Learn Hardcore Dutch: Wij bevestigen onze reservering van tevoren.

Yes. Both mean "we." Wij is the stressed form used for emphasis or contrast; we is the neutral, most common form in everyday speech. At the start of a sentence, either is fine: We bevestigen... sounds a bit more natural in casual contexts; Wij bevestigen... can suggest “we (as opposed to others) confirm...”.

Why is it onze and not ons?

Because reservering is a de-word (common gender). The possessive for de-words and all plurals is onze; ons is only for singular het-words.

ons huis (het-woord, singular)
onze huizen (plural)
onze reservering (de-woord)

What article does reservering take, and what is its plural?

It’s de reservering. Plural: de reserveringen. Rule of thumb: nouns ending in -ing are almost always de-words.

What tense is bevestigen here, and can Dutch present refer to the future?

It’s the simple present. Dutch often uses the present for habitual actions and near-future plans, so We bevestigen... can mean “We (usually) confirm...” or “We’ll confirm...” depending on context. If you want an explicit future, you can say We zullen onze reservering van tevoren bevestigen.

How do I say this in the past or present perfect? What’s the past participle of bevestigen?

Simple past: ik bevestigde / wij bevestigden.
Present perfect: ik/we hebben ... bevestigd. Past participle: bevestigd (not gebevestigd). Verbs with prefixes like be-, ge-, ver-, ont-, her- don’t take an extra ge- in the participle. Auxiliary: hebben.

Is bevestigen a separable verb?

No. It’s inseparable. Main clause: verb in second position (We bevestigen ...). Subordinate clause: the verb moves to the end (... dat we ... bevestigen).

Where should van tevoren go? Can I move it?

Default and most natural here is at the end: ... onze reservering van tevoren. You can also move it for emphasis or style:

We bevestigen van tevoren onze reservering (focus on “in advance”).
Van tevoren bevestigen we onze reservering (topic fronting). All are grammatical; Dutch lets adverbials move for emphasis.

Can I replace van tevoren with vooraf, alvast, or op voorhand?

vooraf = “in advance” (slightly more formal/written): We bevestigen de reservering vooraf.
alvast = “already/for now/in advance,” often polite/helpful: We bevestigen de reservering alvast.
op voorhand is common in Belgium; in the Netherlands it sounds Belgian/formal: We bevestigen op voorhand... In the Netherlands, van tevoren and vooraf are the safest choices.

Can I drop van and just say tevoren?

Normally, no. The idiomatic expression is van tevoren. tevoren without van is rare/archaic except in fixed phrases like zoals tevoren (“as before”). If you don’t want van tevoren, use vooraf or alvast.

What’s the difference between reserveren and bevestigen?

reserveren = to make a reservation/booking (create it).
bevestigen = to confirm something that already exists. So We reserveren van tevoren = “We book in advance,” whereas We bevestigen onze reservering van tevoren = “We confirm our reservation in advance.”

Could I say We bevestigen de reservering instead of onze reservering?

Yes. de reservering is fine and means “the reservation.” Using onze makes it explicit that it’s “our” reservation. Choose based on context.

How do I negate this sentence?

Two natural options:

To negate specifically the “in advance” part: We bevestigen onze reservering niet van tevoren.
More neutral/VP-final negation: We bevestigen onze reservering van tevoren niet. Use geen only if you’re negating the noun itself (e.g., We bevestigen geen reservering = “We confirm no reservation at all”).

How do I make a yes/no question?

Invert subject and verb: Bevestigen we onze reservering van tevoren? With emphasis on the subject, use wij: Bevestigen wij ...?

What happens in a subordinate clause?

Verb-final order: ... dat we onze reservering van tevoren bevestigen. Other examples: Als we onze reservering van tevoren bevestigen, ...

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

ij in wij is a diphthong like English “ay” in “day,” starting with a short “eh.”
Dutch g in bevestigen is a throaty fricative (not like English “g”).
v in van is a voiced “v.”
Stress: be-vés-ti-gen; re-ser-vé-ring; te-vó-ren.
In casual speech, wij is often the weak we.

Is boeking interchangeable with reservering? What about reservatie?

boeking ≈ “booking” (very common in travel/hotels). Often interchangeable with reservering.
reservatie is widely used in Belgium. In the Netherlands, reservering is preferred; reservatie may sound Belgian/formal but is understood.

Is van tevoren written with a hyphen?

No hyphen. It’s two words: van tevoren (with tevoren as one word).