Watch the video of two people waiting at a bus stop without reading the text. Try to understand what is happening and what they are saying.
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Watch the video again while reading the text. Check whether you understand more and pay attention to how the words are pronounced.
A: Weet jij hoe laat het is?
B: Even kijken… het is vijf voor acht.
A: Oei! De bus komt om acht uur, toch?
B: Ja, om precies acht uur.
A: Dan hebben we nog vijf minuten.
B: Gelukkig! Woon jij ver van hier?
A: Nee, ik woon vlakbij. Twee minuten lopen.
B: Ik woon om de hoek.
A: Ga je elke dag met de bus?
B: Meestal fiets ik. Als het regent, neem ik de bus.
A: Dat snap ik. Fietsen in de regen is niet fijn.
B: Nee, zeker niet! Hoe laat begint jouw les?
A: Om half negen. En die van jou?
B: Ook om half negen. We zijn op tijd, denk ik.
A: Ja, en daar komt de bus.
Read the English translation. Make sure you understand the Dutch conversation.
A: Do you know what time it is?
B: Let’s see… it’s five to eight.
A: Oh no! The bus comes at eight o’clock, right?
B: Yes, at exactly eight.
A: Then we still have five minutes.
B: Luckily! Do you live far from here?
A: No, I live nearby. Two minutes’ walk.
B: I live around the corner.
A: Do you take the bus every day?
B: I usually cycle. If it rains, I take the bus.
A: I understand. Cycling in the rain isn’t nice.
B: No, definitely not! What time does your class start?
A: At half past eight. And yours?
B: Also at half past eight. I think we’re on time.
A: Yes—and here comes the bus.
Listen to the conversation and repeat each sentence.
Dutch | English |
Hoe laat is het? | What time is it? |
Even kijken | Let’s see / Let me check |
komen | to come |
de minuut (-en) | minute |
vlakbij | nearby |
lopen | to walk |
wonen | to live |
de hoek (-en) | corner |
elke dag | every day |
regenen | to rain |
fijn | nice / pleasant |
op tijd | on time |
The verb stem (stam)
The dictionary form of Dutch verbs ends in -en.
To form the stem (stam), you usually remove -en.
Infinitive | Stem |
werken | werk |
drinken | drink |
helpen | help |
Short vowel + double consonant
If the verb has a short vowel and then a double consonant, you remove one consonant when you form the stem.
Infinitive | Stem |
wassen | was |
zitten | zit |
beginnen | begin |
Keeping long vowels: double the consonant
If removing -en would change the vowel sound, Dutch spelling often doubles a consonant to keep the pronunciation the same.
Infinitive | Stem |
lopen | loop |
maken | maak |
wonen | woon |
eten | eet |
v → f and z → s
Dutch words do not end in v or z, so in stems:
Infinitive | Stem |
schrijven | schrijf |
lezen | lees |
Write the stem (stam) of the verbs.
In Dutch, telling the time is similar to English in some ways, but there is one big difference:
When you tell the time, Dutch often says how far you are from the nearest “main time point” (the full hour or half hour).
Quarter hours
Examples
Morning / afternoon / evening / night
In spoken Dutch, people often use the 12-hour clock. If needed, they add:
Example:
Matching exercise (Dutch – English)
Over the next few days, check the time often and say it out loud in Dutch.
Two students are standing at the bus stop, waiting for the bus. They talk about the time and how they will get to school.
Use these prompts:
Doing exercises is an essential part of the learning process. Don't worry about how many mistakes you make—mistakes are a normal and valuable part of learning.
When checking your answers, focus on understanding why an answer is correct. This will help you learn more effectively and avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
1c, 2a, 3g, 4f, 5h, 6b, 7e, 8d