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Learn Hardcore Dutch: De wasmachine draait nog. - The washing machine is still running.

Hardcore Dutch
/Lesson 55
/De wasmachine draait nog.

De wasmachine draait nog.

Word

De wasmachine draait nog.

Meaning

The washing machine is still running.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Lesson

Breakdown of De wasmachine draait nog.

the washing machine

to play (music)

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Questions & Answers about De wasmachine draait nog.

Why is it draait and not something like is aan het draaien, like English “is running / is turning”?

In Dutch the plain present tense often covers what English expresses with the present progressive:

De wasmachine draait nog.
= The washing machine is still running / is still spinning.

You can say:

De wasmachine is aan het draaien.

but that sounds more like explicitly describing the ongoing activity right now, often when you’re looking at it at this moment. In everyday speech, De wasmachine draait nog is the normal, neutral way to say “The washing machine is still running.”

What exactly does nog mean here, and why is it in that position?

In this sentence, nog means “still” (as in not yet finished / not yet stopped).

De wasmachine draait nog.
= The washing machine still runs / is still running.

About the position:

nog usually stands just before the verb it modifies or right after the subject:
- De wasmachine draait nog.
- Hij draait nog.

You will often see nog combined with other words:

nog steeds – still (often a bit stronger)
- De wasmachine draait nog steeds. = The machine is still running.
nog niet – not yet
- De wasmachine draait nog niet. = The machine isn’t running yet.

So here nog directly modifies the verb draait, conveying “continues to run.”

Why is it de wasmachine and not het wasmachine?

Every Dutch noun has a grammatical gender: de-word (common) or het-word (neuter).

Wasmachine is a de-word:

de wasmachine = the washing machine

Unfortunately, the gender is mostly lexical (you have to memorize it); there’s no simple rule that says “all machines are de-words” or something like that, even though many are:

de computer
de koelkast (fridge)
de stofzuiger (vacuum cleaner)

But there are also machines that are het-words, e.g.:

het apparaat (device)

So you simply have to learn:

wasmachine → de wasmachine

Can I leave out the article and just say Wasmachine draait nog?

In normal, standard Dutch, no. You need the article:

✅ De wasmachine draait nog.
❌ Wasmachine draait nog.

Leaving out the article might occur in:

Headlines / notes / labels:
- Wasmachine draait nog! (e.g. written on a sticky note)
Very telegraphic or command-style language.

But in normal spoken or written sentences, you use the article de.

Could I also say De wasmachine werkt nog or De wasmachine doet het nog? Do they mean the same thing?

They are close in meaning, but not identical in nuance:

De wasmachine draait nog.
- Literally: The washing machine is still turning/spinning.
- Most natural when you mean: It is currently in use; the program is still running.
De wasmachine werkt nog.
- Literally: The washing machine still works.
- Focus is on: It is not broken; it still functions in general, not necessarily at this moment.
De wasmachine doet het nog.
- Idiomatic: The washing machine still works / is still functioning.
- Very common spoken expression meaning: It hasn’t broken down yet.

So:

Seeing it currently run: → De wasmachine draait nog.
Talking about whether it’s broken or not: → De wasmachine werkt nog / De wasmachine doet het nog.

Does draait here only mean physically “turns/spins,” or is it more like “runs/operates” as a machine?

It’s both, depending on context.

Literally, draaien means to rotate / to turn / to spin. For a machine like a washing machine, that physical meaning easily extends to “is running / is operating.”

So:

De wasmachine draait nog.
can be understood as either:
- The drum is still spinning (physical motion), or
- The whole washing cycle is still going on (the machine is still in operation).

In everyday speech, people usually mean “the wash cycle isn’t finished yet; the machine is still running.”

How would I say the same thing using the verb zijn (to be), like in “The washing machine is still on”?

You could say:

De wasmachine is nog aan.
= The washing machine is still on.

or:

De wasmachine staat nog aan.
(literally: stands still on)
Very common and idiomatic for appliances.

But note the nuance:

De wasmachine draait nog.
Focus on the action: it is still running/spinning.
De wasmachine staat nog aan.
Focus on the fact that it is switched on, regardless of what it’s doing internally.

Is there a difference between nog and nog steeds in this sentence?

They are very similar, but there’s a slight nuance:

De wasmachine draait nog.
= The washing machine is still running.
De wasmachine draait nog steeds.
Also The washing machine is still running, but nog steeds can sound:
- a bit more emphatic,
- or show mild surprise or frustration, like “It’s still going?!”

In many contexts they are interchangeable, but nog steeds often adds a subtle emotional color: “and it continues, longer than expected.”

How would I make this sentence plural, e.g. “The washing machines are still running”?

You change the noun and verb to plural:

De wasmachines draaien nog.
= The washing machines are still running.

Changes:

wasmachine → wasmachines (add -s)
draait (3rd person singular) → draaien (3rd person plural)

Can I use loop instead of draait, like “De wasmachine loopt nog”?

Generally no, that would sound off or at least unusual.

lopen can mean “to run / to function” for some machines or systems (for example: De motor loopt nog. = The engine is still running.),
but for a washing machine, Dutch speakers normally use:
- De wasmachine draait nog.
- De wasmachine draait.
- De wasmachine is nog bezig. (is still busy/in progress)

So stick with draait or one of the alternatives like werkt / doet het nog depending on what you mean.

What is the pronunciation of de wasmachine draait nog?

Approximate IPA:

de – /də/ (schwa sound, like the ‘a’ in sofa)
wasmachine – /ˈʋɑs.maˌʃi.nə/
- was – /ʋɑs/ (the w is a voiced labiodental approximant, between English “v” and “w”)
- ma – /ma/
- chine – /ʃi.nə/ (the sch here is /ʃ/ like “sh” in she; final e is a schwa /ə/)
draait – /drɑit/
- aa – /aː/ (long open a)
- ij – /i/ or /ɛi/ depending on accent; often close to the English diphthong in fight but shorter
nog – /nɔx/
- final g is a guttural sound /x/, like the ch in German Bach.

Rhythm: DE was-ma-CHI-ne DRAAIT NOG
Main stress on was and draa(i)t.

Could I replace De wasmachine with a pronoun, and how would that work?

Yes. The pronoun for de wasmachine is hij (he/it), because wasmachine is a de-word.

Hij draait nog.
= It is still running.

Very common in context:

A: Is de wasmachine al klaar? (Is the washing machine finished yet?)
B: Nee, hij draait nog. (No, it’s still running.)

For appliances that are het-words, you would use het:

Het apparaat werkt nog. → Het werkt nog. (It still works.)

Can De wasmachine draait nog also mean “The washing machine is still in use (not retired)” in a general sense?

Context is important.

Most naturally, De wasmachine draait nog refers to a current washing cycle: it’s literally running at the moment.

If you want to say it’s still in use in general (not thrown away or replaced), Dutch speakers more often use:

De wasmachine werkt nog. = The machine still works.
De wasmachine doet het nog. = It still works.
We gebruiken die wasmachine nog. = We still use that washing machine.

Without extra context, draait nog will be understood as “is still currently running (this wash).”

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