Rijden in de regen is gevaarlijk.

Driving in the rain is dangerous.

Breakdown of Rijden in de regen is gevaarlijk.

• zijn: to be
• in: in
• gevaarlijk: dangerous
• de regen: the rain
• het rijden: the driving

Questions & Answers about Rijden in de regen is gevaarlijk.

Why is the infinitive rijden used as the subject without an article?

In Dutch you can turn an infinitive into a noun (much like an English gerund). When you make a general statement, you often omit the article. So
Rijden in de regen is gevaarlijk
is perfectly natural. If you want to be extra formal or specific, you can add the neuter article:
Het rijden in de regen is gevaarlijk,
but it’s not required here.

Why does the finite verb is come immediately after rijden in de regen instead of at the end?

Dutch main clauses follow the “V2” rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. Here, the entire phrase rijden in de regen counts as the first position (the subject), so is comes right after it in second position.

Why is it in de regen and not just in regen?

Weather nouns like regen generally take the definite article when describing conditions. Just as in English we say “in the rain,” in Dutch you need in de regen.

Could I use autorijden instead of rijden?

Yes. Rijden on its own is generic—it could mean driving a car, riding a bike, even riding a horse. If you specifically mean “driving a car,” use autorijden:
Autorijden in de regen is gevaarlijk.

What part of speech is gevaarlijk, and why is it at the end?

Gevaarlijk is a predicative adjective describing the subject. Dutch word order for a statement is:
[Subject] + [Finite Verb] + [Rest of the predicate]
So here: Rijden in de regen (subject) + is (finite verb) + gevaarlijk (adjective).

How do I pronounce the ij in rijden?

The Dutch ij sounds roughly like the English “ay” in day, but with slightly more spread lips. So rijden sounds like “rray-den” (with a short “e” in the second syllable).