You can add words like adverbs to subject-and-verb sentences, to provide
information about the subject, like the state the subject is in. Some grammarians call this part of
the sentence a complement.
Read and listen to the examples below to memorize the pattern –
no need to learn the lines themselves, unless they look useful to you
Ik ben ziek.
2 |
I am sick. |
Ik ben duizelig.
2
|
I feel dizzy. |
Ik ben moe.
2
|
I am tired. |
Ik ben misselijk.
2
|
I am nauseated. |
Hij is oud.
 |
He is old. |
't Begint goed.
2
3
|
It starts well, it's off to a good start. |
Hij gaat vooruit.
2
|
He's improving,
his medical condition is improving. |
't Was koud.
 |
It was cold. |
't Wordt laat.
2 |
It's getting late. |
't Werd koud.
 |
It [became] turned cold. |
't Water is koud.
 |
The water is cold |
't Regende hard.
 |
It was raining hard. |
't Regent weer.
2 |
It's raining again. |
Het weer was slecht.
 |
The weather was bad. |
't Is drukkend.
2
3 |
'There is something oppressive in the air'
(before a thunderstorm.) |
't Is benauwd.
2 |
[difficulty breathing] 'It is muggy'
(high humidity.) |
De appels zijn groen.
 |
The apples are green. |
Wij waren arm.
 |
We were poor. |
Zij waren rijk.
 |
They were rich. |
Ze waren jaloers.
2
3
|
They were jealous. |
De koffie is klaar.
 |
Coffee is ready. |
Zij zingt mooi.
 |
She sings beautifully. |
Hij zingt vals.
2
|
[He is singing] His singing is off-pitch. |
Hij lacht hard.
 |
He is laughing loudly. |
De boot vaart snel.
 |
The boat sails/moves quickly. |
Hij werkt hard.
 |
He works hard. |
Ik loop langzaam.
 |
I'm walking slowly. |
Ze zwemt snel.
 |
She [swims fast] is a fast swimmer. |
Het duurt lang.
 |
It takes [long] a long time. |
Het gaat goed.
 |
It [goes] is going well. |
De winter was lang.
2
3
|
Winter [was] lasted long. |
het huis is wit.
|
The house is white. |
de deur is dicht.
2 |
the door is closed. |
de deur is open.
2 |
the door is open. |
We klommen omhoog.
|
We climbed up. |
We gleden omlaag.
|
we [glided] slid down. |
Hij ziet weinig.
|
He doesn't see much - he's either vision-impaired or
not very observant. |
Hij hoort veel.
|
'He hears a lot' -
he has excellent hearing, but usually it
means 'he is well informed.' |
Ik viel bijna.
2
|
I almost fell, I came close to falling. |
Ik ben thuis.
|
I'm at home. |
Je bent boos.
2
|
You are angry. |
Wim is groot.
|
Wim is tall. |
Henk is klein.
|
Henk is short. |
Alles was rustig.
|
Everything was quiet. |
Alle begin is moeilijk.
2
3
|
'[All] Every beginning is difficult.' |
't Recept is kwijt.
2
3
|
The recipe is gone, lost, cannot be found. |
't Eind is zoek.
 |
[The end is missing, cannot be found]
There's no end to it. |
Lachen is gezond.
2
|
[laughing is healthy]
laughter is good for your health. |
Dat is grappig.
2
3
|
That's funny. |
|
Verbs:
Short
- Long
- Mobile
|
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Smartphone Word Order Page
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Shorts
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2. Subject - Verb - Object |
Next: 4. Adjectives and Nouns
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Gij zult niet stelen
'Thou shalt not steal'
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