Morgen ga ik naar school.
English: Tomorrow I go to school.
- Language
- Dutch
- Level
- B2
- Unit
- Zinsstructuur en woordvolgorde
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
In Dutch, 'inversie' means that the verb comes before the subject in a sentence. This happens when the sentence does not start with the subject.
When to use it
Use inversie in Dutch when you start a sentence with something other than the subject, like a time, place, or an adverb. It is also used after conjunctions in compound sentences.
Key forms
- Time/Manner/Place + verb + subject + rest
- Conjunction + verb + subject + rest
Examples
Na het eten leest hij een boek.
English: After dinner he reads a book.
Daar staat de auto.
English: There stands the car.
Omdat het regent, blijft zij thuis.
English: Because it is raining, she stays at home.
Toen ik jong was, speelde ik buiten.
English: When I was young, I played outside.
Tips
- Remember: When the sentence starts with something other than the subject, the verb comes before the subject.
- After conjunctions like 'omdat', the verb comes right after the comma.
- Do not forget to move the subject after the verb.
Exceptions and edge cases
- In questions, the verb also comes before the subject, but this is not called inversie.
- Some short sentences allow the subject to come first for emphasis.