grammar · 10 notes · ~35 min total

The things that actually block you.

Not a textbook. The specific rules that unlock whole categories of sentences once they click — plus the ones every course skips because they're hard to teach.

1. 01Word order: the verb is second, then it runs awayThe one rule that fixes half your sentences. Learn this before any vocabulary.4m
2. 02de or het — and why you can mostly stop worryingThere is no reliable rule. Here's what actually helps, plus the 20% that is predictable.3m
3. 03Present tense in ninety secondsStem, stem+t, stem+en. Then the six irregulars you use constantly.3m
4. 04The past tense you actually needDutch speaks about the past with 'have + done'. Learn this one and skip the simple past entirely.4m
5. 05Separable verbs: the prefix flies to the endWhy 'opbellen' becomes 'ik bel je op' and the last word of the sentence changes its meaning.3m
6. 06even, maar, toch, hoor, wel — the tone knobsGrammatically optional. Socially mandatory. Without them you sound like a robot giving orders.4m
7. 07er — the word with no translationIt means there, of it, about it, and nothing at all — depending on the sentence.4m
8. 08niet or geen — how to say no to a nounOne rule, two minutes, and a mistake you'll stop making forever.2m
9. 09je or u — how formal do you have to be?Less formal than you think. Getting this wrong is the fastest way to sound stiff.2m
10. 10Pronunciation: the six sounds that give you awayFix these six and your accent improves more than from a hundred new words.5m