About This Lesson
Use Basic place and time questions to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Waar is het?
VAHR iss uht? Where is it?
B
Waar ben je?
VAHR ben yuh? Where are you?
A
Wat is hier gebeurd?
vaht iss heer khuh-BURT? What happened here?
B
Hoe laat is het?
hoo LAHT iss uht? What time is it?
A
Wanneer kom je?
vah-NAIR kom yuh? When will you come?
B
Waarom ben je te laat?
vah-ROHM ben yuh tuh LAHT? Why are you late?Word by Word
Waar
“Waar” asks for a place in “Waar is het?” and “Waar ben je?”, meaning where. It comes at the beginning of these questions. Use it when asking about the location of something or someone.
is
“is” expresses being or being located in “Waar is het?” and is also part of “Wat is hier gebeurd?” and “Hoe laat is het?”. In “Waar is het?”, it comes before the subject “het”. Use it in questions about where something is or what has happened.
het
“het” refers to “it” in “Waar is het?” and “Hoe laat is het?”. In these questions, it comes after “is”. Use “het” when referring to the thing or situation being discussed.
ben
“ben” means “are” with “je” in “Waar ben je?” and “Waarom ben je te laat?”. It is the form used in these questions about the person addressed. Use “ben je” to ask where someone is or to describe their situation.
je
“je” means “you” in “Waar ben je?”, “Wanneer kom je?”, and “Waarom ben je te laat?”. It comes after the verb in these questions. Use it when speaking directly to the person whose location, arrival, or situation you are asking about.
Wat
“Wat” asks what in “Wat is hier gebeurd?”. It introduces a question about an event or thing. Use “Wat is ...?” when asking what something is or what happened.
hier
“hier” means “here” in “Wat is hier gebeurd?”. It identifies the place connected with the event. Use it to point to the place where you and the listener are or to a place being discussed.
gebeurd
“gebeurd” refers to the event that happened in “Wat is hier gebeurd?”. Together with “is” and “hier”, it asks what took place at this place. Use “Wat is er gebeurd?” as a common question pattern; this is a new example, not a dialogue form.
Hoe
“Hoe” contributes the question form in “Hoe laat is het?”, which asks for the time. Its meaning here is understood together with “laat”, not by itself. Use “Hoe laat is het?” when asking someone for the current time.
laat
In “Hoe laat is het?”, “laat” is part of the expression for asking the time; in “te laat”, it means late. The meaning “too late” comes from the whole expression “te laat”. Use “te laat” when someone arrives or does something after the expected time.
Wanneer
“Wanneer” asks when in “Wanneer kom je?”. It asks about the time or occasion of someone’s arrival. Use it at the beginning of questions about when an event will happen.
kom
“kom” means come in “Wanneer kom je?”. With “je”, it asks about the person’s arrival. Use the pattern “Wanneer kom je?” when asking someone about their arrival time.
Waarom
“Waarom” asks why in “Waarom ben je te laat?”. It introduces a question about the reason for being late. Use it at the beginning of questions when you want an explanation.
te
In “te laat”, “te” contributes the meaning “too”, so the complete expression means too late. It must be understood together with “laat”, rather than treated as the whole meaning of the expression. Use “te laat” to explain that someone is later than the appropriate or expected time.
Grammar Points
hoe laat
Hoe laat?
hoo LAHT?What time?
In Dutch, hoe laat is a fixed expression used to ask for the time.
Dutch Vocabulary
ben
verb
ben
am
gebeurd
verb
khuh-BURT
happened
het
pron
uht
it
hier
adv
heer
here
hoe laat
phrase
hoo LAHT
what time
je
pron
yuh
you
kom
verb
kom
come
te laat
phrase
tuh LAHT
too late
waar
adv
VAHR
where
waarom
adv
vah-ROHM
why
wanneer
adv
vah-NAIR
when
wat
pron
vaht
what
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Where is it?
Show Answer
Waar is het?Where are you?
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Waar ben je?What happened here?
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Wat is hier gebeurd?Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
here
Show Answer
hierwhere
Show Answer
waarhappened
Show Answer
gebeurdwhen