Wij reageren op ideeën.

We respond to ideas.

Breakdown of Wij reageren op ideeën.

• wij: we
• het idee: the idea
• reageren op: to respond to

Questions & Answers about Wij reageren op ideeën.

What is the difference between wij and we in this sentence?

Wij and we both mean we in Dutch. Wij is the full, emphatic form (often used for emphasis or in more formal contexts), whereas we is the unstressed, colloquial form you’ll hear in everyday speech. You can say either:

• Wij reageren op ideeën (more emphatic)
• We reageren op ideeën (more casual)

Is reageren a separable verb in Dutch?

No. reageren is a non-separable, prepositional verb (derived from French) and always stays intact. You conjugate the whole verb and then add the prepositional object:
Wij reageren op ideeën
You do not split it as you would with Germanic separable-prefix verbs. Even in an imperative you keep the verb together: Reageer op ideeën! (not Reageer en op ideeën!).

Why is there op before ideeën?

In Dutch, reageren always takes the preposition op to express react to. Literally you “react on” something. So to say “react to ideas” you use:
reageren + op + ideeën
→ Wij reageren op ideeën

Can I front the object and say Op ideeën reageren wij?

Yes. Dutch follows the verb-second (V2) rule. If you put Op ideeën at the start for emphasis, the conjugated verb remains in second position and the subject follows:
Op ideeën reageren wij.

Why is ideeën spelled with a diaeresis (trema) on the second e?

The diaeresis marks that the two es belong to separate syllables: i-de-e(n). Without it, readers might try to pronounce ideeen as one long sound. The correct plural of idee is therefore ideeën to show three syllables.

How do you pronounce reageren op ideeën?

In IPA approximately: /raːˈɣeːrə(n) ɔp iˈdeːə(n)/
A rough phonetic guide:
ra-HAH-ghuh-ruhn op ee-DAY-uhn
– Stress on the second syllable of reageren and the first of ideeën.
– The g is the voiced Dutch “soft g,” similar to the French r’s friction.

How do you conjugate reageren in the present tense?

Present-tense forms of reageren:
• Ik reageer
• Jij reageert / reageer jij?
• Hij/Zij/Het reageert
• Wij/Jullie/Zij reageren

Note: For jij you normally add -t unless you invert the subject and verb in a question.

Is it okay to omit wij and just say Reageren op ideeën?

In informal contexts, headlines or notes, you can drop the subject:
Reageren op ideeën
(think of it like an English headline “Reacting to Ideas”).
In full, spoken or written sentences you typically include the pronoun: Wij reageren op ideeën or We reageren op ideeën.