|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 11:54 pm
Section 6 - Personal Pronouns/Possessive Adjectives and the Possessive "Case"
Subject pronouns (these perform the actions and all that good stuff)
[The alternate words indicated by the / are merely alternate spellings for the alternate pronunciations of the words. Unless you can get a good idea of what they sound like (most lose their luster like het was explained to), just stick with the proper forms.]
ik/'k - I
jij/je - you (informal)
u - you (formal)
hij - he
zij/ze - she
het/'t - it
wij/we - we
jullie - you (plural)
zij/ze - they
Object pronouns (these have actions performed ON them)
mij/me - me
jou/je - you (inf.)
u - you (frm.)
hem/'m - him
haar/ze - her
het/'t - it
ons - us
jullie/je - you (pl.)
hen/ze - them
Possessive adjectives (things belong to 'em!)
[Unlike German, Dutch possessives don't need to agree with gender or plurality. Mijn man, mijn kind and mijn boeken all use the same possessive adjective.]
mijn/m'n - my
jouw/je - your (inf.)
uw - your (frm.)
zijn/z'n - his
haar - her
zijn - its
ons & onze - our [ons is used for singular het nouns - for de nouns and all plural nouns, use onze]
jullie/je - your (pl.)
hun - their
You'll notice that je is used as an alternative for just about all 'you' words except for the formal ones. Je is really the only alternative that I encourage you to use right now. But you'd still best start off with all the proper ones - jij, jou and jouw.
The possessive
It's not really a "case" per se, as it doesn't have to do with a changed ending. To say that something belongs to something, use this layout.
[possession] + van + [owner]
Waar leer ik van het lied van stormen? - Where do I learn the Song of Storms? (blatant Zelda reference mrgreen )
For this kind of possession, you can also take the two words and put them together - put the possession(s) first and tack the owner onto the end.
Waar leer ik van het stormenlied? - Where do I learn the Song of Storms? (lit. 'storms-song' but has the connotation of __ of __, just reversed)
For possession that works directly with people, you can either use the first way mentioned with van:
Is dit het boek van Jan? - Is this the book of John?
Waar zijn de glazen van moeder? - Where are the glasses of mother?
Or you can do it in a way that's almost exactly like English:
Is dit Jans boek? - Is this John's book?
Waar zijn moeders glazen? - Where are mother's glasses?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:25 am
Section 7 - Pluralization
The Dutch pluralization rules are very simple, for the most part.
Gender is no issue in Dutch like it is in German. The only matter that Dutch pluralization poses is spelling changes. But these spelling changes should look rather familiar to those of you who read the section on adjectives.
The general trend is to add -en to the singular noun. [It's also worthwhile to know that de is used as the definite article for all plural nouns, even the het ones.]
-en pluralization
het hart (the heart) -> de harten (the hearts)
de vreemde (the stranger) -> de vreemden (the strangers)
het zwaard (the sword) -> de zwaarden (swords)
de vrouw (the woman) -> de vrouwen (the women)
het bier (the beer) -> de bieren (the beers)
de wijn (the wine) -> de wijnen (the wines)
But like in the adjective section, some words need changes in vowels and consonants to keep pronunciation.
de hoop (the hope) -> de hopen (the hopes)
de haar (the hair) -> de haren (the hairs)
de naam (the name) -> de namen (the names)
de maan (the moon) -> de manen (the moons)
[As you'll recall, these need to drop a vowel in order to avoid redundancy - with the -en added, it makes the vowel within long, and when the vowel is doubled, it's already long. Take one away - the vowel will still be long with the addition of the -en.]
Here's the opposite example:
de man (the man) -> de mannen (the men)
de bed (the bed) -> de bedden (the beds)
de jas (the coat) -> de jassen (the coats)
de lek (the leak) -> de lekken (the leaks)
[This time, the consonant at the end is doubled when the -en is added, thus keeping the vowel short. If there were no extra consonant added, the vowel would become long and it could turn into a completely different word (ex: man -> manen, but manen means 'moons,' not 'men').]
For long-voweled (or diphthong) nouns ending in S and F:
de huis (the house) -> de huizen (the houses)
de roos (the rose) -> de rozen (the roses)
[Also, long-voweled (or diphthong) words like this that end in F change to V in the plural (can't think of any words right now, though).]
-s/-'s pluralization
Words that end in -el, -em, -en, and -er (and words that end in -aar, -aard, -erd and -ier when referring to people) simply add an -s. Most words ending in unstressed vowels and foreign words will also add -s.
de tafel (the table) -> de tafels (the tables)
de jongen (the boy) -> de jongens (the boys)
het meisje (the girl) -> de meisjes (the girls)
de familie (the family) -> de families (the families)
de bakker (the baker) -> de bakkers (the bakers)
Nouns that end in -a, -o or -u and loanwords from other languages add -'s:
de foto (the photograph) -> de foto's (the photographs)
de hobby (the hobby) -> de hobby's (the hobbies)
Irregular plurals
Some nouns don't follow the "double the consonant to keep the vowel short" rule, and end up having irregular plurals with long vowels:
het bad (the bath) -> de baden (the baths)
de dag (the day) -> de dagen (the days)
het spel (the game) -> de spelen (the games)
de weg (the path) -> de wegen (the paths)
het glas (the glass) -> de glazen (the glasses)
Another type of irregularity is that certain neuter het words take the ending -eren (or -deren if the singular ends in -n).
het blad (the leaf) -> de bladeren (the leaves)
het ei (the egg) -> de eieren (the eggs)
het lied (the song) -> de liederen (the songs)
het volk (the people, nation) -> de volkeren (the peoples, nations)
het been (the bone) -> de beenderen (the bones)
het kind (the child) -> de kinderen (the children)
Nouns ending in -heid change to -heden:
de mogelijkheid (the possibility) -> de mogelijkheden (the possibilities)
de waarheid (the truth) -> de waarheden (the truths)
Other common irregular plurals:
de stad (the town/city) -> de steden (the towns/cities)
het schip (ship) -> de schepen (ships)
het lid (the member) -> de leden (members)
de koe (the cow) -> de koeien (the cows)
[NOTE: Remember well the basic, non-irregular spelling changes, for they will also ring true with verb conjugation as well.]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 6:02 pm
My mom wants to learn this (ONLY BASIC PHRASES scream eek she is doing the same for danish too eek )
I may learn this because it will help with other germanic languages i'm learning
and the word "Hoi" makes me laugh rofl
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:25 am
Wow. You did really well explaining everything. Thank you!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:51 pm
Section 8 - Verb Conjugation and Inquisitive Form
[I'll color code the different spelling rules and junk...]
This right here is what acts as the blood-tie between English and German - this aspect of Dutch when compared to those two are what tells you that all three of them are related like "cousins" if you will.
I say this because it has more conjugations than English, but less than German. So it's not overly simple nor overly difficult. Again, the only thing you will need to worry about is the spelling changes, and we've gone over those pretty well thus far, I'd say.
English example of what verb conjugation is, for those who don't know:
to sleep
I sleep
you sleep
he/she/it sleeps
we sleep
you sleep (plural)
they sleep
The English trend is basically that only the third person forms (he-she-it) differs from the rest. There's only one ending: -s, and it gets added to the infinitive form in order to conjugate it. In Dutch, you attach it to the infinitive stem (the part without the -en) and you've done it.
Here are the Dutch endings:
ik - (nothing)
jij/u - t
hij/zij/het - t
wij - en (infinitive)
jullie - en (infinitive)
zij - en (infinitive)
Let's try this in some real conjugations:
zoeken - to seek, search for
ik zoek - I seek
jij/u zoekt - you seek
z/hij/het zoekt - s/he/it seeks
wij zoeken - we seek
jullie zoeken - you seek (pl.)
zij zoeken - they seek
Simple as that, for the most part. The first person singular form adds nothing to the stem, the second person singular and the third person singular add -t, and all the forms that have to do with plural subjects just stay in the infinitive (which makes sense! duh!).
More examples (I'll only use the necessary subj. pronouns now to prevent cluttering):
drinken - to drink
ik drink - I drink
jij drinkt - you drink
hij drinkt - he drinks
wij drinken - we drink
jullie drinken - you drink (pl.)
zij drinken - they drink
helpen - to help
ik help - I help
jij helpt - you help
hij helpt - he helps
wij helpen - we help
jullie helpen - you help (pl.)
zij helpen - they help
Very simple, and it basically stays simple even when spelling changes come in. Speaking of which, we can now go over those in relation to verbs:
kopen - to buy
ik koop - I buy
jij koopt - you buy
hij koopt - he buys
wij kopen - we buy
jullie kopen - you buy (pl.)
zij kopen - they buy
To explain: under the examples from the verbs helpen and zoeken, the forms ik and jij/hij would be ik kop and jij/hij kopt. But as I can't stress enough, the O in kopen is LONG because of the -en. When you take the -en away like that, it becomes SHORT. You gotta find some way to make the O long again. Thus you double it.
More examples:
slapen - to sleep
ik slaap - I sleep
jij slaapt - you sleep
hij slaapt - he sleeps
wij slapen - we sleep
jullie slapen - you sleep (pl.)
zij slapen - they sleep
spreken - to speak
ik spreek - I speak
jij spreekt - you speak
hij spreekt - he speaks
wij spreken - we speak
jullie spreken - you speak (pl.)
zij spreken - they speak
There is the other spelling change as well. It occurs in verbs that have double consonants in the stem:
tellen - to count
ik tel - I count
jij telt - you count
hij telt - he counts
wij tellen - we count
jullie tellen - you count (pl.)
zij tellen - they count
This time, you remove an L because of one golden rule: a word may not end in a double consonant, nor may double consonants exist before a third consonant. The first part of that explains why it's ik tel and not ik tell, and the second part explains why it's jij/hij telt and not jij/hij tellt. If anything, I believe it's even simpler than the vowel-elongating spelling change.
More examples:
stellen - to put, place
ik stel - I put
jij stelt - you put
hij stelt - he puts
wij stellen - we put
jullie stellen - you put (pl.)
zij stellen - they put
zwemmen - to swim
ik zwem - I swim
jij zwemt - you swim
hij zwemt - you swim
wij zwemmen - we swim
jullie zwemmen - you swim (pl.)
zij zwemmen - they swim
kennen - to know, be familiar (with a person, place or thing; not a fact)
ik ken - I know
jij kent - you know
hij kent - he knows
wij kennen - we know
jullie kennen - you know (pl.)
zij kennen - they know
Yet ANOTHER spelling change is the other one we talked about - the z-s/v-f change:
lezen - to read
ik lees - I read
jij leest - you read
hij leest - he reads
wij lezen - we read
jullie lezen - you read (pl.)
zij lezen - they read
leven - to live
ik leef - I live
jij leeft - you live
hij leeft - he lives
wij leven - we live
jullie leven - you live (pl.)
zij leven - they live
I suppose the reason for these changes is that the letters V and Z really shouldn't stand at the end of a word or before another consonant, so it makes some sense.
One more thing to know: since you already know that a double consonant at the end of a word is a no-no, the jij and hij forms of words whose stems end with a -t might look irregular:
heten - to be called
ik heet - I am called
jij heet - you are called
hij heet - he is called
wij heten - we are called
jullie heten - you are called (pl.)
zij heten - they are called
(would normally be jij/hij heett)
zitten - to sit
ik zit - I sit
jij zit - you sit
hij zit - he sits
wij zitten - we sit
jullie zitten - you sit (pl.)
zij zitten - they sit
(would normally be jij/hij zitt)
Inquisitive form or "Questioning"
As in German and sometimes English, you make a question by reversing the subject pronoun and the conjugated verb.
Ben ik? - Am I?
Is hij? - Is he?
Zijn wij? - Are we?
Bent u? - Are you?
*There is one thing to note: when you ask a question in the jij form [only jij, NOT u], the t that is added on during the conjugation is lost. Instead of bent jij?, it's ben jij? Same goes for all verbs:
hebben -> jij hebt -> heb jij?
komen -> jij komt -> kom jij?
zwemmen -> jij zwemt -> zwem jij?
gaan -> jij gaat -> ga jij {the A no longer needs doubling to stay long since it stands at the end of the word}
[Once again: the u form KEEPS the t. Let it sink in.]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:51 pm
Section 9 - Irregular Verbs
Some nice healthy irregular verbs:
zijn - to be
ik ben - I am
jij bent - you are
hij is - he is
wij zijn - we are
jullie zijn - you are (pl.)
zij zijn - they are
hebben - to have
ik heb - I have
jij hebt - you have
hij heeft - he has
wij hebben - we have
jullie hebben - you have (pl.)
zij hebben - they have
doen - to do
ik doe - I do
jij doet - you do
hij doet - he does
wij doen - we do
jullie doen - you do (pl.)
zij doen - they do
komen - to come
ik kom - I come
jij komt - you come
hij komt - he comes
wij komen - we come
jullie komen - you come (pl.)
zij komen - they come
zullen - will (used for future tense)
ik zal - I will
jij zult - you will
hij zal - he will
wij zullen - we will
jullie zullen - you will (pl.)
zij zullen - they will
kunnen - can (to be able)
ik kan - I can
jij k**t - you can
hij kan - he can
wij kunnen - we can
jullie kunnen - you can (pl.)
zij kunnen - they can
mogen - may (to have permission OR might)
ik mag - I may
jij mag - you may
hij mag - he may
wij mogen - we may
jullie mogen - you may (pl.)
zij mogen - they may
Verbs with different meanings
I thought the irregular verbs area would be a good place to mention these kinds of verbs. There are some verbs that either are different but have similar meanings or that are nearly the same but context makes the meanings dissimilar.
weten - to know facts, specific knowledge
kennen - to know a person or place (and sometimes objects), be acquainted with
leven - to be alive, exist, not be dead
wonen - to live somewhere, dwell, reside
noemen - to give a name to, call, label
heten - to be named, be called
As I said, different verbs but with similar and sometimes confusing meanings. You would say "Ik woon in Amerika" to say 'I live in America,' NOT "Ik leef in Amerika." Well, that would be true as well, but it's not what you're trying to get at.
--
lenen aan - to lend to
lenen van - to borrow from
leren - to teach
leren van - to learn
These are the similar ones that make very different meanings when put into context. When you say "Ik leer Engels" it means 'I teach English.' To say that you learn (of) English, you say "Ik leer van Engels."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:25 am
Kokoroki and the word "Hoi" makes me laugh rofl There are a few words that make me laugh : De fiets - bike. When I lived in Amsterdam, I saw bikes that came from the fiets factory. Slapen - to sleep. Praten - to talk. I mean... Hij praat. I don't know how long it took me to stop laughing the first time I said that to go through the verb conjugations. I no longer learn Dutch (despite living in NL). I just remember a few essential phrases to get by in shops.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:37 am
I am Dutch. n_n I'm glad Dutch is the language of the month.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:41 am
Hawk_McKrakken Hoe oud bent u/je? - How old are you?Hoe = how
Oud = old
Bent u/je = are you My boyfriend is from the Netherlands, and has pointed out that as soon as it becomes informal (je) the t at the end of "bent" goes away. "Hoe oud ben je?" Hawk_McKrakken Ik spreek niet goed de Nederlands - I don't speak Dutch well The "de" is out of place. First of all, it's "het Nederlands" and secondly there should never be an article (de/het) in this case. "Ik spreek niet goed Nederlands"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:14 pm
Explain that to the idiot sites who say otherwise. rolleyes Fixed.
That, though, is a nice boost of confidence, that I've only made that single mistake out of all this material thus far.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 11:51 am
Hawk_McKrakken Explain that to the idiot sites who say otherwise. rolleyes Fixed. That, though, is a nice boost of confidence, that I've only made that single mistake out of all this material thus far. your really good at explaining things biggrin razz
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:36 pm
Thanks, but I'm afraid I may be getting a little lazy. xp
It's been a while since I've posted a lesson... but as soon as I can figure out what else needs to be gone over, I'll be sure to get cracking right away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 6:13 am
Taormina I am Dutch. n_n I'm glad Dutch is the language of the month. heh i'm like 1/4 % dutch on my dad's side
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 6:57 am
I greatly appreciate all the useful information in this thread! I've recently started to study Dutch and I was a little unsure of how exactly to pronounce the vowels and such. Thanks for all the information!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:28 am
Yeah for my native language being the "Language of the Month!!"
Now I can learn at work too!! Though my poor co-wokers must get annoyed by my really bad rambling. razz
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
