Dutch Verbs

Welcome to the 10th lesson about verbs in Dutch. We will first learn about the present tense, followed by the past tense, and future tense. We will also analyze some grammar rules, and finally practice how to ask for direction in Dutch.

Verbs are used to express an action (I swim) or a state of being (I am). The present tense in Dutch conveys a situation or event in the present time. Here are some examples:

Present Tense - Dutch
I speak English ik spreek engels
you speak French u spreekt frans
he speaks German hij spreekt duits
she speaks Italian ze spreekt italiaans
we speak Arabic we spreken arabisch
they speak Chinese ze spreken chinees

The past tense in Dutch conveys a situation or event in the past time. Here are some examples:

Past Tense - Dutch
I visited France ik bezocht frankrijk
you visited Italy u bezocht italië
he visited Morocco hij bezocht marokko
she visited China zij bezocht china
we visited Mexico wij bezochten mexico
they visited Kenya zij bezochten kenia

The future tense in Dutch conveys a situation or event which is anticipated to happen in the future. Here are some examples:

Future Tense - Dutch
I will drink milk ik zal melk drinken
you will drink coffee jij zult koffie drinken
he will drink tea hij zal thee drinken
she will drink water zij zal water drinken
we will drink apple juice wij zullen appelsap drinken
they will drink tea zij zullen thee drinken

Now let's take a break and refresh our vocabulary by learning the body parts.

ear oor

eye oog

mouth mond

nose neus

hair haar

face gezicht

head hoofd

heart hart

hand hand

fingers vingers

leg been

feet voeten

Travel Phrases in Dutch

Imagine yourself in some Dutch speaking country. The following travel phrases are highly important and can help you avoid misunderstanding. Try to memorize them and practice!

English - Dutch
Can you help me? kunt u me helpen?
Can I help you? kan ik u helpen?
Where is the airport? waar is de luchthaven?
Go straight ga rechtdoor
Then dan
Turn left sla linksaf
Turn right sla rechtsaf

I hope this lesson about the verbs in Dutch was not hard for you. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.