Dutch A1.10 Listening Practice: Lead with the Time
Listen to a A1 Dutch dialogue about lead with the time, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
Podcast listening pages are in beta while chapter audio, transcripts, and discussion flows are still being completed.
Level
A1.10
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
18 segments
A short Dutch listening chapter with transcript.
Organize a brief update around what happens today, tomorrow, and now.
Read while you listen.
1. Marieke · Teacher
Welcome back! Today we are learning how to start a Dutch sentence with a time phrase.
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2. Daan · Student
Hi Marieke! I often mess up the word order when I talk about time.
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3. Marieke · Teacher
No worries, Daan! In Dutch, if you put a time phrase first, the verb must stay in second position, pushing the subject right after it. Let's listen to Bram and Lotte.
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4. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Vandaag werk ik hier.
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5. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Morgen werkt Anna thuis.
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6. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Nu leren de studenten Nederlands.
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7. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Vandaag werk ik ook.
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8. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Morgen werken wij samen.
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9. Marieke · Teacher
Let me break down what they said. First, Bram said: 'Vandaag werk ik hier.' This means 'Today I work here.' Notice that 'vandaag', which means 'today', is in position one, so the verb 'werk' comes second, and 'ik' comes third.
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10. Daan · Student
So if I start with a time word like 'vandaag', the verb always has to come right after it?
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11. Marieke · Teacher
Exactly. The verb stays strictly in the second position in a standard main clause.
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12. Marieke · Teacher
Next, Lotte said: 'Morgen werkt Anna thuis.' That translates to 'Tomorrow Anna works at home.' Here, 'morgen' means 'tomorrow'.
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13. Daan · Student
Does 'morgen' count as the entire first block in the sentence?
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14. Marieke · Teacher
Yes, 'morgen' fills position one, so 'werkt' takes position two, followed by the subject 'Anna'.
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15. Marieke · Teacher
Then Bram said: 'Nu leren de studenten Nederlands.' This means 'Now the students learn Dutch.' The word 'nu' means 'now'.
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16. Daan · Student
What happens if a time phrase has more than one word, like 'elke dag'?
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17. Marieke · Teacher
Great question! The whole phrase 'elke dag' counts as position one together, so the verb still comes immediately second.
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18. Marieke · Teacher
Keep practicing this pattern whenever you talk about time in Dutch!
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