From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dutch grammar series
Dutch grammar Disputes in Dutch language IJ Dutch verbs Dutch conjugation 't kofschip T-rules Dutch declension Concise Dutch declension Extensive Dutch declension Gender in Dutch grammar Dutch orthography History of Dutch orthography Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal Dutch phonology
This box: view • talk • edit

The T-rules (T-regels) are a set of rules used in Dutch language to determine whether the second person singular/plural and the first and third person singular of a verb end in t or not. These rules may not be confused with the 't kofschip-rule.

The rules are learnt to the students as follows:

• Ik drink nooit t(hee) (I (ik) never drink t(ea))
• Jij drinkt alleen t(hee) als je tegenwoordig bent en voorafgaat (You (jij) only drink t(ea) if you are present and preceed)
• Gij drinkt altijd t(hee) (You (gij) always drink t(ea))
• U drinkt enkel t(hee) als u tegenwoordig is (You (U/u) only drink t(ea) if you are present)
• Hij drinkt enkel t(hee) als hij tegenwoordig is (He (hij) only drinks t(ea) if he is present)

However the actual rules are a little bit more complex:

Contents 1 Rules for the pronouns jij/je (2nd sing.) and jullie(2nd plur.) 2 Rules for the pronouns gij/ge (2nd sing./plur.) 3 Rules for the third person singular and the pronouns u/U (2nd person sing./plur.) 4 Rules for the first person singular 5 See also

In general the pronoun jij/je never makes the verb end on a -t. The only way that this pronoun can make a verb end on a -t, is if it proceeds the verb while the tense is the simple present or present perfect tense, the mood is the indicative mood and the verb is not a modal (actually, if the verb is a modal or the verb is in the future/future perfect tense of the indicative, you can choose between a t-form and a non-t-form).

• Jij gaat naar school. (You go to school, simple present indicative + proceeds)
• Ga jij naar school? (Do you go to school, pronoun does not proceed)
• Je zou naar school gaan.(You would go to school, conditional)
• Jij ging naar school. (You went to school, past)
• Je kan naar school gaan. (You can go to school, modal, non-t-form)
• Je kunt naar school gaan. (You can go to school, modal, t-form)
• Kun je naar school gaan? (Can you go to school?, modal, t-form that lost the t due to inversion)
• Je zal naar school gaan. (You will go to school, future indicative, non-t-form)
• Je zult naar school gaan. (You will go to school, future indicative, t-form)
• Zul je naar school gegaan zijn? (Will you have gone to school?, future perfect indicative, t-form that lost the t due to inversion)

There is one exception: if the radical of the verb ends on a -t, the jij-form also ends on a -t

• Jij rust. (You rest)
• Rust jij? (Do you rest?)

With the verbs houden, rijden and their compositions, the d of the radical drops if the -t drops. In a formal context, ussually the d is not dropped.

• Hou jij van bloemen (Do you like flowers?)
• Houd jij van bloemen (Do you like flowers?, formal)
• Jij houdt van bloemen (You like flowers)

In general the pronoun jullie always makes the verb end on a -en. Actually it can also make the verb end on -t but this form is archaic.

• Jullie gaan naar school. (You go to school)
• Jullie gaat naar school. (You go to school, archaic)

In general gij/ge makes the verb always end on a -t:

• Gij gaat naar school. (You go to school, present indicative + proceeds)
• Gaat gij naar school. (Do you go to school, pronoun does not proceed)
• Ge zoudt naar school gaan.(You would go to school, conditional)
• Gij gingt naar school. (You went to school, past)
• Ge kunt naar school gaan. (You can go to school, modal)

If a verb ends on a -t, there is no extra -t added.

• Gij rust. (You rest)

If a verb ends on a -d, an extra -t is added.

• Houdt gij van bloemen (Do you like flowers?)
• Gij houdt van bloemen (You like flowers)

In the subjunctive and in the regular past, the -t can be dropped, but this is not obliged:

• Gij neme(t) een lepel suiker. (You take a spoon of sugar, present subjunctive)
• Werkte(t) ge hard? (Did you work hard, regular past)

In informal speech, the -t changes into -de, if gij follows the verb:

• Zijde gij blind! Ziede gij dat nu niet! (Are you blind! Didn't you see that!,Informal)

In very informal speech, the subject is dropped and the -t changes into -de:

• Zijde blind! Ziede dat nu niet! (Are you blind! Didn't you see that!,Informal)

The rules for the third person and the pronoun u are the same: they only get a -t in the simple present and present perfect tense of the indicative, if the verb is not a modal.

• Hij gaat naar school. (He goes to school, present indicative)
• Gaat u naar school. (Do you go to school, present indicative)
• Hij zou naar school gaan.(He would go to school, conditional)
• U ging naar school. (You went to school, past)
• Zij kan naar school gaan. (She can go to school, modal)

The first person singular never ends on a -t, only if the verb-radical ends on a -t. For the verbs houden, rijden and their compositions, the d of the radical is also dropped. In a formal context, ussually the d is not dropped.

• Ik ga naar school (I go to school)
• Ik rust (I rest, radical on -t)
• Ik hou van bloemen (I love flowers, radical on -d)
• Ik houd van bloemen (I love flowers, radical on -d, formal)

Dutch conjugation