Lesson 2 - Wie ben jij?


Intro



This lesson teaches you how to introduce yourself. You'll learn how to tell what your name is, what country your coming from and where you are living. Of course, you'll also learn how to ask questions on this, so after this lesson you should be able to have a real brief conversation in Dutch. You'll also learn a bit on being formal and informal(u and jij), on verb infinitives and on the Dutch version of 'to be'.



The title of this lesson Wie ben jij? (means 'who are you?' shows you a question word (wie), a form of the verb zijn ('to be') and a personal pronoun (jij). We'll be dealing with all three of these items, but let's first deal with the function of the phrase: asking someone's name.

Here's a little conversation in which it is used:

Text 2.1 - Ik ben Heidi
  • Wie ben jij?
  • Ik ben Heidi.
    		•
  • Waar kom je vandaan?
    		•
  • Ik kom uit Nederland.
    		•
  • Waar woon je?
    		•
  • Ik woon in Leiden.
    		•

    Question words can be confusing: the Dutch word hoe, sounds like the English 'who', but means 'how, while the Dutch word wie, meaning 'who', sounds like the English 'we', which is wij in Dutch and that sounds more or less like 'why', but that's waarom in Dutch. That's why the next text is a simple listing of question words:

    Text 2.2 - Question words
    wie
    wat
    waar
    waarom
    hoe
    		who
    what
    where
    why
    how






    There are more ways to ask or tell a name. The next text does not only give alternative phrases, it also introduces u for second person singular instead of jij. This is a matter of being formal instead of informal. In contemporary Dutch, you would be formal to adult strangers and business contacts and informal to colleagues, friends and children. To relatives, most Dutch people are informal, but quite some people are still using u to address their parents and (even more) grandparents.

    Text 2.3 - Hoe heet u?
    Hoe heet u?
    Mijn naam is Conti
    Mijn voornaam is Gianni
    Mijn achternaam is Conti
    Uit welk land komt u?
    Ik kom uit Italië




    A conversation like this could be continued with questions and answers in the next text. A few remarks to go with it:

    Text 2.4 - Aangenaam
    Aangenaam
    I woon in Amsterdam
    In de Dapperstraat
    Op nummer 15
    Mijn meisjesnaam is Agneta Magnusson
    Ik ben getrouwd met een Nederlandse man.
    Wat doet u?




    We've been using a few verbs now, though not always infinitives (you need those to look them up in the dictionary). Note that the infinitive almost always ends on -en: ik kom - infinitive: komen (exceptional, nevertheless: knowing the Dutch spelling you would perhaps expect 'kommen'...) ik heet - infinitive: heten ik doe - infinitive: doen Exceptions are: gaan (to go), staan (to stand) and zijn (to be). Since zijn is not only very irregular (like 'to be' is in most languages), but also the most used verb, it would be a good idea to learn al the forms for present and past right now:

    x present past
    ik ('I') ben was
    jij/je ('you') bent was
    u ('you') bent was
    hij ('he') is was
    zij/ze ('she') is was
    wij/we ('we') zijn waren
    jullie ('you') zijn waren
    zij/ze ('they') zijn waren

    This brings us to the personal pronouns. Above here, you see all the forms for the subject. You'll notice that most forms with -ij in them also have a form with -e (like jij could also be je). The general rule is that you can always use the 'proper' form with -ij, but most Dutch people would use the -e form unless there's a special emphasis.

    Another thing that might puzzle you is the form jullie for 'you'. This is the form for informal and plural (something like 'you guys') - for formal plural you should still use u. In short:

    x formal informal
    singular u jij/je
    plural u jullie




    Vocabulary
    aan at, to
    aangenaam pleased (to meet you)
    de achternaam the surname
    doen to do
    getrouwd married
    de gracht the canal, the moat
    heten to be named
    hoe how
    ik I
    in in
    jij/je you
    komen to come
    leven to live, to be alive
    met with
    het meisje the girl
    de meisjesnaam the maiden name
    de naam the name
    het nummer the number
    het plein the square
    de straat the street
    u you
    uit out (of), from
    vandaan from
    de voornaam the first name
    waar where
    waarom why
    wie who
    wonen to live, to be living
    zijn to be




    More ...



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