Wij koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden.

We cook voluntarily for our friends.

Breakdown of Wij koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden.

• wij: we
• koken: to cook
• onze: our
• voor: for
• de vrienden: the friends
• vrijwillig: voluntarily

Questions & Answers about Wij koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden.

Why does the sentence use wij instead of we? Is there a difference?

Dutch has two forms for we: wij and we.

• wij is the stressed form. You use it when you want to emphasize the subject:
  • Wij koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden.
    (= We (as opposed to others) cook voluntarily for our friends.)
• we is the unstressed form, the “normal” everyday version when you’re not emphasizing:
  • We koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden.
    (= just “We cook voluntarily for our friends.”)

Both are grammatically correct here. Using wij makes we a bit more prominent or contrastive. Using we sounds slightly more neutral and is very common in speech.

Why is the verb koken in this form, and how would it change with other subjects?

Koken is a regular Dutch verb ending in -en. In the present tense, Dutch uses:

• Singular:

  • ik kook – I cook
  • jij / je kookt – you cook
  • hij / zij / ze / het kookt – he / she / it cooks

• Plural:

  • wij / we koken – we cook
  • jullie koken – you (plural) cook
  • zij / ze koken – they cook

With wij (we), Dutch uses the same form as the infinitive: koken.
So wij koken follows the normal pattern: plural subject → koken.

Does this sentence mean “We cook” or “We are cooking”? How do you express the continuous in Dutch?

The Dutch present tense wij koken can mean both:

• We cook (in general / regularly / as a habit)
• We are cooking (right now)

Dutch often uses the simple present where English switches between simple and continuous.

If you really want to stress the “right now, in progress” idea, you can use a construction like:

• Wij zijn aan het koken (voor onze vrienden).
  = We are in the middle of cooking (for our friends).

But in many contexts, Wij koken voor onze vrienden is enough for both meanings.

Where should vrijwillig go in the sentence? Could I say Wij vrijwillig koken voor onze vrienden?

No, Wij vrijwillig koken voor onze vrienden is not correct word order.

In main clauses, Dutch likes this pattern:

Subject – conjugated verb – (middle part) – rest

Here:

• Subject: wij
• Conjugated verb: koken
• Adverb vrijwillig belongs in the “middle” after the verb
• Prepositional phrase: voor onze vrienden

So the normal word order is:

• Wij koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden.

Putting vrijwillig before the finite verb (wij vrijwillig koken) breaks the basic “verb in second position” rule of Dutch main clauses.

What exactly does vrijwillig mean here? Does it mean we are volunteers?

Vrijwillig means voluntarily, of one’s own free will, not forced or paid.

In this sentence it suggests:

• You are not obliged or forced to cook.
• You’re doing it because you want to, or as a free contribution.

It does not automatically mean you are “official volunteers” in an organization. For that, Dutch more often uses:

• als vrijwilliger – as a volunteer
• vrijwilligerswerk doen – to do volunteer work

Example:

• Wij doen vrijwilligerswerk: wij koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden.
  (We do volunteer work: we cook voluntarily for our friends.)

Can I put vrijwillig at the end: Wij koken voor onze vrienden vrijwillig?

Yes, that is grammatically possible, but the nuance changes.

• Wij koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden.
  → Neutral, natural word order. The adverb sits in the “middle field” after the verb.

• Wij koken voor onze vrienden vrijwillig.
  → Puts extra emphasis on vrijwillig, as if you’re stressing that part: → “We cook for our friends voluntarily (not because we have to, or not for money).”

So it’s correct, but the version with vrijwillig right after koken is the most usual and neutral.

Why is it voor onze vrienden and not aan onze vrienden?

Both voor and aan can translate as for/to in English, but they’re used differently.

• voor often means for the benefit of:

  • Wij koken voor onze vrienden.
    = We cook for our friends (they will eat it; they benefit from the cooking).

• aan is more like to in the sense of giving something to someone:

  • Wij geven eten aan onze vrienden.
    = We give food to our friends.

With koken, you’re performing an action for someone’s benefit, so voor onze vrienden is the natural choice.

What is the difference between ons and onze, and why is it onze vrienden here?

Both ons and onze mean our, but they depend on the noun’s gender and number.

• onze is used:

  • with all plural nouns:
    
    • onze vrienden – our friends
    • onze huizen – our houses
  • with singular common-gender nouns (de-words):
    
    • onze tafel – our table
    • onze moeder – our mother

• ons is used:

  • with singular neuter nouns (het-words):
    
    • ons huis – our house
    • ons kind – our child

Since vrienden is plural, you must use onze:

• voor onze vrienden, not voor ons vrienden.

What is the gender and plural of vriend? How does that affect the sentence?

• vriend (friend, male or generic) is a common gender noun, so it takes de:
  • de vriend – the friend
• Its plural is vrienden:
  • de vrienden – the friends

Because it is plural in the sentence (vrienden):

• The possessive must be onze: onze vrienden
• The preposition phrase is voor onze vrienden: for our friends

If it were singular, you would say:

• voor onze vriend – for our friend

Could you leave out the pronoun and just say Koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden?

Normally, no. In Dutch you usually must include the subject pronoun:

• Wij koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden. ✅
• Koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden. ❌ (as a normal statement)

Exceptions where you can drop the subject:

• Imperatives (commands):
  
  • Kook voor onze vrienden! – Cook for our friends!
• Very short answers where the subject is understood from context:
  • Wie kookt er? – Who is cooking?
    Wij. – We (are).

But as a full sentence like yours, you need wij (or we).

What would Wij koken onze vrienden mean? Why do we need voor?

Wij koken onze vrienden literally means “We cook our friends” – i.e. we are cooking them as food. That’s obviously a very wrong and disturbing meaning.

• Without voor, onze vrienden becomes the direct object (the thing being cooked).

• With voor, voor onze vrienden is a prepositional phrase meaning “for our friends” (they benefit from the action):

  • Wij koken onze vrienden.
    → We cook our friends. (They are the food.) ❌
  • Wij koken voor onze vrienden.
    → We cook for our friends. (We make food for them.) ✅

So voor is essential here to express the intended meaning.

How would I turn this into a yes/no question in Dutch?

For a yes/no question, Dutch usually inverts subject and verb:

• Statement: Wij koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden.
• Question: Koken wij vrijwillig voor onze vrienden?
  = Do we cook voluntarily for our friends?

The rest of the sentence (vrijwillig voor onze vrienden) stays in the same order; only wij and koken swap places.

If I want to say “We like cooking for our friends”, can I just use vrijwillig?

No. vrijwillig means voluntarily, not liking something.

• Wij koken vrijwillig voor onze vrienden.
  = We cook for our friends voluntarily (we are not forced or paid).
• Wij koken graag voor onze vrienden.
  = We like cooking for our friends.

To express liking/enjoyment of an activity, Dutch typically uses graag with the verb, not vrijwillig.