Language/Dutch/Grammar/Order-of-Adjectives-and-Adverbs

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Dutch Grammar → Adjectives and Adverbs → Order of Adjectives and Adverbs

As a Dutch language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I am excited to introduce you to the topic of Dutch adjectives and adverbs. In this lesson, we will cover the order of adjectives and adverbs in Dutch language. This lesson is part of the “Complete 0 to A1 Dutch Course” for complete beginners.

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Vowels and Consonants & How to use “to speak” in Dutch.

Order of Dutch Adjectives

In Dutch language, the order of adjectives before a noun is quite strict. The order of the adjectives is as follows:

1. Quantity or number 2. Opinion or judgement 3. Size 4. Age 5. Shape 6. Color 7. Origin 8. Material 9. Purpose

For example, if we want to describe a car in Dutch, following this order we would say:

Dutch	Pronunciation	English
een	en	a/an
mooie	/mo-'we/	beautiful
oude	/'au.de/	old
kleine	/'klAIn@/	small/narrow
groene	/'xru:.n@/	green
Engelse	/'E.n.gh@.s@/	English
sportwagen	/'spOrt.wA.x@.n/	sports car

Notice that the adjectives are placed before the noun and in the specified order. If we don’t follow this order, our Dutch sentence may sound strange.

Here are a few more examples:

een zeldzame rode diamant (a rare red diamond)
drie grote ovale tafels (three large oval tables)
een lange smalle straat (a long narrow street)

As you can see, when using multiple adjectives in Dutch language, the order matters!

Order of Dutch Adverbs

When using multiple adverbs in Dutch language, the order doesn’t follow a strict rule like adjectives. However, it is recommended to follow this order to make the sentence sound more natural:

1. Manner (usually ends in -ly): hoe? (how?) 2. Location or place: waar? (where?) 3. Time: wanneer? (when?) 4. Purpose or reason: waarom? (why?)

For example:

Hij kookt snel thuis lekker eten. (He quickly cooks delicious food at home.)
Ik ga vanavond laat met mijn vrienden naar het restaurant. (I am going to the restaurant late tonight with my friends.)

In Dutch language, the adverb usually comes after the verb, unless it is modifying the verb, in which case it would be placed in front of the verb.

Practice Exercise

Now that you’ve learned the rules, let’s practice using them! Rearrange the following words to form a grammatically correct sentence in Dutch language.

1. op staat de muziek harde discotheek 2. in een mooi woon ik klein huis 3. witte ik draag altijd sokken

Answers:

1. De muziek staat hard op in de discotheek. (The music is loud in the discotheque.) 2. Ik woon in een mooi klein huis. (I live in a beautiful small house.) 3. Ik draag altijd witte sokken. (I always wear white socks.)

Congratulations! You’ve now learned the word order of Dutch adjectives and adverbs.

Sources

Table of Contents - Dutch Course - 0 to A1

Course Presentation

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Nouns and Articles

Verbs and Conjugation

Adjectives and Adverbs

Prepositions and Pronouns

Family

Food and Drinks

Travel

Work and Jobs

The Netherlands

Dutch Customs

Other Lessons

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