fricative [ɣ]/, depending on regional accent.
What’s the plural of de conciërge?
The plural is de conciërges (add -s). No apostrophe is needed because the base word ends in a vowel that doesn’t cause pronunciation issues.
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 De directeur spreekt met de conciërge 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