Zinsbouw

Zinsbouw, in Dutch linguistics often translated as sentence construction or syntax, is the study of how words and groups of words combine to form clauses and sentences. It covers the basic rules of word order, the roles of sentence constituents (subject, verb, object, adverbials), and how different sentence types are built. Zinsbouw explains how meaning and emphasis are shaped by where elements appear in a sentence and how punctuation interacts with structure.

In declarative main clauses, the finite verb typically occupies the second position, and the normal order can be described as subject–verb–object. For example: Ik eet een appel. When something other than the subject is placed at the beginning, the verb still remains in the second position, causing subject–verb inversion: Vandaag eet ik een appel. Questions and exclamations often involve more pronounced inversion, such as Eet jij een appel? or Welke appel eet jij?

Subordinate clauses modify or specify information and generally place the finite verb at the end: Ik weet dat hij morgen komt. Verbal endings also shift in sentences introduced by subordinating conjunctions like omdat, zodat, of als: Als ik tijd heb, kom ik. Relative clauses attach to nouns: De man die daar loopt, is mijn buurman.

Negation is typically introduced with niet or geen, with placement reflecting scope and emphasis: Ik lees niet snel; Geen van de opties lijkt geschikt. Zinsbouw varies with formality, dialect, and register, but the core principles of sentence construction remain central to understanding how Dutch sentences convey precise meaning and nuance.