Ik neem de metro naar het centrum.

I take the metro to the city centre.

Breakdown of Ik neem de metro naar het centrum.

• ik: I
• naar: to
• nemen: to take
• de metro: the metro
• het centrum: the city centre

Questions & Answers about Ik neem de metro naar het centrum.

Why is the definite article de used with metro, but het with centrum?

In Dutch every noun has a grammatical gender (common or neuter).

• metro is a common gender noun, so it takes de.
• centrum is a neuter gender noun, so it takes het.

Could I say Ik pak de metro naar het centrum instead of Ik neem …?

Yes.

• neem de metro and pak de metro both mean “take the metro.”
• nemen is more neutral, while pakken can sound a bit more informal or emphasize “grab” or “catch.”

Why naar and not in or op het centrum?

• naar indicates movement toward a destination (“to” or “towards”).
• in het centrum would mean “in the center” (location).
• op het centrum is not used for “city center” – you’d say in.

Is word order important? Why is neem before de metro?

Yes, Dutch is a V2 (verb-second) language in main clauses:

1. The finite verb (neem) must be in the second position.
2. Subject (Ik) is first, verb second, then the rest (de metro …).

Can I drop het and just say Ik neem de metro naar centrum?

No, you need the article:

• Dutch requires het centrum because centrum is a neuter noun and you need the definite article here.

Why use the present tense neem instead of a future tense?

In Dutch, the simple present is commonly used for near-future actions, just like in English:

• Ik neem de metro morgen can mean “I’ll take the metro tomorrow.”

How do I pronounce metro and centrum?

• metro: /MAY-tro/ (the first syllable like English “may”)
• centrum: /SEN-trum/ (stress on the first syllable, the “u” like the “u” in “put”)

Could I also say Ik ga met de metro naar het centrum?

Absolutely.

• Ik ga met de metro … literally “I go by metro …”
• It’s a very common alternative to Ik neem de metro …