Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin.

Tom laughs cheekily in the garden.

Breakdown of Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin.

• Tom: Tom
• in: in
• de tuin: the garden
• lachen: to laugh
• brutaal: cheeky

Questions & Answers about Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin.

What tense is lacht, and how do you conjugate lachen?

Lacht is the third person singular, present tense of the verb lachen (to laugh).

Present tense of lachen:

• ik lach – I laugh
• jij / je lacht – you laugh
• u lacht – you (formal) laugh
• hij / zij / het lacht – he / she / it laughs
• wij lachen – we laugh
• jullie lachen – you (plural) laugh
• zij lachen – they laugh

So Tom lacht… means Tom laughs / Tom is laughing… in English.

Why does Dutch use Tom lacht instead of something like “Tom is laughing” with a separate auxiliary?

Dutch normally uses the simple present to describe something happening right now. The same form is used both for:

• habitual actions – Tom lacht vaak (Tom often laughs)
• actions happening at this moment – Tom lacht nu (Tom is laughing now)

If you really want to highlight that the action is in progress right now, Dutch has constructions like:

• Tom is aan het lachen (in de tuin).
• Tom zit (in de tuin) te lachen.

But in many contexts, Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin already naturally means “Tom is laughing cheekily in the garden (right now).”

Is brutaal an adjective or an adverb here?

In this sentence brutaal functions like an adverb: it tells us how Tom is laughing (cheekily / rudely).

In Dutch, the basic form of many adjectives is also used as an adverb. The ending -e usually marks the adjective in front of a noun:

• een brutale jongen – a cheeky boy (adjective with -e)
• Tom lacht brutaal. – Tom laughs cheekily. (adverb-like use, no -e)

So brutaal here modifies the verb lacht, not the noun Tom directly.

Can brutaal go in a different place in the sentence, or must it come right after lacht?

The given sentence Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin is very natural. Some other options are possible, but not all are equally idiomatic:

• Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin. – neutral, common.
• Tom lacht in de tuin brutaal. – grammatically possible, but sounds odd/marked.
• Tom lacht in de tuin heel brutaal. – becomes more natural again because heel brutaal is a longer phrase.

A good rule of thumb for main clauses:

• Subject
• Finite verb
• (Other elements)
• Manner adverbs like brutaal should stay close to the verb.

So you normally keep brutaal near lacht, as in the original sentence.

What exactly does brutaal mean? Is it always as strong as “rude”?

Brutaal can cover a range of meanings, depending on the context:

1. cheeky / impudent – often about children or playful behaviour

   • Een brutaal kind – a cheeky child

2. rude / insolent – clearly disrespectful

   • Hij gaf een brutaal antwoord. – He gave a rude/insolent answer.

In Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin, it will usually be understood more as cheeky or naughty rather than extremely offensive, unless the broader context suggests serious disrespect.

Related words:

• ondeugend – naughty, mischievous (softer, often about kids)
• onbeleefd – impolite (more formal, about manners)

Why is it in de tuin and not op de tuin or another preposition?

In Dutch, you are typically in a garden, because a garden is seen as a space you are inside:

• in de tuin – in the garden
• in het park – in the park

Op de tuin is not standard in this meaning. Op is used with surfaces or elevated areas:

• op het dak – on the roof
• op de tafel – on the table
• op het balkon – on the balcony

So for being in a garden as a location, in de tuin is the normal choice.

Why is it de tuin and not het tuin?

In Dutch, every noun is either a de-word (common gender) or a het-word (neuter). Unfortunately, this is mostly something you have to memorize.

• de tuin – the garden (common gender)
• het huis – the house (neuter)

So:

• in de tuin – in the garden
• in het huis – in the house

There is no logical rule that makes tuin a de-word; it’s simply part of its dictionary entry: de tuin.

Can I drop the subject and just say Lacht brutaal in de tuin, like “Is laughing cheekily in the garden”?

No, not in a normal statement. Dutch almost always requires an explicit subject in finite clauses.

• Correct: Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin.
• Correct: Hij lacht brutaal in de tuin.
• Not correct as a normal statement: Lacht brutaal in de tuin.

There are a few exceptions:

• In imperatives (commands) you can leave out the subject:
  
  • Lach niet zo brutaal in de tuin! – Don’t laugh so cheekily in the garden!

But for ordinary declarative sentences, Dutch does not allow the subject to be dropped the way some other languages do.

How do I turn Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin into a yes/no question?

You put the finite verb first, before the subject:

• Lacht Tom brutaal in de tuin? – Is Tom laughing cheekily in the garden?

Spoken Dutch often also uses:

• Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin? with rising intonation

The first version (Lacht Tom…?) is the clear, standard word order for a yes/no question in writing.

How does the word order change if I make it part of a subordinate clause, for example starting with omdat (“because”)?

In a subordinate clause, the finite verb goes to the end of the clause.

Main clause:

• Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin.

Subordinate clause with omdat:

• omdat Tom brutaal in de tuin lacht – because Tom is laughing cheekily in the garden.

General pattern:

• [omdat] + subject + (adverbs / objects / prepositional phrases) + finite verb

So you no longer have verb in second position; it moves to the end.

How would I say “Tom laughed cheekily in the garden” (past tense) instead of present?

You change lacht (present) to lachte (simple past):

• Tom lachte brutaal in de tuin. – Tom laughed cheekily in the garden.

You can also use the perfect tense:

• Tom heeft brutaal in de tuin gelachen. – Tom has laughed / laughed cheekily in the garden.

Summary:

• Present: Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin.
• Simple past: Tom lachte brutaal in de tuin.
• Perfect: Tom heeft brutaal in de tuin gelachen.

Is there a difference between brutaal and words like ondeugend or onbeleefd here?

Yes, the nuance is slightly different:

• brutaal – cheeky, impudent, sometimes rude

  • Often implies talking back, not respecting authority, or bold, sassy behaviour.

• ondeugend – naughty, mischievous

  • Often softer and more playful, especially for children:
    
    • Tom lacht ondeugend in de tuin. – Tom laughs mischievously in the garden.

• onbeleefd – impolite

  • More formal, about manners; you’d use it less with lachen and more with things like answers or behaviour:
    
    • Hij was onbeleefd tegen de leraar.

In Tom lacht brutaal in de tuin, brutaal suggests that Tom’s laughter is cheeky or slightly rude, not just innocent fun.