English speakers learning Dutch often make the same predictable mistakes.

Dutch and English belong to the same language family, but their grammar rules and vocabulary have evolved differently.

This close relationship creates a false sense of security.

You might assume a Dutch sentence structure mirrors an English one, only to accidentally say something completely different.

Below are seven common mistakes English speakers make in Dutch and how you can easily fix them.

Relying on English word order in sub-clauses

Dutch main clauses usually look very similar to English.

The subject comes first, followed by the verb, and then the rest of the sentence.

However, everything changes when you use a subordinate clause.

A subordinate clause is a part of a sentence that starts with words like omdat (because), dat (that), or als (if).

In Dutch, these conjunctions force all the verbs to the very end of the clause.

English speakers frequently forget this rule and leave the verb in the middle.

Falling for Dutch false friends

False friends are words that look or sound identical in two languages but carry completely different meanings.

English speakers see a word like eventueel and immediately assume it means “eventually”.

In Dutch, eventueel actually means “possibly” or “potentially”.

If you want to say “eventually” in Dutch, you’ll need to use uiteindelijk.

Another huge mix-up is the word brutaal.

It doesn’t mean “brutal” or “violent” at all.

Instead, brutaal means “cheeky” or “disrespectful”.

Using the wrong word for “to know”

In English, we use the word “to know” for everything.

You can know a person, know a city, and know a math equation.

Dutch splits this concept into two entirely different verbs: kennen and weten.

You use kennen when you’re familiar with a person, place, or language.

You use weten when you know a factual piece of information.

Using weten to say you know a person sounds incredibly unnatural to a native speaker.

Translating the present continuous tense literally

English relies heavily on the present continuous tense to describe actions happening right now.

We naturally say “I am walking” or “She is reading”.

Beginners try to translate this literally by saying Ik ben lopen, which isn’t grammatically correct.

Dutch typically just uses the simple present tense to express these ongoing actions.

If you really need to emphasize that you’re busy doing something right now, you use the structure zijn aan het + infinitive verb.

Struggling with the Dutch “g” sound

The Dutch “g” is a sound that doesn’t exist in the English language.

Many learners try to pronounce it exactly like the English “g” in “great” or “go”.

Others overcompensate and make a harsh, scraping sound.

In the northern and central parts of the Netherlands, the “g” is pronounced deep in the throat.

This regional variation is often called the hard G.

However, in the southern provinces like Noord-Brabant and Limburg, as well as in Flanders (Belgium), people use a soft G.

The soft G sounds much closer to a gentle hiss at the back of the palate.

If the hard G is difficult to produce, try mimicking the softer southern pronunciation instead.

Overusing the verb “gaan” for the future

In English, we constantly use “going to” to talk about our future plans.

Dutch does have the verb gaan (to go), but natives use it far less frequently for future events.

English speakers overuse gaan, making their sentences sound clunky and translated.

In Dutch, the most natural way to talk about the future is simply using the present tense along with a time indicator.

Words like morgen (tomorrow) or volgende week (next week) do all the heavy lifting.

Guessing between “de” and “het”

English only has one definite article: “the”.

Dutch has two definite articles: de and het.

Because there’s no natural logic to which words take de and which take het, English speakers often just guess.

This leads to major grammar issues because the article dictates how adjectives behave in the sentence.

You must memorize the correct article along with the noun from the very beginning.

Fortunately, there are a few consistent rules you can memorize to make this easier.

Stop guessing articles and start looking at the patterns in the words themselves.