Grammar
Word classes
Word class Translation Example
definite article Bepaald lidwoord the
indefinite article Onbepaald lidwoord a, an
adjective Bijvoeglijk naamwoord intelligent, wonderful, large
adverb Bijwoord now, here, away, then, slowly,
largely
preposition Voorzetsel in, at, for, in front of, like,
main verb Zelfstandig werkwoord hear, go, walk
linking verb Koppelwerkwoord be, appear, seem, feel
auxiliary Hulpwerkwoord be, have, do
modal Modaal hulpwerkwoord must, should, can, may, might
linking word Voegwoord and, or, but
although, because, when, if, that
Pronouns
Word class Translation Example
personal pronoun Persoonlijk voornaamwoord I, you, he, me, him, her
demonstrative Aanwijzend voornaamwoord this, that, these, those, one,
(pronoun) ones
possessive Bezittelijk voornaamwoord my, your, his, mine, yours, hers
(pronoun)
reflexive pronoun Wederkerend voornaamwoord myself, yourself, ourselves
interrogative Vragend voornaamwoord who, whose, what, which?
(pronoun)
Onbepaald voornaamwoord someone, anything, nobody
indefinite pronoun
relative pronoun Betrekkelijk voornaamwoord The man who lived across the
street
quantifier Onbepaald telwoord one, second, all, no, both, most,
(pronoun)
reciprocal pronoun Wederkerig voornaamwoord each other, one another
Nouns
Word class Translation Example
noun Zelfstandig naamwoord
count child, dog, bus, box
uncount water, freedom, architecture
singular the sun, the moon, day after day
, pair/plural trousers, glasses, the pictures
group the BBC, PSV, the army
proper Jack, Britain, Johnson
Tenses
PRESENT:
Present Simple
FORM: VERB + s/es in third person
USE:
Thoughts and feelings:
o I want a breath of fresh air.
o My stomach hurts.
Facts, states, and generalisation:
o Cats like milk.
o He lives in London.
Repeated Actions or Habits:
o I always get up early.
o She plays tennis every week.
With verbs such as promise, agree, refuse, forgive:
o I forgive you.
Permanent things are Present simple
Present Continuous
FORM: am/are/is + VERB + ing
USE:
To say we are in the middle of an action
o We’re looking at a PowerPoint
o I’m explaining the continuous.
To say we are in the middle of an action, but not actually at the moment of speaking:
o I must get back to the office. We’re working on a new project.
Things that are changing over a longer period of time:
o The village is changing, but it is still undisturbed.
o His handwriting is improving.
Temporary things are Present continuous
PAST:
, Past Simple
FORM: VERB + ed or irregular verb
USE:
Completed action in the past
o I met him last week.
o He spent his holiday in Spain last year.
Repeated actions or habits in the past
o We usually went away during the summer when I was a child.
Past Continuous
FORM: was/were + VERB + ing
USE:
Being in the middle of an action at some time in the past.
o Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
o At midnight, we were still dancing at the party.
The continuous cannot usually be used with state verbs (check p 14 OPG):
o I didn’t know where you were.
State verbs: Be, believe, belong, consist of, contain, depend on, deserve, exist, hate, know, like, love,
matter, mean, own, prefer, need, remember, resemble, seem, understand
The past continuous and past simple are often used together when one
(shorter) action comes in the middle of another (longer) one.
While John was sleeping, someone stole his car.
Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
Present Perfect
FORM: have/has + VERB + ed or irregular verb
USE:
Unfinished time before now:
o I’ve seen that movie 20 times.
o They’ve met once before.
Action that started in the past and still has an effect on the present,
o Either in action:
o He has lived in London for two years. (He still lives there)
o Or result:
o I have left my licence at home. (So, I can’t show it to you)
FYNE JAS
o To decide when we have to use a present perfect, you can use the next 7
letters to remember:
o FYNE JAS: For, Yet, Never, Ever, Just, Already, Since, However
Present Perfect Continuous
