Ik loop elke dag drie kilometer in het park.

I walk three kilometres in the park every day.

Breakdown of Ik loop elke dag drie kilometer in het park.

• ik: I
• in: in
• lopen: to walk
• het park: the park
• elke: every
• de dag: the day
• drie: three
• de kilometer: the kilometre

Questions & Answers about Ik loop elke dag drie kilometer in het park.

What does Ik loop mean, and which verb form is loop?

Ik loop literally means “I walk.”

• loop is the first-person singular present tense of the irregular verb lopen.
• The principal parts of lopen are:
  • infinitive: lopen
  • simple past: liep
  • past participle: gelopen

Why is elke dag singular and not elke dagen?

The determiner elke always takes a singular noun. If you want a plural, you must use alle, for example alle dagen (“all days”), but when you mean “every day,” the most common Dutch expression is elke dag.

Could I use dagelijks instead of elke dag?

Yes. dagelijks is an adverb meaning “daily.” You could say:
Dagelijks loop ik drie kilometer in het park.
Note that putting dagelijks at the beginning triggers inversion of subject and verb (here loop ik).

Why is it drie kilometer and not drie kilometers?

In Dutch, units of measure (meter, kilo, liter, etc.) remain singular after a numeral. So you always say drie kilometer, tien liter, vijf kilo, and never add an “s.”

What is the typical Dutch word order in this sentence?

Dutch often orders elements as Time – Manner – Place. In your sentence:
• Time: elke dag
• Manner (here: distance): drie kilometer
• Place: in het park
You could rearrange for emphasis (e.g. In het park loop ik elke dag drie kilometer), but the default is Time–Manner–Place.

Why is the preposition in used with het park and not op?

in is used when you go inside an enclosed or bounded area (a park, a building). Use op for surfaces:
• in het park, in de tuin
• op het strand, op het gras

What’s the difference between in het park and door het park?

• in het park just states where you walk (inside the park).
• door het park emphasizes through the park, as if you enter at one side and leave at the other.

Can lopen also mean “to run,” and how would I say “I run three kilometers”?

Yes, in some contexts lopen can mean “run” (e.g. Ik loop de marathon). But to explicitly say “I run three kilometers,” you normally use rennen:
Ik ren drie kilometer.

Is there another verb for “go for a walk” in Dutch?

Yes: wandelen means “to go for a (leisurely) walk.” You could say:
Ik wandel elke dag drie kilometer in het park.