Learn Hardcore Dutch: De concentratie is belangrijk tijdens het examen. - Concentration is important during the exam.

Concentratie is belangrijk...
This talks about concentration in general, as an abstract quality. It’s more like saying “Concentration (in general) is important during the exam.”
De concentratie is belangrijk...
The article de makes it feel a bit more specific or concrete, often:
- the concentration in this situation (e.g. during this exam),
- or the concentration we are already talking about in the conversation.

In many real-life contexts, Dutch speakers would say Je concentratie is belangrijk tijdens het examen (Your concentration is important during the exam), which sounds very natural and personal.

Why is it de concentratie and not het concentratie?

In Dutch, nouns have grammatical gender and take either de (common gender) or het (neuter gender) as a definite article.

concentratie is a de-word: de concentratie
Many abstract nouns ending in -tie (from Latin -tion) are de-words, for example:
- de informatie
- de situatie
- de motivatie
- de reparatie

There is no logical rule you can always apply; you mainly have to learn each noun’s gender, but the -tie pattern is a useful hint that it will usually be a de-word.

Could I say Het concentratie is belangrijk tijdens het examen?

No, that would be incorrect.

concentratie is de concentratie, not het concentratie.
The article must agree with the noun’s gender, so you must use:
- De concentratie is belangrijk...
- or drop the article: Concentratie is belangrijk...

Using het here will immediately sound wrong to a native speaker.

Why is it het examen and not de examen?

The noun examen is a het-word in Dutch:

het examen – the exam
de examens – the exams (plural always takes de)

There isn’t a simple rule here; examen just happens to be neuter. A few related words:

het tentamen (university exam)
het diploma
de toets (test, quiz) → this one is a de-word

You mainly have to memorize the gender of each noun, but dictionaries always show het examen.

What does tijdens mean exactly, and why not use in like in English?

tijdens means during.

tijdens het examen = during the exam

In English, in the exam is often used with the same meaning, but in Dutch:

in het examen sounds like you are inside the exam as a physical object, which is strange.
To express time (when something happens), Dutch strongly prefers:
- tijdens (during)
- gedurende (during, more formal)
- bij in some contexts (at, in the context of)

So:

De concentratie is belangrijk tijdens het examen. ✅
De concentratie is belangrijk in het examen. ❌ (unnatural)

What is the difference between tijdens het examen and bij het examen?

Both can occur, but they have slightly different nuances:

tijdens het examen
Focus on time: something happens while the exam is going on.
→ Concentration during the exam is important.
bij het examen
More like in the context of / in connection with the exam. It can sound less about the exact time and more about the situation around the exam.

In this sentence, to express that you must be focused while you are doing the exam, tijdens het examen is the most natural and clear choice.

Why is it belangrijk and not belangrijke after is?

Dutch adjectives behave differently depending on where they appear:

Attributive (before a noun) → usually with -e ending:
- Een belangrijk examen – an important exam
- De belangrijke concentratie – the important concentration (sounds odd here, but grammatically correct)
Predicative (after zijn = to be, or other linking verbs) → no -e ending:
- Het examen is belangrijk.
- De concentratie is belangrijk.

In your sentence, belangrijk is used after the verb is, so it is predicative and does not take the -e ending.

Could I say Concentratie tijdens het examen is belangrijk instead? Is that the same?

Yes, this is also correct:

Concentratie tijdens het examen is belangrijk.

The difference is only in emphasis and structure:

De concentratie is belangrijk tijdens het examen.
Subject = De concentratie
Extra information about when: tijdens het examen
Feels like a more neutral, standard sentence.
Concentratie tijdens het examen is belangrijk.
The whole phrase Concentratie tijdens het examen is the subject.
This version puts a bit more focus on concentration during the exam as one idea.

Both are natural; the original is slightly more neutral and common in simple learner examples.

Is there a difference between De concentratie is belangrijk and Concentratie is belangrijk?

Yes, there is a subtle difference:

Concentratie is belangrijk.
General statement about the concept of concentration. Very similar to English “Concentration is important.”
De concentratie is belangrijk.
Refers more to a particular or situational concentration:
- The concentration we need now,
- The concentration we are already talking about,
- The concentration during the exam, in this context, etc.

When you add a context like tijdens het examen, both are possible, but:

Concentratie tijdens het examen is belangrijk. → General truth.
De concentratie is belangrijk tijdens het examen. → Slightly more concrete; feels like we are talking about your or the needed concentration in that situation.

Can I say Je concentratie is belangrijk tijdens het examen? Does that sound more natural?

Yes, Je concentratie is belangrijk tijdens het examen is very natural Dutch and commonly said by teachers, parents, etc.

Compare:

De concentratie is belangrijk tijdens het examen.
More general or impersonal.
Je concentratie is belangrijk tijdens het examen.
Directly addresses the listener: “Your concentration is important during the exam.”
This is often more natural in real communication.

How do you pronounce concentratie, belangrijk, tijdens, and examen?

Approximate pronunciations for English speakers:

concentratie → /kɔn-sen-TRAA-tsie/
- con: like kon
- cen: like sen
- traa: long aa (like father but a bit tenser)
- tie: sounds like tsie
belangrijk → /bə-LANG-rijk/
- be: very short, like buh
- lang: like English lung but with a closer to father
- rijk: like rike but with Dutch ij (similar to English eye)
tijdens → /TAY-dens/
- tij: like English tie
- dens: like dens in dense but slightly softer s
examen → /ek-SAA-mən/
- ex: like eks
- a: long, like father
- final en: often reduced to a weak -uhn sound

How would I say this sentence in the plural, for several exams?

You mainly need to change het examen to the plural de examens:

De concentratie is belangrijk tijdens de examens.
→ Concentration is important during the exams.

Notes:

Plural of het examen is de examens (no extra -e or anything fancy).
The verb is stays singular because de concentratie is still the subject (one thing).
Only the part referring to the time frame changes from singular het examen to plural de examens.