Introduction: Modifying Verbs, Adjectives, and Other Adverbs

While adjectives describe nouns, adverbs (bijwoorden) modify verbs, adjectives, or even other adverbs. They provide more information about how, when, where, why, or to what extent something happens or is.

Examples in English: quickly, very, yesterday, here, often.

Formation of Adverbs

This is often surprisingly simple in Dutch:

1. Adjective = Adverb: In many cases, the base form of an adjective can be used directly as an adverb without any change in form. The function depends on what it modifies in the sentence.

• snel (adjective: fast) -> De auto is snel. (The car is fast.)
• snel (adverb: quickly) -> De auto rijdt snel. (The car drives quickly.)
• mooi (adjective: beautiful) -> Het huis is mooi. (The house is beautiful.)
• mooi (adverb: beautifully) -> Zij zingt mooi. (She sings beautifully.)
• goed (adjective: good) -> Dit is goed. (This is good.)
• goed (adverb: well) -> Hij spreekt goed Nederlands. (He speaks Dutch well.) - Note: goed acts as the adverb form of 'good', meaning 'well'.

1. Specific Adverbs: Many common words are inherently adverbs and don't derive directly from adjectives in this simple way. These include adverbs of time, place, frequency, and degree.

• Time: nu (now), gisteren (yesterday), morgen (tomorrow), vandaag (today), straks (later), ooit (ever), nooit (never), altijd (always), vaak (often), soms (sometimes), dan (then), wanneer (when).
• Place: hier (here), daar (there), ergens (somewhere), nergens (nowhere), overal (everywhere), binnen (inside), buiten (outside), thuis (at home).
• Manner: graag (gladly), alleen (only/alone), samen (together), anders (differently), zo (so/like this), hoe (how).
• Degree: heel (very), erg (very), zeer (very - formal), nogal (rather), een beetje (a little), te (too), ook (also/too), niet (not), wel (indeed/really/affirmative).
• Frequency: altijd (always), vaak (often), soms (sometimes), regelmatig (regularly), zelden (seldom), nooit (never).

Placement of Adverbs

The position of adverbs in a Dutch sentence follows certain patterns, often guided by the Time-Manner-Place (TMP) principle, although exceptions exist.

1. Modifying Verbs (General Rule): Adverbs often follow the conjugated verb (and subject/object if present). The TMP order is a good guideline:

• Subject + Verb + Time + Manner + Place + (Rest)
• Ik ga morgen (Time) met de trein (Manner) naar Amsterdam (Place). (I am going to Amsterdam by train tomorrow.)
• Hij werkt vandaag (Time) hard (Manner) thuis (Place). (He is working hard at home today.)
• Note: This is a guideline, not a rigid rule. Emphasis can change the order. Ik ga naar Amsterdam morgen met de trein. is also possible.

1. Modifying Adjectives/Other Adverbs: Adverbs of degree (heel, erg, nogal, te) usually come directly before the adjective or adverb they modify.

• Het is heel mooi weer. (The weather is very beautiful.) - heel modifies mooi.
• Hij rijdt erg snel. (He drives very quickly.) - erg modifies snel.
• Dat is nogal duur. (That is rather expensive.) - nogal modifies duur.
• Deze soep is te zout. (This soup is too salty.) - te modifies zout.

1. Adverbs of Frequency: Often placed after the conjugated verb, but can sometimes appear earlier for emphasis.

• Ik drink altijd koffie in de ochtend. (I always drink coffee in the morning.)
• Hij gaat vaak naar de sportschool. (He often goes to the gym.)
• Soms eet ik pizza. (Sometimes I eat pizza.) - Fronted for emphasis, causes inversion.

1. Niet (Not): Placement of niet can be tricky.

• It often comes after the conjugated verb and direct object/pronoun.
• Ik zie hem niet. (I don't see him.)
• It comes before adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, and verb infinitives at the end of the sentence.
• Het is niet duur. (It is not expensive.)
• Hij werkt niet snel. (He doesn't work quickly.)
• Ik ga niet naar school. (I am not going to school.)
• Ik kan niet komen. (I cannot come.)

1. Graag (Gladly/Like to): Usually placed after the conjugated verb.

• Ik drink graag koffie. (I like to drink coffee.)
• Hij helpt graag andere mensen. (He likes to help other people.)

Adverbs add detail about actions and qualities. Many Dutch adverbs are identical to their adjective form (snel, mooi, goed meaning 'well'). Others are specific words for time, place, manner, frequency, or degree. Basic adverb placement often follows the Time-Manner-Place guideline after the verb, while degree adverbs (heel, erg) precede the word they modify. Pay special attention to the placement of niet.