Wij lopen zeven kilometer in het park.

We walk seven kilometres in the park.

Breakdown of Wij lopen zeven kilometer in het park.

• wij: we
• in: in
• lopen: to walk
• het park: the park
• de kilometer: the kilometre
• zeven: seven

Questions & Answers about Wij lopen zeven kilometer in het park.

Why is kilometer singular here and why isn’t there an article before zeven kilometer?

In Dutch, when you use a cardinal number with a unit of measure:

• The unit (here kilometer) stays in its singular form.
• You omit the article because the number already specifies the exact quantity.
  So zeven kilometer literally means “seven kilometer,” not “seven kilometers” or “de zeven kilometers.”

Why is the definite article het used before park?

Dutch nouns are either common (de-woorden) or neuter (het-woorden).

• Park is a neuter noun, so it takes het.
• If you had a common noun like straat, you’d say de straat instead.

Why is it in het park and not op het park or naar het park?

• in indicates being inside or within an enclosed/defined area (the park).
• op is used for surfaces or open spaces (e.g. op het plein “on the square”).
• naar shows movement toward a destination. You’d say we lopen naar het park if you are walking to the park, not walking around inside it.

Could I say door het park instead of in het park, and what’s the difference?

• door means “through.”
• Wij lopen zeven kilometer door het park suggests you cover seven kilometers by traversing the park (from one side to the other).
• In het park is more general: you walk inside or around the park without stressing that you go straight through it.

Why do we use lopen here instead of wandelen?

• lopen is the general verb for “to walk” and is used for any walking activity or distance.
• wandelen implies a leisurely or recreational stroll.
  In everyday Dutch, lopen is more neutral, while wandelen often adds a note of “taking a nice walk.”

Can I use we instead of wij, and can I omit the pronoun entirely?

• we is simply the unstressed, informal form of wij. Both mean “we.”
• Dutch normally requires an explicit subject in main clauses, so you cannot drop it entirely. You need either wij or we before the verb.

Is we lopen in het park zeven kilometer correct, and what changes when I reorder like that?

Yes, it’s grammatically correct. Dutch word order is flexible:

• The default is Subject–Verb–Quantity–Place.
• By moving in het park earlier, you put more emphasis on the location.
  Both orders are fine; choice depends on what you want to highlight.

Does Dutch have a continuous form like English “we are walking,” and how would I say that?

Standard Dutch uses the simple present for both habitual and ongoing actions.

• Wij lopen zeven kilometer in het park can mean “we walk” or “we are walking.”
  If you specifically want a continuous sense, you can use the aan-het-continuum:
  • We zijn in het park zeven kilometer aan het lopen.
  This construction emphasises that the walking is happening right now.