Hij leest moeilijk zonder bril.

He reads with difficulty without glasses.

Breakdown of Hij leest moeilijk zonder bril.

• hij: he
• lezen: to read
• zonder: without
• de bril: the glasses
• moeilijk: with difficulty, hardly

Questions & Answers about Hij leest moeilijk zonder bril.

Why is moeilijk used here, and what exactly does it modify?

Moeilijk literally means difficult, but in this sentence it functions adverbially: it describes how he reads.

• Hij leest moeilijk = He reads with difficulty / He has trouble reading
• So moeilijk modifies the verb leest, not hij.

Dutch very often uses the base adjective form as an adverb. You do not add anything like -ly (that’s English). So moeilijk can be both:

• adjective: een moeilijk boek (a difficult book)
• adverb: Hij leest moeilijk (He reads with difficulty)

Why is it Hij leest moeilijk zonder bril and not Hij leest zonder bril moeilijk?

Both are grammatically possible, but the neutral, most natural order is:

• Hij leest moeilijk zonder bril.

Typical neutral order in main clauses with a verb and several adverbs/complements is:

1. Subject (Hij)
2. Verb (leest)
3. Manner adverb (moeilijk – how?)
4. Other complements, like prepositional phrases (zonder bril – under what condition? / without what?)

Hij leest zonder bril moeilijk is not wrong, but it sounds less natural and puts extra emphasis on zonder bril (the without glasses part).

Could the sentence also be Hij kan zonder bril moeilijk lezen? If so, what’s the difference?

Yes, that’s also correct, and very common:

• Hij leest moeilijk zonder bril.
• Hij kan zonder bril moeilijk lezen.

Both mean essentially the same thing. The nuance:

• Hij leest moeilijk zonder bril focuses a bit more on the way he reads.
• Hij kan zonder bril moeilijk lezen sounds a bit more like it is hard for him to read at all without glasses.

In everyday speech, they are often interchangeable; many speakers might even prefer Hij kan zonder bril moeilijk lezen.

Why is there no article before bril? Why not zonder een bril or zonder zijn bril?

All three are possible, with small differences in nuance:

• zonder bril

  • General statement: without (his) glasses / without glasses on.
  • Implies the usual, relevant pair of glasses; context takes care of his.

• zonder een bril

  • Literally: without a (single) pair of glasses.
  • Sounds a bit more literal or specific, and is less common here.

• zonder zijn bril

  • Explicitly: without his glasses (possessive is stated).
  • Used if you want to be very clear whose glasses you mean, for example in a context where several people’s glasses are involved.

In simple situations, zonder bril is the most natural and idiomatic choice.

In English we say glasses (plural). Why is Dutch bril (singular) here?

In Dutch, bril is grammatically singular:

• de bril = the glasses (one pair)
• brillen = glasses in the sense of multiple pairs of glasses.

So:

• Hij heeft een bril. = He has glasses (one pair).
• Hij verkoopt brillen. = He sells glasses (many pairs).

Even though physically there are two lenses, Dutch treats bril as a single object.

What form of the verb lezen is leest, and why does it end in -t?

Leest is the 3rd person singular present tense of lezen (to read):

• ik lees – I read
• jij / je leest – you read
• hij / zij / het leest – he / she / it reads
• wij / jullie / zij lezen – we / you (pl) / they read

So with hij (he), you use the -t ending: hij leest.

Does Hij leest moeilijk (without zonder bril) also make sense?

Yes, it does, but the meaning is more general:

• Hij leest moeilijk. = He reads with difficulty / He has trouble reading (in general).

People might understand that he:

• has a reading disability,
• is a slow or struggling reader,
• or in some other way finds reading difficult.

By adding zonder bril, you specify the reason/condition:

• Hij leest moeilijk zonder bril.
  = He only has trouble reading when he doesn’t have his glasses.

Can hij is moeilijk mean the same as hij leest moeilijk?

No, that would be a different meaning:

• Hij is moeilijk.
  = He is difficult (as a person, hard to deal with).

• Hij leest moeilijk.
  = He reads with difficulty. (the activity of reading is hard for him).

So moeilijk can describe:

• a person: Hij is moeilijk (difficult personality/behaviour),
• an activity: Hij leest moeilijk (reading is hard for him).

What does zonder mean and how is it used?

Zonder means without. It’s a preposition and is followed by a noun (or a noun phrase):

• zonder bril – without glasses
• zonder suiker – without sugar
• zonder jou – without you
• zonder problemen – without problems

Structure is just like English without + noun.

Is the word order Zonder bril leest hij moeilijk also correct?

Yes, that is also grammatically correct:

• Hij leest moeilijk zonder bril.
• Zonder bril leest hij moeilijk.

The second version puts zonder bril at the start, so it emphasizes the without glasses part:

• Zonder bril leest hij moeilijk.
  = Without glasses, he reads with difficulty. (contrast: with glasses, he’s fine.)

Both are natural; which you choose depends on what you want to highlight.

Could I also say Hij leest niet goed zonder bril? Is that the same?

Yes, that’s very natural Dutch:

• Hij leest moeilijk zonder bril.
• Hij leest niet goed zonder bril.

They are close in meaning:

• moeilijk highlights that reading requires effort for him.
• niet goed highlights that the quality of his reading is not good.

In many everyday contexts, they would be understood in the same practical way.

How is leest pronounced compared to lees?

Both are pronounced almost the same; the -t is audible but light:

• lees: [leːs]
• leest: [leːst]

Tips:

• ee is a long ay-like sound (similar to English lay, but without the final glide).
• In leest, you clearly add a soft t at the end.