I can ask someone I've just met where they live and work, what they're learning, and where they're from, and answer them; I won't say “Werkt jij?”
Waar woon je? Questions and where the verb goes
Waar woon je? Questions and where the verb goes
Why: to ask someone new where they live, what they're learning, and where they're from.
A yes/no question: the verb comes first, with no “do”: Woon je in Leiden? Werkt u in Delft? The answer is ja or nee.
A question with a question word: the question word first, the verb second, then the subject: Waar woon je? Wat leer je? For “where … from”, vandaan goes to the end: Waar kom je vandaan? The words are in the table.
When jij or je comes after the verb, the -t drops: Woon jij…? Leer je…? With u, hij, zij (she) and names the -t stays: Werkt u…? Werkt hij…? With wij, jullie, zij (they), as always: Werken jullie…?
Melody, as in English: a yes/no question rises at the end; with a question word, the stress is on that word and the voice falls at the end. In a list the voice rises on each item and falls on the last: Ik spreek Russisch, Engels en Duits. The stressed form is for contrast: Ik werk in Delft, en jij? Here jij is stressed (writing doesn't show it).
The verb weten means knowing a fact: Ik weet het niet — “I don't know” (het is needed).
Common mistakes:
• ×Werkt jij in Delft? → Werk jij in Delft?
• ×Waar jij woont? → Waar woon jij?
• ×Waar komt je vandaan? → Waar kom je vandaan?
• ×Waar vandaan je komt? → Waar kom je vandaan?
• ×Doe je wonen in Leiden? → Woon je in Leiden?
Word order: statements and questions
The verb comes second; in a question without a question word, it comes first.
| Type | Position 1 | Position 2 | The rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Ik | woon | in Leiden |
| Yes/no question | Woon | je | in Leiden? |
| Question with a question word | Waar | woon | je? |
| Where from? | Waar | kom | je vandaan? |
Question words
For now, waarom is for recognition only.
| Word | Means |
|---|---|
| wie | who |
| wat | what |
| waar | where |
| waar … vandaan | where from |
| hoe | how |
| wanneer | when |
| hoeveel | how much, how many |
| waarom | why (recognition only) |
Lesson notes
Waar woon je? Questions and where the verb goes
Why: to ask someone new where they live, what they're learning, and where they're from.
A yes/no question: the verb comes first, with no “do”: Woon je in Leiden? Werkt u in Delft? The answer is ja or nee.
A question with a question word: the question word first, the verb second, then the subject: Waar woon je? Wat leer je? For “where … from”, vandaan goes to the end: Waar kom je vandaan? The words are in the table.
When jij or je comes after the verb, the -t drops: Woon jij…? Leer je…? With u, hij, zij (she) and names the -t stays: Werkt u…? Werkt hij…? With wij, jullie, zij (they), as always: Werken jullie…?
Melody, as in English: a yes/no question rises at the end; with a question word, the stress is on that word and the voice falls at the end. In a list the voice rises on each item and falls on the last: Ik spreek Russisch, Engels en Duits. The stressed form is for contrast: Ik werk in Delft, en jij? Here jij is stressed (writing doesn't show it).
The verb weten means knowing a fact: Ik weet het niet — “I don't know” (het is needed).
Common mistakes:
• ×Werkt jij in Delft? → Werk jij in Delft?
• ×Waar jij woont? → Waar woon jij?
• ×Waar komt je vandaan? → Waar kom je vandaan?
• ×Waar vandaan je komt? → Waar kom je vandaan?
• ×Doe je wonen in Leiden? → Woon je in Leiden?