Learn Hardcore Dutch: We bespreken de huurprijs morgen met onze huisgenoot. - We will discuss the rent price tomorrow with our housemate.

In Dutch, the present simple is commonly used for scheduled or planned future events when there’s a time word like morgen. The time expression carries the future meaning, so you don’t need a separate “will.”

Neutral and very common: We bespreken de huurprijs morgen…
With intention/suggestion/promise: We zullen de huurprijs morgen … bespreken.
With a plan already set: We gaan morgen de huurprijs … bespreken.

Can I move “morgen” to another position? What happens to the verb?

Yes. Dutch is a V2 language in main clauses: the finite verb stays in second position. Common variants:

We bespreken morgen de huurprijs met onze huisgenoot.
Morgen bespreken we de huurprijs met onze huisgenoot. (fronting “morgen” causes inversion: bespreken we)
We bespreken de huurprijs morgen met onze huisgenoot. (your original; also fine)

Less natural: We bespreken morgen met onze huisgenoot de huurprijs. (not wrong, just marked)

Why don’t we say “bespreken over de huurprijs”? Isn’t “over” needed?

Because bespreken already means “to discuss” and takes a direct object, so no preposition is used: iets bespreken. If you want a version with a preposition, switch verb:

praten/spreken over: We praten morgen met onze huisgenoot over de huurprijs.
But with bespreken: We bespreken de huurprijs (met onze huisgenoot).

What’s the difference between “bespreken,” “praten over,” “spreken over,” “overleggen,” and “afspreken”?

bespreken (iets met iemand): to discuss something (often a bit more formal/goal-oriented).
praten/spreken over (iets) (met iemand): to talk/speak about something (neutral, everyday).
overleggen (met iemand) (over iets): to confer/consult, often to reach a decision together.
afspreken: to make an arrangement/agree (separable: we spreken … af). Not “discuss,” but “set/decide.”
- E.g. We spreken morgen af wat de huurprijs wordt. = We’ll agree on what the rent will be.

Why “met onze huisgenoot” and not “tegen onze huisgenoot”?

Use met for two-way conversation: met iemand praten/bespreken/overleggen.
Use tegen for one-way direction: tegen iemand praten/iets tegen iemand zeggen (to someone). So: iets met iemand bespreken, but iets tegen iemand zeggen.

Why is it “de huurprijs” and not “het huurprijs”?

The head of the compound is prijs, which is a de-word. In Dutch, compounds take the gender of the last element (the head), so it’s de huurprijs. Also, it’s written as one word (see next Q).

Why “onze huisgenoot” and not “ons huisgenoot”?

Because huisgenoot is a de-word. The possessive is:

onze for all de-words (singular) and for all plurals.
ons only for singular het-words. Examples:
onze huisgenoot (de-woord)
ons huis (het-woord)
onze huizen (plural)

Does “huisgenoot” mean my landlord?

No. huisgenoot = housemate/roommate (someone you live with).

Landlord = verhuurder (neutral/legal) or colloquial huisbaas.
If you share the same room, that’s kamergenoot. If you’re co-tenants in a legal sense, medehuurder.

What’s the plural (and is there a feminine form) of “huisgenoot”?

Plural: huisgenoten.
Feminine form huisgenote exists but is felt formal/dated; most people use huisgenoot for any gender in modern usage.

Is “huurprijs” really one word?

Yes. Dutch strongly prefers compounds written as a single word: huurprijs, not “huur prijs.” You could say de prijs van de huur, but de huurprijs is shorter and more idiomatic.

How would I negate this? Where does “niet” go?

Place niet before what you’re negating, often near the end of the clause:

Not with the housemate: We bespreken de huurprijs morgen niet met onze huisgenoot (maar met de verhuurder).
Not tomorrow: We bespreken de huurprijs morgen niet, maar overmorgen.
Not at all (tomorrow): We bespreken de huurprijs morgen niet.

How do I turn this into a yes/no question or a wh-question?

Yes/no (invert subject and verb): Bespreken we morgen de huurprijs met onze huisgenoot?
Wh-question (front the wh-word, keep V2): Wanneer bespreken we de huurprijs met onze huisgenoot?

What changes in a subordinate clause?

In subordinate clauses introduced by words like omdat/als/dat, the finite verb goes to the end:

… omdat we de huurprijs morgen met onze huisgenoot bespreken. If you add an auxiliary, all verbs cluster at the end:
… omdat we de huurprijs morgen met onze huisgenoot zullen bespreken.

Is “We spreken morgen de huurprijs af” the same meaning?

No. afspreken means to agree/settle or to make an appointment. So:

We spreken morgen de huurprijs af. = We’ll settle/agree on the rent price tomorrow.
We bespreken de huurprijs morgen… = We’ll discuss the rent price tomorrow (no commitment to decide). Both are correct Dutch but express different intentions.

Any nuance between “de huur” and “de huurprijs”?

de huur = the rent in general (the rental arrangement/payment).
de huurprijs = specifically the amount/price of the rent. You can say de huur bespreken (broader) or de huurprijs bespreken (focus on the amount).

Pronunciation tips for tricky parts?

uu in huur is like French “u” (rounded front vowel), not like English “oo.”
ij in prijs sounds like the Dutch diphthong similar to English “eye.”
ui in huisgenoot (huis) is a Dutch-only diphthong; round your lips as for “uu,” then glide toward “ij.”
g in huisgenoot/morgen is a guttural sound; in many accents it’s a voiced fricative in morgen and voiceless in some regions—don’t use an English “g.”