Learn Hardcore Dutch: Gisteren kocht Anna een dikke regenjas. - Yesterday, Anna bought a thick raincoat.

Dutch follows the “verb-second” (V2) rule. When you start a clause with something other than the subject (here gisteren), the finite verb must come in the second position. That pushes the subject (Anna) to third place.

What part of speech is gisteren in Gisteren kocht Anna een dikke regenjas?

Gisteren is a temporal adverb (a time adverbial). It tells you when the action happened and can freely appear at the beginning of the sentence.

Could I also say Anna kocht gisteren een dikke regenjas? Does it change the meaning?

Yes—you can. Dutch allows different adverb placements, as long as the verb stays second.

“Gisteren kocht Anna een dikke regenjas.” (Emphasis on gisteren.)
“Anna kocht gisteren een dikke regenjas.” (Emphasis on Anna or the action.)
The basic meaning stays the same.

What tense is kocht, and can I use heeft gekocht instead of kocht?

Kocht is the simple past (preterite) of kopen (“to buy”). Dutch expresses past actions in two main ways:

Simple past (e.g. kocht) – common in written narratives.
Present perfect (e.g. heeft gekocht) – very common in spoken Dutch.
You could say:
“Gisteren heeft Anna een dikke regenjas gekocht.”
Both sentences mean exactly the same thing.

Why does the adjective dikke have an -e ending before regenjas?

In Dutch, attributive adjectives (adjectives before a noun) take an -e ending when:

The noun is a de-word (common gender) or is plural.
It is preceded by a definite or indefinite article (like de, een) or another determiner.
Since “regenjas” is a de-word and it’s introduced by een, dik becomes dikke.

How is the noun regenjas formed, and what gender is it?

Regenjas is a compound noun: regen (“rain”) + jas (“coat”). In Dutch, compounds are simply glued together. It is a de-word (common gender), so you say de regenjas in the definite form and use -e on any attributive adjective.

Why is the article een used before dikke regenjas instead of de?

Een is the indefinite article (“a/an”) and signals you’re introducing something new or non-specific. De dikke regenjas would mean “the thick raincoat,” referring to a specific coat already known to speaker and listener. Here Anna buys a thick raincoat, so een is correct.

How do I turn Gisteren kocht Anna een dikke regenjas into a question, for example “What did Anna buy yesterday?”

Place the question word first, keep the verb second, then the subject, etc.:
“Wat kocht Anna gisteren?”
Literally: What – bought – Anna – yesterday?

How do I negate the sentence, for example to say “Yesterday Anna didn’t buy a thick raincoat”?

You have two common options:

Use geen with the noun:
• Gisteren kocht Anna geen dikke regenjas.
Use niet with the past participle in perfect tense:
• Gisteren heeft Anna geen dikke regenjas gekocht.

How do you pronounce kocht and the ch sound in kocht?

IPA pronunciation: /kɔxt/

o as in English “lock” [ɔ]
ch is the voiceless velar fricative , like the Scottish “loch” or German “Bach.”
t is a voiceless [t].