……
Questions & Answers about Tom is trots op het team.
Why is it trots op and not trots van or trots over?
In Dutch, the adjective trots takes the preposition op; it’s a fixed collocation meaning proud of. Using van or over is incorrect in this meaning. Examples: Ik ben trots op mijn team.; Zij is trots op haar zoon.
What part of speech is trots here, and why doesn’t it get an -e ending?
It’s an adjective used predicatively after zijn. Predicative adjectives in Dutch don’t take the -e ending: Tom is trots. Attributively, before a noun, it does take -e: een trotse vader, de trotse coach.
Why het team and not de team?
Team is a neuter noun in Dutch, so the definite article is het: het team. In the plural it becomes de teams. Many English loanwords are neuter, but it’s best to learn the article with each noun.
Do I need a possessive, like zijn team?
Not necessarily. Tom is trots op het team refers to a specific team understood from context (e.g., the one just mentioned). Add a possessive to make ownership explicit: Tom is trots op zijn team = Tom is proud of his own team.
How do you pronounce the words?
- Tom: like English Tom.
- is: like English is but with a short, clean vowel.
- trots: short o (like English cot), final consonant cluster -ts.
- op: short o; the p is pronounced.
- team: pronounced like English teem (long ee sound).
Can I move op het team to the front for emphasis?
Yes. Dutch allows topicalization with the finite verb in second position (V2): Op het team is Tom trots. The neutral sentence, though, is Tom is trots op het team.
What happens in a subordinate clause?
The finite verb goes to the end: Omdat Tom trots op het team is. Here trots op het team stays together as a unit before is.
How do I make it negative?
Place niet before the predicate: Tom is niet trots op het team. For a contrast, you can say: Tom is niet trots op het team, maar op zichzelf.
How can I intensify trots?
Common intensifiers: heel, erg, zeer (formal), ontzettend, super. Examples: Tom is heel/erg/ontzettend trots op het team. You can also say best wel trots for quite proud.
What pronouns do I use after op?
After a preposition you use the stressed forms: op mij, op jou, op hem, op haar, op ons, op jullie, op hen. Examples: Ik ben trots op jou.; We zijn trots op hen.
Is there a difference between the adjective trots and the noun trots?
Yes. In the sentence, trots is an adjective meaning proud. As a noun, de trots means pride: Zijn trots is groot. You do not say hebben trots for being proud; use trots zijn op.
Why is it is and not ben/bent?
Is is the third-person singular of zijn (to be). Conjugation: ik ben, jij/je bent, hij/zij/het is, wij/jullie/zij zijn. With Tom (he), you use is.
How do I say this in the past or with the perfect?
- Simple past: Tom was trots op het team.
- Perfect: Tom is trots op het team geweest. The perfect emphasizes the completed state; the simple past is more common in narratives.
How do I refer to a whole clause after trots op?
Use the pronominal adverb pattern er … op plus a dat-clause: Tom is er trots op dat het team won. If the object is a thing already mentioned, you can also say Tom is er trots op.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Dutch grammar?”
Dutch grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning DutchMaster Dutch — from Tom is trots op het team to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions