You'll be able to describe limits and sufficiency clearly once you master these two small words. By the end of this guide, you will know exactly where to place them in a sentence so you don't lose points on your A2 exam. Many students lose 2–3 points on the writing section because they confuse simple intensifiers. Learning the correct use of te en genoeg grammatica a2 allows you to describe your daily life with precision.
Place 'te' before the adjective for negative excess
In Dutch, the word te (too) functions as an intensifier that signals a problem. You must place it immediately before the adjective it modifies. If your soup is te zout (too salty), you cannot eat it. If a house is te duur (too expensive), you cannot buy it. This pattern is identical to English, which makes it one of the easier rules to remember during the pressure of a DUO exam.
Using this word always implies that a limit has been crossed. For example, if you are looking for a new apartment through the gemeente (municipality), you might find a place that is te klein (too small) for your family. You use te to explain why a certain choice is not possible. When you write your letter for the writing exam, remember that te expresses a negative excess. It shows that something is more than what is needed or desired. Always keep the two words separate. Write te warm or te koud as two distinct elements.
Place 'genoeg' after the adjective or noun
The word genoeg (enough) behaves differently than its English counterpart when paired with adjectives. In English, you say someone is "strong enough." Dutch follows this same logic: the quality comes first, followed by the word genoeg. You might say a box is licht genoeg (light enough) to carry. If you are waiting for the bus and check your OV-chipkaart (public transport card), you hope you have saldo genoeg (enough balance).
While English speakers often put "enough" before a noun, Dutch gives you more flexibility. You can say ik heb genoeg geld (I have enough money), but placing it after the noun is also common in spoken Dutch. Writing ik heb geld genoeg emphasizes that the amount is sufficient. However, for adjectives, the position is fixed. You must say warm genoeg or groot genoeg. If you place genoeg before an adjective, it sounds unnatural to a native speaker. Avoid this on your exam.
Combine 'genoeg' with 'om...te'
When you want to explain what a person or object is capable of doing, you use the om...te construction. This structure connects the sufficiency of a quality to a specific action. You might say, "The boy is oud genoeg om te fietsen" (old enough to cycle). Here, the word om starts the sub-clause, and the word te appears right before the infinitive verb at the end.
This is a high-level structure that impresses examiners at the A2 level. Imagine you are talking to the huisarts (GP) about your child. You could say, "Hij is sterk genoeg om te lopen" (He is strong enough to walk). Note that the word te in this construction is different from the te that means "too." In this specific structure, te is simply part of the infinitive phrase. It does not carry the meaning of excess.
Avoid the 'too' vs 'very' translation trap
English speakers often use "too" as a synonym for "very" in casual speech. You might hear someone say "That's too kind" to mean it is very kind. In Dutch, you must never do this. If you say dat is te aardig, it sounds like the person is being so nice that it is becoming a problem or feels suspicious.
Comparing 'te koud' and 'heel koud'
If you tell your neighbor het is heel koud (it is very cold), you are simply making an observation about the weather. However, if you say het is te koud (it is too cold), you are implying that you cannot go outside. For the A2 speaking exam, use heel for strong feelings and te only when there is a negative consequence.
Using 'genoeg' with uncountable nouns
When dealing with uncountable nouns like water, rijst (rice), or tijd (time), the rules for genoeg remain flexible. You can say er is genoeg water or er is water genoeg. Both are perfectly acceptable at the inburgering level. Most students find it easier to keep genoeg before the noun because it matches English word order.
Sentence structure exercises
Try building three sentences right now. First, describe a coffee that you cannot drink because of the temperature. Second, describe a car that you have the money to buy. Third, describe a person who is tall enough to reach a high shelf.
- De koffie is te heet.
- Ik heb genoeg geld voor de auto.
- Hij is lang genoeg om bij de plank te kunnen.
Practice with a budget-planning scenario
Imagine you are at the supermarkt trying to buy groceries for a dinner party. You have twenty euros in your pocket. You see a bottle of wine for eighteen euros. You tell yourself, "This wine is te duur (too expensive)" because you still need to buy bread and cheese. Next, you look at the vegetables. You see a large bag of potatoes. You think, "This is groot genoeg (big enough)" for all your guests.
You then check your total at the self-scan. You have geld genoeg (enough money) to pay for everything. When you interact with the Belastingdienst (Tax Office) or your zorgverzekeraar (health insurer), you will often use these terms. You might complain that a premium is te hoog or ask if your income is laag genoeg to receive a subsidy. Practice these scenarios out loud to get used to the rhythm of placing genoeg after the adjective.
The single most important takeaway is that te precedes the adjective to indicate a problem, while genoeg follows the adjective to indicate sufficiency.
