Instructie geven
The imperative (gebiedende wijs) is used to give instructions, advice, and commands — essential in healthcare settings. Dutch has a jij/je form (informal) and a u form (formal), and separable verbs follow their own split pattern in commands.
The informal imperative is simply the <strong>verb stem</strong> — the infinitive minus <em>-en</em>, with no <em>-t</em> ending. No subject pronoun is needed.
Practice: Translate: "Stretch your leg!" (strekken → stem: strek)
Strek je been! — strekken → strek. Drop -en to get the stem. No -t ending in the jij imperative: Strek je been!
Practice: Fill in the jij imperative of slapen: "___ genoeg!"
Slaap — slapen → stem = slaap (the vowel doubles to keep pronunciation). Slaap genoeg!
Practice: Fill in the jij imperative of drinken: "___ geen alcohol!"
Drink — drinken → stem = drink. Drink geen alcohol!
Practice: Translate: "Eat no fatty food!" (eten → stem: eet)
Eet geen vet voedsel! — eten → stem = eet. Use geen to negate a noun object. Eet geen vet voedsel!
The formal imperative uses the <strong>third-person singular present tense</strong> — the verb stem plus <em>-t</em>. The pronoun <em>u</em> is stated after the verb.
Practice: Give the formal imperative of drinken: "___ u veel water!"
Drinkt — drinken → stem drink + t = drinkt. Drinkt u veel water!
Practice: Give the formal imperative of rusten: "___ u goed uit!"
Rust — rusten → stem rust. The stem already ends in -t, so no extra -t is added. Rust u goed uit!
Practice: Translate formally: "Please call the specialist!" (bellen)
Belt u de specialist! — bellen → stem bel + t = belt. Belt u de specialist!
With a separable verb, put the <strong>prefix-less stem in position 1</strong> and move the <strong>prefix to the very end</strong> — exactly as in a normal main clause.
Practice: Translate: "Call the GP!" using opbellen (jij form)
Bel de huisarts op! — opbellen → stem bel goes first, prefix op goes to the end: Bel de huisarts op!
Practice: Translate: "Read the leaflet through!" using doorlezen (jij form)
Lees de bijsluiter door! — doorlezen → stem lees, prefix door at the end: Lees de bijsluiter door!
Practice: Translate formally: "Please take the medicine!" using innemen (u form)
Neemt u het medicijn in! — innemen → stem neem + t = neemt; prefix in at the end: Neemt u het medicijn in!
Add <strong>niet</strong> after the verb (or before a phrase) to negate an action. Use <strong>geen</strong> directly before a bare noun object.
Practice: Negate: "Neem twee tabletten." → "Neem ___ tabletten."
geen — A bare noun object is negated with geen: Neem geen tabletten.
Practice: Negate: "Buig het been." → "Buig het been ___."
niet — A definite noun is negated with niet placed after it: Buig het been niet.
Practice: Translate: "Please don't walk too much!" (u form of lopen)
Loopt u niet te veel! — lopen → loopt; niet goes before the adverbial phrase te veel: Loopt u niet te veel!
| Infinitive | Meaning | jij form | u form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nemen | to take | Neem! | Neemt u! | Neem de pil! Take the pill! |
| rusten | to rest | Rust! | Rust u! | Rust goed uit! Rest well! |
| slapen | to sleep | Slaap! | Slaapt u! | Slaap genoeg! Sleep enough! |
| bellen | to call | Bel! | Belt u! | Bel de huisarts! Call the GP! |
| drinken | to drink | Drink! | Drinkt u! | Drink veel water! Drink plenty of water! |
| eten | to eat | Eet! | Eet u! | Eet geen vet voedsel! Don't eat fatty food! |
| koelen | to cool | Koel! | Koelt u! | Koel de enkel! Cool the ankle! |
| strekken | to stretch | Strek! | Strekt u! | Strek het been! Stretch the leg! |
Practice: What is the jij imperative of koelen?
Koel — koelen → stem koel. Koel de wond!
Practice: What is the u imperative of strekken?
Strekt u — strekken → stem strek + t = strekt. Strekt u het been!
Practice: What is the u imperative of slapen?
Slaapt u — slapen → stem slaap + t = slaapt. Slaapt u genoeg!
Practice: What is the jij imperative of eten?
Eet — eten → stem eet (the vowel doubles). Eet gezond!
Practice Giving Instructions Quiz with body and health vocabulary
Flashwords uses flashcards, fill-in-the-blank quizzes, and listening exercises to make Dutch stick.
Start learning →