In Dutch, a sentence usually starts with the subject, followed immediately by the verb. However, when you want to emphasise when, where, or how often something happens, you can move that information right to the start. In this deck, you will learn the golden rule of Dutch word order that keeps your spoken sentences sounding natural.

In a Dutch main clause, the conjugated verb must always sit in the second position. If you put a time word like 'vandaag', which means today, in the first position, the verb still comes second. This pushes the subject into third position. Instead of saying 'Ik werk vandaag', you say 'Vandaag werk ik'.

When you add extra details to the sentence, they sit after the subject. The word 'thuis' means at home. The sentence pattern becomes time word, then verb, then subject, then the remaining details. To say 'Today I work at home', you say 'Vandaag werk ik thuis'.

The same inversion rule applies to the word 'nu', which means now. The word 'klaar' means ready. When you place 'nu' first, the verb 'ben' comes second, followed by 'ik'. 'Nu ben ik klaar' means 'Now I am ready'.