Dutch : a comprehensive grammar

454 Pages·2008·3.531 MB·English

by  B C Donaldson

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12111 ‘It will be indispensable for all English-speaking serious students of the
3 Dutch language.’ Signpost, April 2000
4 ‘I have long sought a book which was able to clearly, though not necessarily
5 simply, describe the Dutch language in a logical and comprehensible
6 manner.’ Amazon.co.uk reviewer
7 ‘An excellent reference grammar with clear explanations that do not
8 require an in-depth understanding of generic grammatical terms.’ Amazon.
com reviewer
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20111 Dutch: A Comprehensive Grammaris a complete reference guide to modern Dutch
1 grammar. This completely updated new edition covers the new spelling system
introduced in 1997 and the latest reform in 2005. A new section covers modal
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particles.
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4 Concentrating on the real patterns of use in modern Dutch through lively and
accessible descriptions of the language, the Grammar is an essential reference
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source for the learner of Dutch, irrespective of level. It is ideal for use in schools,
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colleges, universities and adult classes of all types as well as being indispensable
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to those teaching themselves.
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The volume is organized to promote a thorough understanding of Dutch grammar.
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It offers a stimulating analysis of the complexities of the language, and provides
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full and clear explanations. Throughout, the emphasis is on Dutch as used by
1 present-day native-speakers. An extensive index and numbered paragraphs provide
2 readers with easy access to the information they require.
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Features include:
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• Detailed treatment of the common grammatical structures and parts of speech
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• Extensive exemplification
6 • Particular attention to areas of confusion and difficulty
7 • Dutch–English parallels highlighted throughout the book
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Bruce Donaldson lectured in Dutch, German and Afrikaans in the (then)
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Department of German, Russian and Swedish Studies at the University of
40 Melbourne (Australia) from 1973 to 2004. Now in retirement, he is a research
41111 fellow in his former department.
Routledge Comprehensive Grammars
Comprehensive Grammars are available for the following languages:
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2nd edition
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First published 1997 as Dutch Reference Grammar
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
This edition first published 2008
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Previous edition entitled Dutch Reference Grammar 3rd edn,
published by Martinus Nijhoff, Leiden, in 1987
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
© 1997, 2008 Bruce Donaldson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Donaldson, B. C. (Bruce C.), 1948–
Dutch: a comprehensive grammar/Bruce Donaldson.
—[2nd ed.]
p. cm.—(Routledge comprehensive grammars)
English and Dutch. Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Dutch language—Grammar. I. Title.
PF112.D6 2008
439.31′82421—dc22
2007049201
ISBN 0-203-89532-0 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN10: 0–415–43230–8 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0–415–43231–6 (pbk)
ISBN10: 0–203–89532–0 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–43230–6 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–43231–3 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–203–89532–0 (ebk)
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Contents
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12111 Preface ix
3 Acknowledgements xii
4 Abbreviations xiii
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6 Chapter 1 Pronunciation 1
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1.1 Vowels 1
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1.2 Consonants 3
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1.3 Regional differences 4
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Chapter 2 Spelling 8
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3 2.1 Archaisms in printed matter from pre-1947 8
4 2.2 Recent changes to Dutch spelling 9
5 2.3 Use of accents 11
6 2.4 Apostrophe 13
7 2.5 Capital letters 14
8 2.6 Hyphen 15
9 2.7 Medial letters in compound words 16
30111 2.8 Trendy spellings 17
1 2.9 The alphabet 18
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3 Chapter 3 Punctuation 20
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3.1 The comma 20
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Chapter 4 Cases 23
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Chapter 5 Articles 25
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40 5.1 The indefinite article 25
41111 5.2 The definite article 27 v
Contents Chapter 6 Demonstratives 32
Chapter 7 Nouns 34
7.1 Rules for the gender of Dutch nouns 34
7.2 Plural of nouns 43
7.3 Feminizing masculine agents 54
7.4 Possession 56
7.5 Diminutives 57
Chapter 8 Pronouns 66
8.1 Personal pronouns 66
8.2 Possessive pronouns 80
8.3 Reflexive pronouns 83
8.4 Demonstrative pronouns 84
8.5 Relative pronouns 86
8.6 Indefinite pronouns 95
8.7 Interrogative pronouns 102
Chapter 9 Adjectives 106
9.1 Rules for inflection 106
9.2 The comparative of the adjective 111
9.3 The superlative of the adjective 114
9.4 Adjectives used only predicatively or attributively 116
9.5 Predicative adjectives followed by prepositions 117
9.6 Adjectives used as nouns 122
9.7 Formation of adjectives 123
9.8 Notes on some peculiarities of adjectives 130
Chapter 10 Adverbs 133
10.1 Comparative and superlative of adverbs 133
10.2 Intensifying adverbs 137
10.3 Adverbs of time 139
10.4 Adverbs of place and direction 155
10.5 Interrogative adverbs 158
10.6 Adverbial conjunctions 159
10.7 Formation of adverbs 160
vi 10.8 Adverbs of modality 162
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11.1 Formation of tenses 170
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11.2 Use of tenses 184
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11.3 Alphabetical list of strong and irregular verbs 191
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11.4 Mixed verbs 205
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11.5 Irregular verbs 206
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11.6 Hebben‘to have’ 207
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11.7 Zijn‘to be’ 209
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11.8 Modal auxiliary verbs 219
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11.9 The infinitive 231
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11.10 The imperative mood 238
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11.11 The subjunctive mood 240
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11.12 The passive 242
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11.13 Progressive or continuous tenses 248
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11.14 Emphatic present and imperfect tenses formed
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with ‘to do’ 249
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11.15 The present participle 249
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11.16 How to render English ‘-ing’ forms in Dutch 251
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11.17 Reflexive verbs 257
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11.18 Transitive and intransitive verbs 264
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11.19 Impersonal verbs 267
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11.20 Verbal prefixes 269
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11.21 Verbs followed by prepositional objects 278
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Chapter 12 Conjunctions 290
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7 12.1 Co-ordinating conjunctions 290
8 12.2 Subordinating conjunctions 293
9 12.3 Adverbial conjunctions 304
30111 12.4 Correlative conjunctions 306
1 12.5 Conjunctions introducing infinitive clauses 309
2 12.6 Interrogative adverbs and pronouns introducing
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5 Chapter 13 Prepositions 315
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13.1 Prepositional phrases 335
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13.2 Notes on prepositions 337
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Chapter 14 Numerals 343
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41111 14.1 Cardinal numbers 343 vii
Contents 14.2 Ordinal numbers 350
14.3 Fractions 353
14.4 Arithmetic 354
14.5 Temperature 354
14.6 Age 355
14.7 Money 356
14.8 Time 357
14.9 Dates 360
14.10 Weights 362
14.11 Measurements 363
14.12 Playing cards 364
14.13 School marks/grades 365
Chapter 15 Er 366
15.1 Repletiveer 366
15.2 Partitiveer 367
15.3 Pronominaler 368
15.4 Locativeer 370
15.5 Notes 371
Chapter 16 Negation 374
16.1 Position of niet/nooit 374
Appendix 1: Letter writing and email 383
Appendix 2: Proper nouns 390
Appendix 3: Common Dutch abbreviations 407
Glossary of grammatical terms 416
Index 428
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Preface
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12111 When I started to write the first edition of this book in 1977—it originally
3 appeared under the title Dutch Reference Grammar—there were no
4 textbooks suitable to the needs of the advanced English-speaking learner
5 of Dutch. The descriptions of Dutch written by Dutch grammarians were
6 of very little practical use to the foreign learner, and the few contrastive
7 grammars pitched at English-speaking people were either antiquated or
8 only suitable for the raw beginner, or most usually both. The best book
9 on the market was W.Z. Shetter’s Introduction to Dutch, Martinus Nijhoff,
20111 a book which is now also published, in totally revised form, by Routledge
1 (Dutch: An Essential Grammar, 2007). The lack of any comparable
2 predecessor, combined with the limited utility to the foreign learner of the
3 descriptions of Dutch in Dutch, meant that quite a lot of pioneer work
4 went into the creation of this book, particularly with regard to comparing
5 and contrasting Dutch structures with English structures to aid the learning
6 process. The usefulness of this book has proved itself by going through
7 numerous editions over 27 years; it is used throughout the world, even in
8 non-English-speaking countries through lack of anything comparable
9 in the languages of those countries.
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1 But since the first edition appeared in 1981 under the title Dutch Reference
2 Grammar (Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague), two important changes have
3 occurred in the field, both of which in themselves necessitated a thorough
4 revision of this book, quite apart from my desire to remove the various
5 imperfections that had lingered on through all editions. First, the
6 Nederlandse Taalunie, a joint Dutch–Flemish body charged, among other
7 things, with overseeing all projects concerned with the standardization of
8 the language, was founded in 1980. The Taalunie was ultimately responsible
9 for ensuring that the Algemene Nederlandse Spraakkunst (Wolters-
40 Noordhoff, Groningen/Wolters, Leuven, 1984) saw the light of day. The
41111 ANS, as it is now affectionately known, has since established itself as the ix