Learn Hardcore Dutch: Reizen met de trein is vermoeiend.

In Dutch you can use a verb’s infinitive as a noun (this is called a nominalized infinitive). Here reizen means “travelling.” When it’s the subject of a sentence, you don’t need an article—just like in Zwemmen is leuk (“Swimming is fun”).

Why is it met de trein instead of op de trein or in de trein?

To express the means of transport, Dutch uses met + vehicle: met de trein means “by train.”

op de trein or in de trein would focus on your location (on or in the train), not the mode of travel.
You can also say per trein, which is slightly more formal.

Why is the verb is singular when reizen ends in -en (which often marks plural)?

Although reizen ends in -en, it’s here an infinitive turned into a noun phrase. Infinitive clauses count as singular subjects, so they take the singular verb is, not zijn.

What does vermoeiend mean, and how does it differ from vermoeid?

vermoeiend is the present participle of vermoeien and means “tiring” (something that makes you tired).
vermoeid is the past participle and means “tired” (the state you’re in).
So is vermoeiend = “is tiring,” whereas is vermoeid = “is tired.”

How do you pronounce vermoeiend?

It’s pronounced roughly as [vər-ˈmuː-ʏnt]:

oe = like English “oo” in food
ei = a Dutch diphthong, similar to “ay” in hay, but with a slightly different mouth shape
So you say something like ver-moo-eint, blending the last two syllables smoothly.

Can I add an article and say Het reizen met de trein is vermoeiend? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can. Adding het doesn’t change the meaning—it just makes the nominalized infinitive look more like an ordinary noun phrase. It can feel a bit more formal or explicit, but the sentence still means “Travelling by train is tiring.”

Is there an alternative way to express this using an om … te clause?

Absolutely. You can rephrase it as:

Het is vermoeiend om met de trein te reizen. (“It is tiring to travel by train.”)
Or less formally:
Met de trein reizen is vermoeiend.
Both convey the same idea with a slightly different structure.

Could I combine trein and reizen into one word, like treinreizen?

Yes. Dutch often forms compound nouns. Treinreizen is vermoeiend is grammatically correct and means the same. It feels more like a general activity (“train travel”) rather than focusing on the action of travelling.