Love For Languages

From words to sentences

Now that you know the sounds and basic expressions, it's time for the grammatical foundations. You'll see these elements in EVERY English text.

Focus especially on recognizing patterns. English word order is crucial - it's less flexible than Dutch but very consistent.

Chapter 4

Articles & Plurals

Simpler than Dutch!

Good news: English has no grammatical gender! Articles don't change, and plurals follow simple rules.

Articles - Just three forms!

English articles are much simpler than Dutch:

the (definite (all)) → the book, the books = het/de boek(en) One form for everything!

a (indefinite (consonant)) → a book, a house = een boek, een huis Before consonant sounds

an (indefinite (vowel)) → an apple, an hour = een appel, een uur Before vowel sounds

(no article) (general plurals) → Books are fun = Boeken zijn leuk General statements

(no article) (uncountable) → Water is important = Water is belangrijk Mass nouns

Plural formation - Mostly just add -s!

Most words: add -s → book→books, car→cars, house→houses

Ending in s,x,z,ch,sh: add -es → bus→buses, box→boxes, church→churches

Consonant + y: change to -ies → baby→babies, city→cities, story→stories

Vowel + y: just add -s → day→days, boy→boys, key→keys

Ending in -f/fe: change to -ves → knife→knives, life→lives, leaf→leaves

Ending in -o: usually add -es → potato→potatoes, hero→heroes (BUT: photo→photos)

Irregular plurals - Learn these!

man → men (man→mannen)

woman → women (vrouw→vrouwen)

child → children (kind→kinderen)

person → people (persoon→mensen)

tooth → teeth (tand→tanden)

foot → feet (voet→voeten)

mouse → mice (muis→muizen)

sheep → sheep (schaap→schapen)

fish → fish (vis→vissen)

This/That - Demonstratives

this → dit/deze (singular, near) this book = dit boek

that → dat/die (singular, far) that car = die auto

these → deze (plural, near) these books = deze boeken

those → die (plural, far) those cars = die auto's

Chapter 5

To Have & Possession

The second most important verb

English "have" is simpler than Dutch "hebben" - only two present tense forms!

The conjugation of have

I have (ik heb)

I have a cat

Ik heb een kat

you have (jij hebt)

You have time

Jij hebt tijd

he/she/it has (hij/zij/het heeft)

She has a car

Zij heeft een auto

we have (wij hebben)

We have money

Wij hebben geld

you have (jullie hebben)

You have a house

Jullie hebben een huis

they have (zij hebben)

They have children

Zij hebben kinderen

Have got - British alternative

British English often uses "have got" instead of "have":

I have → I've got

I've got a problem - Ik heb een probleem

Do you have? → Have you got?

Have you got time? - Heb je tijd?

He has → He's got

He's got money - Hij heeft geld

I don't have → I haven't got

I haven't got time - Ik heb geen tijd

Possessive adjectives & pronouns

Unlike Dutch, these never change form!

my / mine → mijn my book / It's mine = mijn boek / Het is van mij

your / yours → jouw your car / It's yours = jouw auto / Het is van jou

his / his → zijn his house / It's his = zijn huis / Het is van hem

her / hers → haar her phone / It's hers = haar telefoon / Het is van haar

its / - → zijn/haar its tail = zijn staart No apostrophe!

our / ours → ons/onze our family / It's ours = onze familie / Het is van ons

your / yours → jullie your team / It's yours = jullie team / Het is van jullie

their / theirs → hun their idea / It's theirs = hun idee / Het is van hen

Possession with 's

John's book → Johns boek Add 's to names

the girl's toy → het speelgoed van het meisje Add 's to singular

the girls' toys → het speelgoed van de meisjes Just ' after plural -s

children's books → kinderboeken Add 's to irregular plurals

James's car → James' auto Names ending in -s: both ok

my friend's house → het huis van mijn vriend People: use 's

the roof of the house → het dak van het huis Things: use of

Chapter 6

Numbers, Time & Days

Practical elements for every story

English numbers are easier than Dutch - no "en" between tens and ones!

Numbers 1-20

1 = one

2 = two

3 = three

4 = four

5 = five

6 = six

7 = seven

8 = eight

9 = nine

10 = ten

11 = eleven (Not oneteen!)

12 = twelve (Not twoteen!)

13 = thirteen (From here: -teen)

14 = fourteen

15 = fifteen (Not fiveteen!)

16 = sixteen

17 = seventeen

18 = eighteen

19 = nineteen

20 = twenty (Not twoty!)

Tens & higher numbers

30 = thirty (e.g. thirty-one = 31)

40 = forty (e.g. forty-two = 42) (Not fourty!)

50 = fifty (e.g. fifty-three = 53)

60 = sixty (e.g. sixty-eight = 68)

70 = seventy (e.g. seventy-seven = 77)

80 = eighty (e.g. eighty-one = 81)

90 = ninety (e.g. ninety-nine = 99)

100 = one hundred (e.g. one hundred ten = 110)

1000 = one thousand (e.g. two thousand = 2000)

first = first (e.g. first time = eerste keer)

Days of the week

Note: always with capital letter in English!

Monday → maandag (Capital!)

Tuesday → dinsdag (Capital!)

Wednesday → woensdag (Silent d!)

Thursday → donderdag (Capital!)

Friday → vrijdag (Capital!)

Saturday → zaterdag (Capital!)

Sunday → zondag (Capital!)

on Monday → op maandag (Use "on" with days)

on Mondays → op maandagen (Every Monday)