Learn Hardcore Dutch: Wij zijn allebei blij dat de reservering is bevestigd. - We are both happy that the reservation is confirmed.

In Dutch, we is the default, unstressed form of “we,” while wij is the stressed form used for emphasis or contrast. Using Wij here can subtly emphasize “we (both)” as opposed to someone else. In neutral speech, We zijn allebei blij… is perfectly fine and very common; Wij adds a little emphasis.

What exactly does allebei mean, and where does it go in the sentence?

Allebei means “both (of us/them).” With a plural subject like wij, it’s placed in the “middle field,” typically right after the finite verb:

Natural: Wij/We zijn allebei blij… Putting it at the very end (… blij allebei) sounds awkward. You can also front it with emphasis: Wij allebei zijn blij…, but that’s heavier in tone.

What’s the difference between allebei and beide/beiden?

allebei: everyday, colloquial “both.” Works well with pronouns: We zijn allebei blij.
beide: adjective before a noun: beide reserveringen (“both reservations”).
beiden: more formal pronoun after/with personal pronouns, especially for people: Wij beiden zijn blij. In everyday speech, allebei is more natural with pronouns.

Can I say Wij allebei zijn blij?

Yes. Wij allebei zijn blij… is grammatical and emphasizes “we both.” It’s a bit more marked/formal. The most neutral version is We zijn allebei blij…

Why use blij and not gelukkig?

blij = “glad/pleased” about a specific thing. Ik ben blij dat…
gelukkig can mean “happy (in life)” or “fortunate/luckily.” Ik ben gelukkig often implies general life happiness; Gelukkig dat… means “Fortunately…” So for “glad that the reservation is confirmed,” blij is the natural choice.

What is the role of dat here? Is it the same as English “that”?

Yes. dat introduces a content (subordinate) clause: … blij dat [de reservering is bevestigd] = “happy that [the reservation has been confirmed].” It’s not causal (that would be omdat “because” or want “because” in a main clause).

Can I drop dat like in English (“We’re happy the reservation is confirmed”)?

No. In Dutch you generally must keep dat. Omitting it—We zijn blij de reservering is bevestigd—is ungrammatical.

Why are the verbs at the end of the dat-clause: … dat de reservering is bevestigd?

In Dutch subordinate clauses (introduced by dat, omdat, etc.), the verb cluster moves to the end. Here the auxiliary is and the participle bevestigd appear at the end of the clause as a unit.

Is … dat de reservering bevestigd is also correct?

Yes. Both orders are accepted: … is bevestigd and … bevestigd is. The order with the auxiliary first (is bevestigd) is very common in the Netherlands; bevestigd is is also common (more so in Flanders) and can sound a touch more formal or emphatic on the participle.

What tense/voice is de reservering is bevestigd?

It’s the present perfect passive: “the reservation has been confirmed.” Compare:

Present passive (ongoing): De reservering wordt bevestigd = “is being confirmed.”
Perfect passive (completed): De reservering is bevestigd = “has been confirmed.”

What would the active version look like?

For an unspecified agent: Wij zijn allebei blij dat ze de reservering hebben bevestigd. (“… that they have confirmed the reservation.”)

Why is bevestigd spelled with a final d, not t?

Past participle spelling follows the Dutch “’t kofschip/x” rule: if the stem ends in a voiceless consonant (t, k, f, s, ch, p, x), the ending is -t; otherwise -d. The stem bevestig- ends in g (voiced), so the participle is bevestigd with d. Don’t confuse it with the present-tense 3sg form bevestigt (with t): Hij bevestigt (“he confirms”).

But I hear a “t” at the end of bevestigd. Why?

Dutch devoices final consonants in pronunciation. So the written d at the end is pronounced like t. In bevestigd, the cluster is pronounced roughly like “-ixt.”

Why is it de reservering and not het reservering?

Nouns ending in -ing are almost always common-gender (de) nouns. So it’s de reservering. Plural: de reserveringen.

Could I say blij met dat de reservering…?

No. Use:

blij dat + clause: We zijn blij dat de reservering is bevestigd.
blij met + noun: We zijn blij met de bevestiging van de reservering.

Do I need a comma before dat?

No comma is required (and usually none is used) before dat in modern Dutch: Wij zijn allebei blij dat…

What if there are more than two of us?

Use allemaal (“all”): We zijn allemaal blij dat de reservering is bevestigd. Reserve allebei for exactly two.

Is reservering the right word here, or should it be boeking or afspraak?

reservering: reservations for restaurants, hotels, tables, tickets.
boeking: “booking,” common for travel/hotels; often interchangeable with reservering in those contexts.
afspraak: an appointment/meeting (doctor, hairdresser). Not used for tables/rooms. Here, reservering (or boeking, depending on context) is right; not afspraak.

Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky parts like wij, blij, bevestigd, reservering?

ij (in wij, blij) sounds like English “eye” but a bit shorter/tenser: [ɛi].
w is a soft labiodental [ʋ], not the English [w].
g/ch are throat fricatives; in bevestigd you’ll hear a harsh “kh” before the final “t”-sound: [bə-VEHS-tixt].
reservering: stress on the third syllable: re-ser-VEER-ing.