Learn Hardcore Dutch: Wij komen om acht uur naar het feest. - We are coming to the party at eight o'clock.

wij is the stressed form. You use it when you want to emphasize the subject:
- Wij komen om acht uur naar het feest. (Not them, we are coming.)
we is the unstressed / neutral form, and is more common in everyday speech:
- We komen om acht uur naar het feest.

Both are grammatically correct here; the choice is about emphasis and style, not right vs wrong.

Can the word order change? For example, can I say “Om acht uur komen wij naar het feest”?

Yes, that word order is also correct. Dutch word order is quite flexible, especially with time expressions.

All of these are possible and correct, with slightly different emphasis:

Wij komen om acht uur naar het feest.
Neutral; light emphasis on wij (we).
Om acht uur komen wij naar het feest.
Emphasis on om acht uur (the time: at eight o’clock).
Wij komen naar het feest om acht uur.
Very natural too; time at the end is also common in speech.

A useful guideline in Dutch main clauses is the “time–manner–place” order after the verb:

subject – verb – (time) – (manner) – (place)

So: Wij (subject) komen (verb) om acht uur (time) naar het feest (place).

Why do we use om before acht uur? How do I know when to use om vs op vs in for time?

In Dutch, different prepositions are used with different kinds of time expressions:

om = at a specific clock time
- om acht uur – at eight o’clock
- om half drie – at half past two
op = on a day or date
- op maandag – on Monday
- op 5 mei – on May 5th
in = in a month, year, season, general period
- in juli – in July
- in 2025 – in 2025
- in de zomer – in (the) summer

So you say om acht uur because acht uur is a clock time.

Why is it acht uur and not acht uren?

The noun uur (hour) is special in Dutch:

After a number, uur usually stays singular:
- één uur
- twee uur
- acht uur

Using uren is possible but less common and often more stylistic, or when you mean “hours” in a more abstract sense:

We moesten uren wachten. – We had to wait for hours.
Ik heb al drie uur gewerkt. – I have already worked for three hours. (here uur is still singular)

In time expressions with clock times, always use uur, not uren:
→ om acht uur, not ✗ om acht uren.

Why is it naar het feest and not something like bij het feest or op het feest?

The preposition changes the meaning:

naar het feest = to the party (movement towards it)
- Wij komen om acht uur naar het feest. – We come/go to the party at eight.
op het feest = (already) at the party
- We zijn op het feest. – We are at the party.
bij het feest is rare in this context; it can occur in other constructions (e.g. bij het feest van …).

Because the verb komen expresses movement to a place, you need naar:
→ komen naar + destination.

What is the difference between komen and gaan here? Could I say “Wij gaan om acht uur naar het feest”?

Yes, Wij gaan om acht uur naar het feest is also grammatically correct and natural.

Subtle difference:

komen = come (movement towards the place where the speaker or listener is / will be)
- You’d say this if the speaker or the listener is (or will be) at the party.
gaan = go (movement from here to there, neutral with respect to the listener’s location)

So if you’re talking to the host, Wij komen om acht uur naar het feest fits well: “We’ll come (to you) at eight.”
If you’re talking to a third person, Wij gaan om acht uur naar het feest sounds slightly more neutral: “We’re going to the party at eight.”

Why is it het feest and not de feest?

Dutch nouns have two possible singular definite articles:

de (common gender)
het (neuter)

The word feest is a het-word, so:

het feest – the party
een feest – a party

There is no simple rule that lets you always predict de/het; you generally have to learn it with the noun or look it up in a dictionary. Dictionaries usually mark feest with het.

Could I say “een feest” instead of “het feest”? What’s the difference?

Yes:

het feest = the party – a specific party that both speaker and listener know about.
een feest = a party – any party, not a particular one already identified.

So:

Wij komen om acht uur naar het feest.
→ We’re talking about a specific party we both know (e.g. “Sarah’s birthday party”).
Wij komen om acht uur naar een feest.
→ We’re going to some party at eight (which party is not specified).

Do I always need om before a time, or can I say “Wij komen acht uur naar het feest”?

In normal sentences, you need om before a clock time:

✔ Wij komen om acht uur naar het feest.

Leaving om out is not standard in everyday speech or writing:

✗ Wij komen acht uur naar het feest. (wrong in normal usage)

You’ll only see om omitted in certain timetable-like contexts (very telegraphic style), e.g.:

Vertrek: 8.00 uur – Aankomst: 9.00 uur.

But in full sentences, always keep om before the time phrase.

Where would the negation niet go? How do I say “We are not coming to the party at eight o’clock”?

It depends on what you want to negate:

Negating coming to the party at all:
- Wij komen om acht uur niet naar het feest.
  → We are not coming to the party (at eight).
Negating the time (we are coming, but not at eight):
- Wij komen niet om acht uur naar het feest.
  → We are not coming at eight o’clock (but at some other time).

Position of niet changes the focus:

before naar het feest → negates going to the party.
before om acht uur → negates the time.

Is om acht uur the only way to say “around eight o’clock”? What about tegen acht uur?

om acht uur means exactly at eight o’clock (or very close to it).

To express “around eight”, Dutch uses:

tegen acht uur – towards eight o’clock / around eight
rond acht uur – around eight o’clock
zo rond acht uur – roughly around eight

Examples:

Wij komen tegen acht uur naar het feest. – We’ll come around eight.
Wij komen rond acht uur naar het feest. – We’ll come around eight.

So say om acht uur if you mean a specific time; use tegen/rond if it’s approximate.

How would I pronounce acht and feest compared to English?

Approximate guidance:

acht
- ch = a throaty sound made at the back of the mouth (like the German Bach, or the “ch” in Scottish loch).
- The t is clearly pronounced at the end.
- Roughly like: [ɑxt] (“ahkht”).
feest
- ee = a long “ay” sound (like in English day, but tighter/tenser).
- st pronounced as in English “st”.
- Roughly like: [feːst], similar to “fayst”.

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like: [ʋɛi̯ ˈkoːmə(n) ɔm ɑxt yːr naːr ət feːst] (approximate).

Could I leave out wij and just say “Komen om acht uur naar het feest”?

In normal Dutch, you cannot drop the subject pronoun here:

✔ Wij komen om acht uur naar het feest.
✔ We komen om acht uur naar het feest.
✗ Komen om acht uur naar het feest. (incomplete as a standalone sentence)

Dutch normally requires an explicit subject, unlike Spanish or Italian.
You might see the subject dropped only in very informal notes or headlines, but in proper sentences, always include wij/we.