Personaal pronomen
Dutch subject pronouns tell you who is performing the action. Several pronouns have a full form (stressed) and a reduced form (unstressed), and choosing between them affects both meaning and word order.
| English | Full form | Reduced form | Notes | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | ik | — | no reduced form | Ik verf de muur. I am painting the wall. |
| you (sg.) | jij | je | je is very common in speech | Jij woont hier al lang. You have lived here for a long time. |
| you (formal) | u | — | formal/polite; no reduced form | U heeft een mooie woning. You have a beautiful home. |
| he | hij | — | no reduced form | Hij repareert het dak. He is repairing the roof. |
| she | zij | ze | ze is the default in speech | Zij / Ze hangt de gordijnen op. She is hanging up the curtains. |
| it | het | 't | 't is informal; het is standard | Het huis is net gerenoveerd. The house has just been renovated. |
| we | wij | we | we is the default in speech | Wij / We verhuizen volgende maand. We are moving next month. |
| you (pl.) | jullie | — | no reduced form | Jullie mogen de sleutel houden. You can keep the key. |
| they | zij | ze | same forms as "she" — context clarifies | Zij / Ze wonen op de tweede verdieping. They live on the second floor. |
Practice: ___ verf de keuken morgen. (I)
Ik — Ik verf de keuken morgen. Ik is the only form for "I".
Practice: ___ wonen op de begane grond. (they, reduced)
Ze — Ze wonen op de begane grond. Ze is the reduced form of zij (they).
Use the <strong>full form</strong> (jij, wij, zij) for <strong>emphasis or contrast</strong>. In everyday speech, the <strong>reduced forms</strong> (je, we, ze) are the default.
Practice: ___ betalen de huur, niet de buren. (we — contrast)
Wij — Contrast requires the full, stressed form: Wij betalen de huur, niet de buren.
Practice: Kom ___ ook helpen met verhuizen? (you sg. — neutral question)
je — Neutral question → reduced form: Kom je ook helpen met verhuizen?
When the subject <strong>jij</strong> follows the verb (inversion), it changes to <strong>je</strong>. At the same time, the verb loses its <em>-t</em> ending.
Practice: Jij helpt mij. → ___ ___ mij? (inversion question)
Help je — Help je mij? — After inversion, jij becomes je and the -t drops: helpt → help.
Practice: Jij woont in Utrecht. → ___ ___ in Utrecht? (inversion question)
Woon je — Woon je in Utrecht? — jij → je after inversion, woont → woon.
<strong>Het</strong> is used as a dummy (placeholder) subject for weather, time, and impersonal expressions. There is no real subject — het just fills the position.
Practice: ___ is een grote woning. (it is — dummy subject)
Het — Het is een grote woning. Het is the dummy subject with no real referent here.
Practice: ___ waait hard vandaag. (it — weather)
Het — Het waait hard vandaag. Weather expressions always use het as the dummy subject.
Practice Personal Pronouns Quiz with personal pronoun cards
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