Dutch language

Dutch (Nederlands) is a language which comes from the Netherlands and is the
country's official language.[4] It is also spoken in the northern half of Belgium
Dutch
(the region called Flanders), and in the South American country of Suriname. A Nederlands
language known as Afrikaans was developed from Dutch by the people in Pronunciation [ˈneːdərlɑnts]
southern Africa and is now spoken mainly in South Africa but also in nearby ( listen)

Namibia. About 22 million people around the world speak Dutch.[5] Native to Netherlands and
Flanders
Region Netherlands,
Belgium, and
Contents Suriname;
History also in Aruba,
Letters Curaçao, Sint
Vowels Maarten, French
Open and Closed syllables Flanders
Consonants Ethnicity Dutch people
Grammar Flemish people
Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd
Native 22 million (2016)[1]
Onvoltooid verleden tijd
speakers Total (L1 plus L2
Continuating verbs
speakers): 28
Examples million (2018)[2]
Numbers
Language Indo-European
Basic Dutch expressions
family
References Germanic
West
Germanic
History Low
Franconian
Dutch is a West Germanic language[6] The West Germanic branch is divided into (Frankish)
English, Frisian, German and Dutch.[6] It is why Dutch is very much like Dutch
English in its vocabulary and grammar, though it resembles German more than
Early forms Old Dutch
English does.
Middle Dutch
The North Germanic languages of Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Icelandic Writing Latin (Dutch
are also part of the Germanic language branch.[6] Dutch is also in some cases system alphabet)
like these languages.
Dutch Braille
The Dutch of before 1170 is called Old Dutch (Oudnederlands). The Dutch Signed forms Signed Dutch
between 1170 and 1500 is called Middle Dutch (Middelnederlands), which is (NmG)
also called Diets. That's why Dutch is called Dutch in English. The word Official status
"Dutch" itself came from the Proto-Germanic word theodiscus, which means Official Aruba
"language of the common people" and which at the time was also used to refer to language in
Belgium
the Germans and their language. Over time, the modern English usage is now
Curaçao
used to refer to that of the Netherlands and not the Germans. The Dutch word for
Netherlands
German, Duits, comes from the same origin.
Sint Maarten
The oldest Dutch book known is Wachtendonckse Psalmen which was written in Suriname
900. The first Dutch writer we know by name is Hendrik van Veldeke, who was
born around 1150. Benelux
European
Union
Letters
South
Dutch uses the same roman alphabet (letters) as English. American Union
Caricom

Vowels Regulated by Nederlandse

Taalunie
Short Long
(Dutch Language
aa – somewhat like the "i" in Union)
a – like the a in art.
Fire
Language codes
e – like in pet ee – like the "a" in space
o – like in organic oo – like in no ISO 639-1 nl (https://www.lo
c.gov/standards/is
u – somewhat like the "e" uu – like the "ü" in the German
in the word für o639-2/php/langcod
es_name.php?iso_63
i – like in lip i.e. – like in piece
9_1=nl)
Note: The e can also be a schwa (like in the)
ISO 639-2 dut (https://www.l
oe – like the "ou" in you oc.gov/standards/i
eu – like the French "eu" in fleur so639-2/php/langco
ui – typical Dutch sound, but almost identical to the French word des_name.php?code_
oeuil (= eye) ID=123) (B)
ou/au – like in sound nld (https://www.l
ij/ei – typical Dutch sound, the same as "ej" in esperanto (not in
oc.gov/standards/i
polish)
so639-2/php/langco
aai – like the "i" in ice
des_name.php?code_
eeuw – typical Dutch sound
ieuw – somewhat like "iew" in view ID=123) (T)

ISO 639-3 nld Dutch/Flemish

Glottolog mode1257 (http://g
Open and Closed syllables
lottolog.org/resou
The way of how vowels are pronounced, depends on the fact if the syllable is rce/languoid/id/mo
open or closed. If a syllable is open, short written vowels are spoken as long de1257)[3]
ones. Short written vowels are only spoken short if the syllable is closed. Linguasphere 52-ACB-a
Example:

The word praten can be divided into 2 syllables:

Pra|ten. Because pra is open, the a is pronounced
like aa.
The word plat only has one syllables, and the a is
therefore short (just a). Dutch-speaking world (included are
areas of daughter-language
There is, however, an exception to this rule. This is the "e". This is because "e" Afrikaans)
can also be a "mute e" (Schwa) (IPA character ə). In most words, where an open
syllable ends with e it is a short e. Therefore, open syllables with a long e (ee)
are written as ee. Example:

The word "me" contains an e and is not pronounced

as "mee". (Mee has a totally different meaning).
There are, however, exceptions to this rule as well. This can be seen in the word
meenemen. This word can be divided into three syllables: mee|ne|men. The e's in
the first two syllables are long ones, but the last one is a mute e.

The mute e also occurs in the ending of verbs (usually -en).

Consonants
b
c
d
f Distribution of the Dutch language
g/ch – not pronounced as the English G; the Dutch G is pronounced and its dialects in Western Europe
in the back of the throat with a "scratching" sound. In the south of the
Netherlands, the G is spoken differently (so called soft G) than in the north (hard G).
h
j – like "y" in you
k
l
m
n
p
q – only used rarely; spoken as k
r – not like English; the Dutch R is a more rolling R
s
t
v
w
x – only used rarely, mostly in foreign words, pronounced as ks
z
Note: In words that end with "-d", the "-d" is pronounced like "-t".

Grammar
The grammar of Dutch is slightly different from English. The order in which words are put in sentences are different in complex
sentences. The most simple sentence-structure is "Subject - Verb". The Dutch language has few grammatical tenses. The most
used are:

onvoltooide tegenwoordige tijd (present simple)

onvoltooide verleden tijd (past simple)
voltooide tegenwoordige tijd (present perfect)
voltooide verleden tijd (past perfect)

Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd

The most simple verb-time is the onvoltooide tegenwoordige tijd (ott; present simple). The ott is used when something is
occurring now, or regularly (like: Hij eet regelmatig (He eats regularly)). Most verbs are conjugated (changed) in a regular form
(these verbs are called regelmatige werkwoorden (regular verbs)). The word stem of the verb is still there in all of the
conjugations (changes). The correct way of doing this is
 Person Verb conjugation Example with "lopen" (to walk)
Ik (I) Stem Ik loop
Jij (you) Stem+t Jij loopt
Hij/Zij (He/She) Stem+t Hij loopt
Wij (we) stem+en* (infinitive) Wij lopen
Zij (they) stem+en* Zij lopen
Jullie (you, plural) stem+en* Jullie lopen
U (you, polite) stem+t' U loopt

Note*: The stem of a verb is the infinitive of the verb without the final -en. In some verbs, the first syllable is open, and any
vowel therefore is long. The stem changes to a written long vowel. So the stem of lopen becomes loop. If the -en is then added to
the stem (for example with wij), the written form becomes short again (but it still will be spoken as a long vowel).

Onvoltooid verleden tijd

The past form of the ott is the onvoltooid verleden tijd (ovt; past simple). The way how verbs are conjugated (changed) in the ovt
is not easy to understand, and is mistaken often. This is because some verbs are conjugated by adding a D, while others are
conjugated while adding a T. A way of solving this problem is the socalled 't kofschip. If the verb without -en (the stem in most
verbs, but not always) ends with a consonant which is also in "'t kofschip", the verb is changed with a T. Example:

The verb praten (to talk) is changed with a T, because prat ends with a T.

The verb can now be changed as the following:

Person Verb conjugation (with T) Result with praten

Ik stem+te Ik praatte
Jij stem+te Jij praatte
Hij/Zij stem+te Hij praatte
Wij stem+ten Wij praatten
Zij (they) stem+ten Zij praatten
Jullie stem+ten Jullie praatten
U stem+te U praatte

There are however words in "'t kofschip" are not so easy. This is for instance in the word vrezen (to fear). The stem of the verb is
vrees, so it seems that the verb is changed with a T. This is not true (it changed with a D), because vrezen minus -en is vrez. The Z
is not in "'t kofschip", so the verb is changed with a D.

The verb can now be changed as the following:

 Person Verb conjugation (with D) Result with Vrezen
Ik stem+de Ik vreesde
Jij stem+de Jij vreesde
Hij/Zij stem+de Hij vreesde
Wij stem+den Wij vreesden
Zij (they) stem+den Zij vreesden
Jullie stem+den Jullie vreesden
U stem+de U vreesde

Continuating verbs
Although the Dutch have a kind of present continuous (the -ing form of verbs in English), they do not use it much. Example:

The senctence "I am eating", is in Dutch "Ik eet", which is literally "I eat".
The present continuous in Dutch would be "Ik ben etende", but this is almost never used.

Actually, there are three types of continuous verbs in Dutch.

1. The first type is a form of the verb zijn (to be) with the actual continuous verb. This is done, by adding de on the
infinitive. It's not wrong to use this in Dutch, but it will sound very odd. It is only used in very formal texts.
2. The second type is a type where the verb actually functions as an adverb. Depending on subject, the verb is
changed by adding either a "d" or "de" to the infinitive. The verb then has the function of while..... An example: Hij
liep drinkend de supermarkt uit. In English this is He walked out of the supermarket, while drinking .
3. The third type is a type which is used a lot. The use of this type can be compared with the English type of
continuous. It is used when something is being done, at that moment, but still not completed yet. It is made up by
a form of zijn + aan het + the infinitive. Example: Ik ben aan het lopen, which means I am walking (at the
moment).

Examples

hallo (hello)
0:00 / 0:00
Ik heet ... (my name is...)
Ik hou van je (I love you)
Spoken Dutch
ja (yes)
nee (no)

Numbers

een (one)
twee (two)
drie (three)
vier (four)
vijf (five)
zes (six)
zeven (seven)
acht (eight)
negen (nine)
tien (ten)
elf (eleven)
twaalf (twelve)

In number with three digits (e.g. 100), the Dutch change the u into o and replace 1 of the r's. Example:

The number 100 becomes: honderd, which literally means hundred.

Basic Dutch expressions

Dutch English
Hallo Hello
Hoi Hi
Dag Bye (formal)
Doei! Bye! (informal)
Tot later! See you later!
Good morning/Good
Goedemorgen/Goedemiddag
afternoon
Good evening/Good
Goedenavond/Goedenacht
night
How are you?
Hoe gaat het met je?
(informal)
How are you?
Hoe gaat het met u?
(formal)
Met mij gaat het goed! I am fine!
Thank you
Dank je/Dank u
(informal/formal)
Graag gedaan You are welcome
Do you speak
Spreekt u Engels?
English?
Do you speak
Spreekt u Nederlands?
Dutch?
Ik begrijp het niet I do not understand
Tot ziens Goodbye
Mijn naam is... My name is...
Ik ben... I am...
Alsjeblieft Please (informal)
Alstublieft Please (formal)
What is your name?
Wat is je naam?
(informal)
What is your name?
Wat is uw naam?
(formal)
Where are you
Waar kom je vandaan?
from? (informal)
Where are you
Waar komt u vandaan?
from? (formal)
I'm from the
Ik kom uit Nederland/België
Netherlands/Belgium
Wat is er? What's wrong?
Sorry, waar is het station? Excuse me, where is
the train station?
How much is this
Hoeveel kost deze trui?
sweater?
Mevrouw Miss/Mrs.
Meneer Mr.

References
1. Dutch (https://www.ethnologue.com/19/language/nld/) at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016)
2. "Dutch" (http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/modern-languages/lal/languages%20at%20lal/dutch). Languages at
Leicester. University of Leicester.
3. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Modern Dutch" (http://glottolog.org/reso
urce/languoid/id/mode1257). Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human
History.
4. "Language" (http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting/about-amsterdam/history-and-society/language). I
Amsterdam. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
5. Wayne C. Thompson, Western Europe 2015-2016 (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015), p. 201
6. Pierre Brachin, The Dutch Language: A Survey (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1985), p. 4

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