Learn Hardcore Dutch: Laten we onze klasgenoot feliciteren, want hij is vandaag kampioen geworden. - Let’s congratulate our classmate, because he became champion today.

Laten we + infinitive
- Laten we gaan. – Let’s go.
- Laten we eten. – Let’s eat.
- Laten we onze klasgenoot feliciteren. – Let’s congratulate our classmate.

Grammatically, laten is the verb, and we is the subject. Dutch typically puts the infinitive at the end of this kind of clause, which is why you get Laten we … feliciteren and not Laten we feliciteren onze klasgenoot.

Why is the verb “feliciteren” at the end: “Laten we onze klasgenoot feliciteren”?

Dutch prefers the infinitive (or past participle) at the end of the clause in many multi‑verb constructions. Here the structure is:

Laten (conjugated verb, second position)
we (subject)
onze klasgenoot (object)
feliciteren (infinitive at the end)

So:
Laten | we | onze klasgenoot | feliciteren.

Putting feliciteren at the end is standard Dutch word order in this pattern. If you move it earlier, it sounds ungrammatical or at least very odd to native speakers.

What is the difference between “we” and “wij” in Dutch?

Both mean “we / us”.

we – the unstressed, neutral form, used most of the time in normal speech.
wij – the stressed form, used for emphasis or contrast.

Examples:

We gaan naar huis. – We’re going home. (neutral)
Wij gaan naar huis, niet zij. – We are going home, not they. (emphasis on we)

In “Laten we onze klasgenoot feliciteren”, we is the normal choice; Laten wij… would sound more emphatic, almost like you’re contrasting “we” with someone else.

What does “klasgenoot” mean exactly, and why is it one word?

Klasgenoot means “classmate” – someone who is in the same class as you.

Dutch very often writes compounds as one word, where English might use two:

klasgenoot – classmate
huiswerk – homework
boekenkast – bookcase

Some details:

Gender: de klasgenoot (common gender).
Plural: de klasgenoten – classmates.
There’s no separate feminine form in everyday use; klasgenoot can be male or female.

How do I use the verb “feliciteren” compared to “gefeliciteerd”?

feliciteren is the verb “to congratulate”.
- Ik feliciteer je. – I congratulate you.
- We willen hem feliciteren. – We want to congratulate him.
- Very often: iemand feliciteren met iets
  - Ik feliciteer je met je verjaardag. – I congratulate you on your birthday.
gefeliciteerd is the past participle used as a set phrase, like “Congratulations!”
- Gefeliciteerd! – Congratulations!
- Gefeliciteerd met je nieuwe baan! – Congratulations on your new job!

In your sentence, feliciteren is the infinitive of the verb, following Laten we ….

What is the difference between “want” and “omdat” here? Can I replace “want” with “omdat”?

Both want and omdat can translate as “because”, but they behave differently:

want
- Coordinating conjunction (joins two main clauses).
- Does not change word order.
- Your sentence:
  - Laten we onze klasgenoot feliciteren, want hij is vandaag kampioen geworden.
omdat
- Subordinating conjunction (introduces a subordinate clause).
- It forces the conjugated verb to the end of its clause.
- With omdat, you’d say:
  - Laten we onze klasgenoot feliciteren, omdat hij vandaag kampioen geworden is.

Both are grammatically correct, but want sounds a bit more informal / conversational, and omdat sounds more like a “proper” subordinate clause explanation.

Why is it “hij is … geworden” and not “hij heeft … geworden”?

The verb worden (“to become”) forms the perfect tense with zijn (“to be”), not with hebben (“to have”), when it means “to become”:

Hij is kampioen geworden. – He has become champion.
Ze is boos geworden. – She has become angry.

So the correct auxiliary is always zijn in this sense.
Using heeft geworden is non‑standard or wrong in modern Dutch when worden means “to become”.

Why is “geworden” at the very end of “hij is vandaag kampioen geworden”?

In main clauses, Dutch usually has:

The conjugated verb in second position (V2 rule).
The past participle at the end.

Here’s the structure:

Hij (subject)
is (conjugated verb, 2nd position)
vandaag (time adverbial)
kampioen (predicative complement: what he became)
geworden (past participle at the end)

So the order hij is vandaag kampioen geworden is the normal word order. Moving geworden earlier (e.g. hij is geworden kampioen vandaag) would be ungrammatical.

Why is there no article before “kampioen”? Why not “de kampioen” or “een kampioen”?

In Dutch, after verbs like zijn (“to be”) and worden (“to become”), a role, profession, or status is often used without an article:

Hij is dokter. – He is a doctor.
Ze is lerares. – She is a teacher.
Hij is vandaag kampioen geworden. – He became (the) champion today.

When you’re describing what someone has become (a role or title), you usually drop the article. If you say de kampioen you’re more clearly pointing at a specific champion as a fixed title (e.g. Hij is de kampioen van Nederland geworden – He has become the champion of the Netherlands).

Where can “vandaag” go in the sentence? Is its position fixed?

Vandaag (today) is an adverb of time. Dutch has fairly flexible positions for adverbs, but some positions sound more natural:

Most natural here:

Hij is vandaag kampioen geworden.

Other possible positions:

Vandaag is hij kampioen geworden. (emphasis on “today”)
Hij is kampioen geworden vandaag. (also possible; sounds a bit more “afterthought-like”)

Within the clause after the conjugated verb is and before the last participle geworden is the most neutral: is vandaag … geworden.

Is “kampioen worden” a fixed expression? How else can you say this in Dutch?

Yes, “kampioen worden” is a very common collocation meaning “to become champion / to win the championship”.

Other ways to express something similar:

Het kampioenschap winnen – to win the championship
- Hij heeft het kampioenschap gewonnen.
Kampioen zijn – to be champion
- Hij is nu kampioen.

But kampioen worden is the standard short way to say that someone ended up as champion in some competition.

Could I say “Laten we onze klasgenoot vandaag feliciteren” instead? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Laten we onze klasgenoot vandaag feliciteren, want hij is kampioen geworden.

This puts “vandaag” in the first part of the sentence, so it emphasizes when we should congratulate him (today), instead of when he became the champion. Subtle differences:

… want hij is vandaag kampioen geworden.
Focus: he became champion today.
… laten we hem vandaag feliciteren, want hij is kampioen geworden.
Focus: we are going to congratulate him today (maybe he became champion yesterday, but we’re congratulating him now).

In your original sentence, vandaag clearly modifies “is kampioen geworden”.