Breakdown of Wij nemen meestal de tram naar de universiteit.
wij
we
naar
to
nemen
to take
meestal
usually
de universiteit
the university
de tram
the tram
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Questions & Answers about Wij nemen meestal de tram naar de universiteit.
Why does the sentence start with Wij? Can’t we use We instead?
In Dutch both wij and we mean we. Wij is the full form and is often used for emphasis or in more formal contexts, while we is more colloquial and common in everyday speech. You can perfectly say We nemen meestal de tram naar de universiteit without changing the meaning.
Why is the verb nemen used here? Can’t I say rijden or gaan?
To express “taking” a mode of transport, Dutch normally uses nemen (“to take”).
• Rijden means “to drive” or “to ride” (e.g. De tram rijdt snel = “The tram runs fast”), not “to take the tram.”
• Gaan (“to go”) can be used with a preposition: We gaan met de tram = “We go by tram.”
So nemen is the standard choice for “take the tram.”
Why isn’t there a preposition like met before de tram?
With nemen, you directly take the object without a preposition. De tram nemen already means “to travel by tram.” If you switch to gaan, you must add met: We gaan met de tram.
Why is meestal placed after the verb instead of at the very start?
Dutch follows the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position in the clause. With Wij in first position, nemen comes second, so adverbs like meestal follow the verb. If you move meestal to the front, the structure adjusts and the verb still stays second:
Meestal nemen wij de tram naar de universiteit.
Why do we need de before universiteit? Can’t it be naar universiteit?
Dutch requires an article with singular, countable nouns. Universiteit is a common-gender noun, so it takes de. Omitting the article (naar universiteit) would be ungrammatical in this context.
How do I know that universiteit is a de-word and not a het-word?
There’s no guaranteed rule—gender in Dutch must often be memorized. A good dictionary or frequent exposure helps. As a general tendency, many longer or abstract nouns (like universiteit) are common gender (de), but you’ll encounter exceptions.
Can I drop Wij since the verb form doesn’t change for “we”?
No. Unlike in some languages, Dutch almost always requires an explicit subject pronoun. You cannot say Nemen meestal de tram naar de universiteit; you need Wij or We at the start.
Could I use pakken instead of nemen for “take the tram”?
Yes—colloquially many speakers say pakken (“to grab/take”). We pakken meestal de tram naar de universiteit is informal but very common. For more neutral or written style, nemen is preferred.