Introduction
In this theme you are going to repeat or learn more about:
- Adjectives and adverbs (bijvoeglijke naamwoorden en bijwoorden)
- Present perfect (repetition)
- Present perfect continuous
For each grammar item, there is an explanation and there are exercises.
Try to do as many exercises as possible!
Good luck!
Adjective (bijvoeglijk naamwoord)
The adjective gives extra information about the noun (zelfstandig naamwoord)
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It was a hard decision to make. - Het was een moeilijke beslissing.
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Hard zegt in bovenstaand voorbeeld iets over decision.
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Hard is dus de adjective en decision de noun.
You can find an adjective on two places in the sentence: before the noun or after these verbs: be, seem, appear, look, sound, taste, feel en smell. (koppelwerkwoorden)
You can find more than one adjective before one noun:
examples:
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The tiny round table. - De kleine ronde tafel.
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The white wooden bench. - De witte houten bank.
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The old German car. - De oude Duitse auto.
Adverb (bijwoord)
Adverb (bijwoord)
An adverb is word that answers the question 'how'
1 Some adverbs say something about the verb.
2 Some adverbs say something about the adjective.
3 Some adverbs say something about another adverb.
You make an adverb by putting '-ly'- after the adjective.
Examples:
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slow - slowly
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quick - quickly
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careful - carefully
After an consonant (medeklinker) 'y' changes into 'i':
Drop the silent 'e' :
Exceptions
1 The adjective good has adverb well.
2 There are adverbs that don't end on '-ly':
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always, still, hard, fast, late, long, fair, free, direct.
3 After 'to be, feel, look, taste, smell, sound, seem' you don't use an adverb but an adjective.
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It was cold.
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I feel good.
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It tastes awful.
Present perfect
To indictate that something has started in the past but hasn't finished yet, we use the present perfect (voltooid tegenwoordige tijd).
The present perfect is made by have/has + past participle (voltooid deelwoord).
The past participle is made by adding '-ed' after the verb (regular verbs). You will have to learn the past participles of the irregular verbs by heart.
Examples:
Ik speel al vijf jaar piano.
Simon woont sinds 2001 in Amsterdam.
If you want to say something about a happening the past with a result on the present, you will also need to use the present perfect.
The time it happened is not important.
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I have lost my keys.
Ik ben mijn sleutels verloren.
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He has already paid for it.
Hij heeft er al voor betaald.
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She has heard that story.
Ze heeft dat verhaal gehoord.
In questions and negations we also use 'have' or 'has ' plus past participle.
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Question
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Negation
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I have lived.
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Have I lived?
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I haven't lived
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You have lived.
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Have you lived?
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You haven't lived.
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He has lived.
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Has he lived?
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He hasn't lived.
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We have lived.
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Have we lived?
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We haven't lived.
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You have lived.
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Have you lived?
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You haven't lived.
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They have lived.
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Have they lived?
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They haven't lived.
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Present perfect continous
To indicate something that started in the past and has just finished, we use the present perfect continuous (voltooid tegenwoordige tijd met de -ing vorm).
The present perfect continuous is made byt:
have/has + been + verb + ing.
Examples:
- John has been studying for years to become lawyer.
- I have been waiting for three hours.
- We have been drinking tea.
The following signal words are an indication for the present perfect continuous:
- all day
I have been working all day.
- since
I have been waiting since 4 o’clock.
- for
I have been sleeping for three hours.
- how long (in questions)
How long has Boris been learning English?
We can also use the present perfect continuous in questions and negations.
- She has been talking on the phone.
Has she been talking on the phone?
She hasn't been talking on the phone.
- They have been swimming in the lake.
Have they been swimming in the lake?
They haven't been swimming in the lake.
