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Question 1
Kies het goede woord: Mijn moeder is ziek. Ik bel ___ elke dag.
Choose the correct word: My mother is ill. I call her every day.
The object form for a woman is haar. zij is the subject form, and hem is for a man.
Grammar · Topic 5 · A1 · 8 questions · about 11 minutes · Free
Personal pronouns: ik, jij, hem, haar…
Persoonlijke voornaamwoorden
Dutch pronouns have a subject form (ik, jij, hij) and an object form (mij, jou, hem). You will learn which form to use when, and the short forms you often hear in speech (je, ze, we, me).
Explanation
Why are pronouns important?
In some languages you often leave out the subject pronoun, because the verb ending shows who does the action. In Dutch, the subject pronoun is almost always said: Ik kom. Dutch also has separate object pronouns, like 'me', 'him' and 'her' in English.
In this topic you will learn the subject and object pronouns, the difference between male, female and things for 'he/she/it', and the short forms you often hear in everyday speech (je, ze, we, me).
The middle column shows who does the action (subject), the right column shows who or what the action is done to (object). The forms in brackets are short, unstressed forms; they are used very often in speech.
| subject | object | |
|---|---|---|
| I | ik | mij (me) |
| you | jij (je) | jou (je) |
| you (polite) | u | u |
| he | hij | hem |
| she | zij (ze) | haar |
| it (het-word) | het | het |
| we | wij (we) | ons |
| you (plural) | jullie | jullie |
| they | zij (ze) | hen / hun (ze) |
Object pronouns
The object pronoun comes after the verb or after a preposition: Ik zie hem. (I see him.) / Dit is voor jou. (This is for you.) 'Me' and 'to me' are the same word in Dutch: Hij helpt mij. (He helps me.) / Bel me morgen. (Call me tomorrow.)
For 'them' the object form in speech is usually ze: Ik bel ze morgen. In written language you use hen after a preposition (met hen), and hun for 'to them' (Ik geef hun een cadeau.). For A1–A2 it is enough to know ze.
- Kun je mij helpen?Can you help me?
- Ik ken haar niet.I don't know her.
Short forms and 'he/she/it'
jij, zij, wij, mij are stressed forms; you use them to put a person forward or to compare: Ik werk, maar jij niet. In normal speech the short forms sound more natural: Waar woon je?, We gaan naar huis., Ze is ziek.
Careful: ze means both 'she' and 'they'; you can tell which one from the verb: ze werkt (she works), ze werken (they work). Pronouns are also used for things: usually hij/hem for de-words and het for het-words: De fiets? Hij is kapot. / Het boek? Ik heb het al.
- Ze werkt bij de gemeente.She works at the municipality.
- Ze werken bij de gemeente.They work at the municipality.
Example sentences
Pay attention to where the pronouns go: the subject comes before the verb or right after it, the object usually comes after the verb.
- Hoe gaat het met u?How are you?
- Mijn dochter is zes. Ik breng haar elke dag naar school.My daughter is six. I take her to school every day.
- Wij wonen hier al drie jaar.We have lived here for three years.
- Waar is de sleutel? Ik zie hem niet.Where is the key? I can't see it.
- Komen jullie ook?Are you coming too?
- Mijn buren zijn aardig. Ik help ze vaak.My neighbours are kind. I often help them.
u and jij
Use u with adults you don't know, at official places and with older people: Kunt u mij helpen? u is the same for singular and plural, and the verb is usually conjugated like jij: u woont, u bent. With family, friends and children you use jij/je.
Don't learn new pronouns one by one; learn them in short phrases: Ik bel je. (I'll call you.) / Ik zie je morgen. (See you tomorrow.) / Kunt u mij helpen? These phrases are useful in conversation right away.
Common mistakes
Forgetting the pronoun in Dutch is a very common mistake, especially if your own language lets you leave out the subject. Kom morgen sounds like an order; to say 'I'm coming tomorrow' you must say Ik kom morgen.
Another mistake is using the subject form instead of the object form: Ik zie hij is wrong, Ik zie hem is correct; Dit is voor ik is wrong, Dit is voor mij is correct. After a preposition you always use the object form: met mij, voor jou, bij haar, naast ons.
Words you need
- het voornaamwoordpronoun
- het onderwerpsubject
- het lijdend voorwerpobject
- ik / mijI / me
- jij / jouyou / you (object)
- hij / hemhe / him
- zij / haarshe / her
- wij / onswe / us
Example questions
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Question 1
Kies het goede woord: Mijn moeder is ziek. Ik bel ___ elke dag.
Choose an option
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