Breakdown of Ik lees actueel nieuws online op mijn telefoon.
Questions & Answers about Ik lees actueel nieuws online op mijn telefoon.
nieuws is an uncountable (mass) noun in Dutch, just like English “news.”
- It’s always treated as singular, so you can say het nieuws (“the news”) but you cannot say een nieuws (“a news”).
- Omitting an article (as in actueel nieuws) expresses talking about news in general. If you wanted “the current news,” you would use het actuele nieuws.
Dutch adverbials generally follow the order: manner → place.
- online describes how you read.
- op mijn telefoon describes where you read.
Putting manner before place is the most natural word order. You could swap them (“Ik lees actueel nieuws op mijn telefoon online”), but it sounds less idiomatic.
When you read something on a device in Dutch, you use op:
- op de computer
- op de tablet
- op mijn telefoon
Using in would sound like you’re reading “inside” the phone, which isn’t how devices are described.
In Dutch you do not combine a definite article (de/het) with a possessive pronoun (mijn/jouw/zijn, etc.). You choose one:
- Correct: op mijn telefoon
- Incorrect: op de mijn telefoon
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb must be in second position. Here:
1st element: Ik (subject)
2nd element: lees (finite verb)
Everything else follows. If you start with another element, the verb still stays second.
Time expressions can go at the very beginning or right after the subject, but the verb must remain in second position:
- “Vandaag lees ik actueel nieuws online op mijn telefoon.”
- “Ik lees vandaag actueel nieuws online op mijn telefoon.”
Yes. Dutch speakers often say smartphone nowadays, or even mobieltje in informal contexts. So you could say:
- “Ik lees actueel nieuws online op mijn smartphone.”
- “Ik lees actueel nieuws online op mijn mobieltje.”
Absolutely. Depending on context, you can drop modifiers:
- Without actueel: “Ik lees nieuws online op mijn telefoon.”
- Without online: “Ik lees actueel nieuws op mijn telefoon.”
You’ll still be understood; you’ve just removed “current” or “online” respectively.