Imperative and questions
In regular Dutch sentences, the verb is in the second position. But what happens when you ask a question or give an instruction? The verb moves to the very front. You will see this grammar on every DUO exam. You will also need to use it yourself when writing emails.
1. Instructions (De Gebiedende Wijs)
When the exam tells you what to do, it uses the imperative. There is no subject (no je or u), and the verb is at the beginning of the sentence.
You will see these exact phrases:
- Vul het formulier in. (Fill in the form.) — printed in the Schrijven booklet
- Schrijf minimaal drie zinnen. (Write at least three sentences.) — printed in the Schrijven booklet
- Lees onderstaande tekst. (Read the text below.) — on the Lezen exam screen
Recognize these not as suggestions, but as hard tasks you must complete.
2. Yes/No Questions To ask a yes/no question, you swap the subject and the verb. The verb goes to position 1.
- Jij fietst naar school. (You cycle to school.)
- Fiets jij naar school? (Do you cycle to school?)
3. The Spelling Trap: Dropping the '-t' In the present tense, you usually add a -t to the verb for jij or je (Jij werkt). But there is a strict rule: when je or jij comes after the verb, you must drop the -t. If you write Werkt je? on the writing exam, you will lose points.
- Correct: Werk je morgen?
- Wrong: Werkt je morgen?
Important note: This dropping rule ONLY applies to je or jij. If you use the formal u, or hij/zij (he/she), the -t stays!
- Werkt u morgen? (Correct: keep the -t for
u) - Werkt hij morgen? (Correct: keep the -t for
hij)