Learn Hardcore Dutch: Wij zullen om acht uur uitchecken. - We will check out at eight o’clock.

Neutral/very common: We checken om acht uur uit. (present for a planned action)
Intention/promise or slightly more formal: Wij zullen om acht uur uitchecken.
Near future/colloquial: We gaan om acht uur uitchecken. All three are correct; choose based on tone and context.

What’s the difference between Wij and We?

Both mean “we.” Use:

We: default, unstressed, most common in speech.
Wij: stressed or contrastive, or a touch more formal. Example:
We zullen om acht uur uitchecken. (neutral)
Wij zullen om acht uur uitchecken, niet zij. (emphasizes “we,” not “they”)

Why is the time phrase placed between zullen and uitchecken?

Dutch main clauses are V2: the finite verb (zullen) sits in second position, while other (non‑finite) verbs go to the end. Adverbials like time normally sit in the middle field. Pattern: Subject + finite verb + [time/other info] + verb(s) Example: Wij zullen om acht uur uitchecken.

Can I move the time phrase elsewhere?

Yes. All are fine, with slight differences in emphasis:

Wij zullen om acht uur uitchecken. (neutral)
Wij zullen uitchecken om acht uur. (time at the end; still neutral)
Om acht uur zullen wij uitchecken. (focus on the time; note inversion after fronting)
We checken om acht uur uit. (present tense version)

Is uitchecken a separable verb? How does it behave in other tenses?

Yes, it’s separable (uit + checken).

Present: We checken om acht uur uit.
Simple past: We checkten om acht uur uit. (ik checkte, wij checkten)
Perfect: We hebben om acht uur uitgecheckt.
With zullen: We zullen om acht uur uitchecken. (infinitive stays together at the end)
Imperative: Check om acht uur uit!
Subordinate clause: …dat we om acht uur zullen uitchecken. (you may also see: …dat we om acht uur uit zullen checken)

How do I spell it—do I need a hyphen or a space?

Write the base form as one word: uitchecken. No hyphen.

Correct infinitive: uitchecken
Split only when grammar requires it (e.g., We checken uit).
Don’t write “uit checken” as an infinitive and don’t hyphenate: “uit-checken” ✗

Why is it om acht uur and not op/in/over acht uur?

om + clock times: om acht uur (at eight o’clock)
op + days/dates: op maandag, op 1 mei
in + months/parts of day: in mei, in de ochtend
over acht uur = in eight hours (from now)
binnen acht uur = within eight hours
in acht uur = in eight hours (it took that long): We reden het in acht uur.

How do I say around, by, or before eight?

around: rond acht uur / omstreeks acht uur / ongeveer om acht uur
around (colloquial): een uur of acht
toward/about eight: tegen acht uur / tegen achten
before: vóór acht uur (often written as voor acht uur)
by (no later than): uiterlijk om acht uur

How do I express a.m./p.m. or use 24‑hour time?

12‑hour with labels: om acht uur ’s ochtends; om acht uur ’s avonds
24‑hour (common in writing): om 20.00 uur (also 20:00) Both styles are fine; 24‑hour is widespread in schedules and formal notices.

Can I drop the subject pronoun like in Spanish?

No. Dutch normally requires subject pronouns: Wij/We zullen om acht uur uitchecken. You can omit it in imperatives or very clipped notes, e.g., Check om acht uur uit!

How does zullen conjugate?

ik zal
jij/je zult (zal is also heard, especially informally)
hij/zij/het zal
wij/jullie/zij zullen Past/conditional: ik zou, wij zouden.

Does half acht mean 8:30?

No—false friend. In Dutch:

half acht = 7:30 (halfway to eight)
half negen = 8:30 Related: kwart over zeven (7:15), kwart voor acht (7:45).

How do I pronounce the key words?

wij: like “why,” but start with a soft Dutch w (between English w and v)
zullen: roughly “ZUL-lun” (u like the vowel in English put; final -en often weak)
uit: Dutch ui, approximately like English “out” but more rounded and fronted
checken: “CHECK-un” (ch = “tch”) Tip: Listening to native audio will help most with ui and the Dutch w.

Where does negation go?

We zullen niet om acht uur uitchecken. = not at eight (but at some other time)
We zullen om acht uur niet uitchecken. = at eight we won’t check out (focus on the action at that time)
We zullen niet uitchecken. = we won’t check out (at all) Use niet (not), not geen here (geen negates nouns, e.g., geen kamer “no room”).

How do I write the time with numbers?

Words: om acht uur
Digits: om 8 uur
With minutes: om 8.00 uur or 8:00 (both dot and colon are used) “Uur” is often included in running text (om 20.00 uur), but schedules may just show 20:00.