Learn Dutch - u or jij/je?

[@blackwood5851]

For a Spanish speaker to learn it it's easy:) in Spanish the jij would be tú and the u would be usted

[@olenilsen4660]

This was really helpful to understand a few social constructs in Dutch. I´m about 11 years late to the party, but your video is still helpful :) Dankje!

[@dutchforn00bs]

@TemplarJudicator It's not exactly like either, but closer to german probably! :)

[@EvanC0912]

@dutchforn00bs no the german EI is pronounced like english word EYE or AYE. probably like AAI in dutch.

[@Kernerenglish]

All your vids are good. What is especially helpful is the text on the screen. This allows for stopping, taking notes, practicing, and starting again as one is ready to do so. It's very good. My wife and I will be visiting her hometown of Beverwijk in July. I hope to be breaking through and "thinking in Dutch" by then (as opposed to translating in my head before speaking).

[@EvanC0912]

@bob10247 warum sind die 2 personen deutsche?

[@dutchforn00bs]

@SimplyMeRachelLee "jou" is the object form (like 'me', 'him', 'her', 'us', etc in English), while "jij/je" are used in the subject position (like I, he, she, we, etc in English).

[@dutchforn00bs]

@MARKMYOPINIONS Generally, we use jij when emphasizing 'you' in a sentence, and je when the stress is on another word. I'm not sure about word-frequency, sorry :)

[@prepoceros]

Oh my goodness! How did I only just now notice this video?! I have been watching some of your videos, and only now did I notice that one was a response to mine. Weird. Anyway, great response, great video. Totally makes sense. I've been meaning to respond to your video about the different pronunciations of R, to see if I can do them myself. I'll get around to it soon, I hope!

[@Disney0Musical]

I can speak fluent Dutch, because I was born in Holland, but I really enjoyed watching this video haha! Anyway, when you said you say "bedankt" in order to avoid having to choose, I laughed on the inside because I do that exact same thing xD

[@dutchforn00bs]

@k8tr14 Waiters and people in stores will always say 'alstublieft' when handing stuff to people and sometimes people say 'dankjewel' back, because they don't *have* to be formal..? That's the only explaination I can think of? :)

[@gabrielaarevalo78]

Hi, thank you for all the videos you've made so far. I started watching them recently, I'm learning Dutch using the App Duolingo. I find it just fine. An then I found your videos and I must say that you really have a talent to explain the language, you should definitely keep doing them. It's a good way to hear how it really sounds. My first language is Spanish, I'm from El Salvador, I live in USA but I love music from some Dutch Dj's and I listen to Dutch radio. I also grew up watching Dutch football, actually not the Eredivisie, but some players on different leagues and the Oranje on the Eurocup or world cup. I fell in love with the Netherlands.

[@dutchforn00bs]

@kefco5 Ja, weet ik. Ik ben zelf Nederlands, dus heb ik het ook alleen over hoe mensen het in Nederland doen.

[@MagicalSunrise1984]

This video truely marks the difference and you explain it in a way that makes me just 'get it' which is excellent :o) Thank for posting

[@dutchforn00bs]

@JoostVanKommer ik woon wel in Nederland hoor! Utrecht, momenteel :) Waar woon jij dan?

[@bugnutsrunnels]

And thank you Lidewij for your concise and direct to the point narrative.

[@colbyneblett8454]

So essentially like using sir or ma'am in the states. Some people say it makes them feel old. But I was raised in the south and politeness is our thing lol

[@elizabethmartinez4086]

Yes 😊

[@ProductofWit]

@dutchforn00bs Being from Antwerpen I can say we just as rarely say 'u' as Dutch people do. What gives Dutch people that impression, however, is because the dative/accusative of 'gij' happens to be 'u' and the genitive 'uw' just like in the polite form. Dutch-speaking people from Belgium basically speak to each other with 'gij', unless they're talking to older people or people of authority.

[@stuckonautomatic]

Maybe some insights on the German situation (Du=jij; Sie=u) since you mentioned it: 1.+4 Du/Sie if the stranger/waiter is younger/older than me (rule works until I'm 30). In that situation "Danke" is a similar workaround as "bedankt". 2. Sie (you NEVER EVER address a teacher with Du except in some alternative schools) 3. Du (parents are only called Sie in ancient books) 5. Du if your older co-workers offer you the Du otherwise Sie. 6. Du So it's not that much different or much stricter.

[@dutchforn00bs]

@anthonyritchie Hey! There are some small differences between Flemish Dutch and Dutch spoken in the Netherlands. Aside from a difference in accent, one of the most noticeable thing is that JIJ/JE is not really used in Flanders. Instead they say GIJ/GE and U :) (It makes them sound super polite to Dutch people, probably without them realizing :D ). I'm not sure which one of these (gij/u) is more polite in Flemish Dutch, your friend probably knows, though!

[@dutchforn00bs]

@thofou76 No, I wouldn't be offended. In a formal situation it would be normal, though, and I think many people would take offense.

[@dutchforn00bs]

A lot of Dutch TV can be found on uitzendinggemist (dotNL).. I'm not sure if this is country-bound, though. You might not be able to watch it if you're not in the Netherlands. For radio, if you search 3FM, radio 538, radio 1 or 2 on (maybe dutch?) google, you'll find websites with possibilities of listening to it. I'm pretty sure this is possible all over the world :D Reading material is difficult. Newspapers good? Try googling 'volkskrant' or something.. :D

[@esrasor]

bad idea, the form U can also be used sarcastic or to mock. I use the form U to show respect or apreciation, when someone delivers me a service i will basically always use the "U" form. when im requested a service without compensation i will most likely use the form "Je" (other factors like age/title could still get me to use the "U" form but not necsesarily) whatever form you use, be consistent in when you use wich form, because misuse of either form can be considdered offencive ;)

[@MissPuddinghead]

@dutchforn00bs goed dat je deze video maakt! als zo'n buitenlander praat vind ik het altijd zo vervelend als ze als eerste 'u' hebben geleerd... maar je hebt gelijk, 'jij' gebruik ik ook alleen als ik ergens nadruk op leg :) ga zo door!

[@dutchforn00bs]

Both the words JIJ and JOU mean 'you'. The difference between the to is that JIJ is used for the subject position (eg: Jij ziet hem), while JOU is used for the object position (eg: Hij ziet jou). Hope this helps :)

[@kenishafey3309]

Hoi, thanks for helping me to learn Dutch. Your videos are so helpful. I like the way you "teach" us :-) please make more videos :-)

[@dutchforn00bs]

@alethorpe heyy! I think it is pretty similar, but I don't speak Spanish well enough to really tell you! If it sounds similar from the way I'm describing when we use it, it's probably safe to assume it's the same thing! :)

[@ProductofWit]

A tip for advanced Dutch learners. In Modern Dutch (at least the variant spoken in Belgium) 'je' is often used at school to replace 'men' ('one' as a pronoun). 'Men' is often perceived to be archaic. I like using it, but I'm not exactly the epitome of a hipster. It's often used when doing math or sciences. In informal settings 'ge/gij' prevails though.

[@alexenos6205]

If I was to use non-formal words for a formal situation?is it bad?

[@iRemlap]

I'm learning japanese, where formal speech is extra important and complicated, so this is a relief with dutch. I'm going to start babysitting a dutch boy i know, so learning the basics will be helpful! :) Dankje

[@dutchforn00bs]

@pwiReflecteD I see your point, but do not agree. Mostly because I don't think the internet has politeness rules based on age or social status - If someone insults me for no apparent reason, I'm not obligated to respect them & will defend myself. About teenagers not respecting elderly.. I really, truly don't think lack of respect is the problem. Language just.. changes. It's not uncommon for people to dislike change, or feel it's inappropriate, but it does happen.

[@DWATV111]

hello your teaching is nice :::: i would be glad if u tell me that in the following sentence it is not written (rode) however there is( het ) used ::::::Je moet voor Het rood licht soppen.;;;;

[@thomasthomas8049]

U is also used in plural. The plural form for jij/je is jullie.

[@Chrisindapurplehouse]

in cumbria an area that has a fair few dutch words as dialect we do say u in a way to mean oy you

[@PitBullMafia1]

@dutchforn00bs Which is correct but ONLY for Flemish. Check "Flamish4Dummies" videos and how she pronounces "jij". That's "ɛɪ". Nevertheless I believe we can deduce the right one :) IJ is definitely comprised of 2 vowels. The SECOND one is an "i" sound, right? Is it a short or the long "i" (i vs ie)? Now the first sound. When you say IJ does your tongue TENSE a little (less than by "ee" more than by short "e") AND PRESS against your LOWER TEETH?

[@dragonfly073]

@danizarmu87 Yes, means the same. We use to say tu when we are talking with friends, close people and we say Usted when we are talking to someone with respect.

[@dutchforn00bs]

@DametjeKelly I have the exact same problem! I'm scared of speaking foreign languages till I'm absolutely sure I can do it.. You could try asking your friends / people from work / etc to not speak English to you anymore, and to not listen if you speak English to them? If you don't think you speak Dutch well enough to do that, you could maybe just.. practice with pronunciation by reading a text out loud or something :) I'm not sure how well you speak it, obviously, so.. I don't know :)

[@dutchforn00bs]

@GetHyper1993 hear that I'm dutch from what exactly? ;p I try SO HARD to not sound dutch :p

[@christianirving2181]

oh really for some reason i thought you were from norway hahahaha thx for responding!:) keep makin vids their really good!!!:)

[@dutchforn00bs]

@wimJ87 Ik denk eigenlijk dat het wel wat ingewikkelder ligt. Ik ben zelf 19, en ik zeg tegen mensen van mijn eigen leeftijd geen u. Sowieso gebruik ik bij vrijwel niemand die ik in *mijn* leeftijdsklasse vind vallen (onder de 25 ongeveer) u. Ik vind ook omgekeerd dat helemaal niemand u tegen mij hoeft te zeggen. Over het tutoyeren van clienten - dit is wat ze doen volgens mijn vader. Hij doet dit soort werk al een jaar of 30, dus ik geloof hem als hij zegt dat het zo gaat :)

[@themmathematician]

Bedankt. Your videos are super helpful. I'm learning Dutch from like 3 different sources, but you've been helping me out when I'm having issues with something.

[@Grinder1987]

@dutchforn00bs nah there is one problem...., we dutch have more exceptions than ground rules in it... adding the T is clear and obvious except for these exceptions ><

[@GuyFast]

Gij or ge or less polite. If you would rank them from formal to normal than it should be : U (rarely used but very formal ) je or jij (not at home ) an ge or gij ( at home for family,friends and good co-workers only). In fact are gij and ge a sort of slang.

[@Ethington89]

Your videos are EXTREMELY helpful! I have always had trouble with Spanish, German, and French. So someone told me to learn Dutch first (I'm in my first week of class) and then German should come easier. Would you say that's true? And any other languages that might be easier after Dutch? Dankje :-)

[@dutchforn00bs]

@Nerdfighterlife thanks, Francis!! :)

[@nicopicous]

dankje voor de videos! Maakt je meer video's?

[@k8tr14]

when i was in the netherlands this year on vacation, i observed that most people said "alstublieft" but "dankjewel". but i'm not really sure cause if you say this quickly it sounds kind of the same for me :D

[@Hadewijch_]

The IPA discription of the sound is [ɛɪ̯] The dutch "ei" is pronounced the same way.

[@alethorpe]

Hello everyone! For those who speak spanish, this U/Jij, to me sounds the same as Usted/Tú, am I right? So, is it used the same way? or are there any differences?

[@saffis]

Hi there from Brazil! We have that in BR Portuguese too! But is there any expression in Dutch to ask the person to change from u to je to be more informal? Tks a lot!

[@slicker67]

The official verb for that is tutoyeren (from the french words tu and toi), but in a normal conversation if someone called me "u", I would just say something like "je mag gewoon "je" zeggen hoor"

[@Beun007]

This is just real nice and clear video about our language!

[@cw_uk]

Could you recommend any good Dutch radio, t.v., or reading material here on the web? Thanks, James

[@apresthus]

Cool video! :) Im moving to the netherlands next year so this is a good way of preparing to learn the language. Alltho for me as a norwegian it is weird saying jij when saying "you" to a person, simply because the norwegian word for "me" is "jeg" pronounced exactly like "jij" But ill will get over the confusion after a while i hope :P

[@DametjeKelly]

I really like the way you explained the differences and will now feel more comfortable when using either U or jij/je. I'm American and have been living in the Netherlands for quite a while now and am still trying to learn Dutch. I can read a lot more and understand it a lot better, but I am honestly scared to death to speak it. Any tips on how I can get over my fear so that my Dutch will grow?

[@Chrisindapurplehouse]

we also used to say yey obviously from the dutch jij but its archaic now

[@jamieterbeek3648]

So would it hurt to use "U" when its not an elder

[@LHenry-yl7bb]

Thanks for clearing that up, I've decided (for no particular reason whatsoever) to learn a new language, I chose dutch because I like the people. I'm about a month in and this hasn't been addressed yet. so yeah... thanks.

[@LHenry-yl7bb]

Or Dank U.

[@LHenry-yl7bb]

L. Henry Haha just kidding, Dankje.

[@caseylayla]

One video pronounced jij like "Yay" and zij like "zay". Is this incorrect??

[@Yannisastra]

+caseylayla That's correct.

[@paolaabril9250]

I saw sometimes that I love you means: Ik hou van jou .. so my question is: why they write jou instead jij, je or u ? ... there 4 ways to say you?.. bedankt :)

[@joristenbroeke2429]

The "jou" is a way to say something like; aan jou, "ik geef het aan jou" and van jou "ik houd van jou", "ik krijg het van jou". We call this form a 'meewerkend voorwerp'. I'm sorry its hard to explain ;)

[@floodfamily2012]

Paola Abril actually 6.

[@guter9415]

+Paola Abril if you speak spanish it is used in the same way that "mí" and "ti" are used there

[@Nerdfighterlife]

I hadn't seen this video before. iFail. I definitely like hearing about Dutch culture/history as well as the language, so videos like this are awesome. (=

[@anthonyritchie]

So, I have this Dutch-speaking friend from Belgium that I met this summer, and she's been teaching me a few phrases and such. I really want to use these videos and maybe surprise her over Skype with what I've learned. I have one question about the whole u/jij/je thing. With all the phrases she's been teaching me she uses u, and NOT je;jij is this a regional thing, or is she just being extra polite to me for whatever reason? I just want to surprise her with the correct grammar, haha :P

[@cashernandes1]

@dutchforn00bs Hahaha, the Dutch guy thought you weren't Dutch. That's because your English is so good it makes people think you are from an English-speaking country rather than the Neatherlands. :pp As soon as I'm through with German (which won't be any soon, I trust) I'll move on to Dutch! It already sounds familiar to me. Greetings from Brazil! Nice video.

[@pauldew]

'Het' is used because it refers to 'licht'. In dutch, the preposition is always determined by the object, not by any possible adjectives. => Het rode licht. Het Het grote licht. Het mooie licht. Het heldere licht. Etc. As dutchforn00bs explains, it should indeed be 'het rode licht'. 'Rood' would only be used if the sentence were: 'Je moet voor rood licht stoppen', excluding the word 'het'. Both forms would be considered correct in dutch.

[@TheLinkMedic]

I love practical explanations of languages like this! Because I listen to audio courses and Rosetta stone etc and I'm always wondering: "Do people REALLY say this stuff? Or is it just overly proper way of saying things?" Thanks for the insight!

[@HANSMKAMP]

@TemplarJudicator "Jij" is closer to "yay" in English than to "Ei" in German.

[@GainerSoCalLA]

In California English, and throughout the US/Canada, we tend to distinguish between friends and those whom we may want to grant more of our respect to. So, we have two forms for singular you which are: you (pronounced yoo) and ya. In the Eastern US, we have youse as plural for you. In the Southern US, the familiar plural is ya'll or y'all.

[@dutchforn00bs]

@Ellen0207 hahaha, yes, I'm Dutch xD Wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't! :D

[@ezeobinnamdi760]

Please can u talk about verbs in dutch

[@HANSMKAMP]

@Paulusvrouwtje Ik zal wel van de oude stempel zijn, maar ik zeg wel u als beleefdheidsvorm. Tegen onbekende volwassenen, en tegen winkelpersoneel (ongeacht hun leeftijd).

[@terran008]

OMG great video I just came to Belgium a few weeks ago and this is so useful for me, and ur english is so amazing too!

[@dutchforn00bs]

I think Spanish is probably easier than Dutch, because its pronunciation is very regular.. but other than that I don't think you can easily say that languages are easier/harder than one another. I think if you want to learn German, you should probably just go for German. You'll encounter similar difficulties in learning both, and although learning Dutch would make learning German easier.. that doesn't make learning Dutch easy :)

[@dutchforn00bs]

@MagicalSunrise1984 ha, I'm very glad you do! :D

[@unisinho]

thanks for the explanation. I just may find it a bit odd to address my professors as "u" in university of groningen. We have more of a "jij" culture!

[@kurtcobain7095]

I love your lessons!! Im from Sweden and we have ni, wich is a formal Word for you. We dont use it so mutch here either. But if i lik ran into the Queen or something i would say ni. We dont use ni in many sentences the only one i know is when you say hur mår du wich means how are you, you can use hur mår ni like formal or something id-kort

[@jingchensun5270]

hm, I speak English and some German, so Dutch is similar. I learn this language because Dana Winner is my most favourite singer! Thanks for your video!

[@thegreatestbacon2159]

ty

[@jaketepes7056]

Myself, being german but in america,I can relate the jij/je and u to the german du and Sie. With my teachers, if ive known them for a while (like my german teacher ive known for 3 years and I have a good connection with) I say du, translated to je. To a new teacher or someone I dont quite feel the same, like my french teacher, I would say Sie if the situation came up, translating to u. So I would say jij/je with people ive known or have a connection with, and u otherwise. In german we use the difference alot, even with random people no matter the age, we say Sie unless we know each other, then its du.

[@dutchforn00bs]

@Ellen0207 haha, dank je! :D Trouwens, ik keek net een paar van je filmpjes en ik kreeg meteen helemaal zin om dat soort dingen te gaan doen :D Ik zit bij een circus vereniging, dus we doen soms wat dingen die bij turnen horen, maar nooit bijvoorbeeld tumbling.. wat ik nu echt graag wil proberen!! :D Anyway. Ik ga wat handstanden maken nu.

[@inkstersco]

Interesting -- I wonder if this is what the death of 'thou' looked like. Thing is, in the case of Dutch, it's the formal word which is dying out, whereas in the case of English, it's the formal one that stayed.

[@ShyPrincessK]

Great videos! can I ask what the word jou means in dutch? I've seen it used a couple times but am not quite sure what it means.

[@mariadebake5483]

It means "you" but in a different grammatical context

[@lenavangeluwe4099]

in Belgium we often say gij but that's always informal, to friends, it's definitely not considered polite to say gij to people let's say above the age of 30 (if you're not the same age.)

[@gentooboy1337]

To show respect for your videos and your work I say dank u wel :)

[@TemplarJudicator]

Question: you pronounce JIJ like "yay" in English or like "Ei" in German?

[@mikialegebrab3508]

thanks for your advice that's very important for the bignners like me.I would like to add more things especially in grammar part.

[@cw_uk]

@dutchforn00bs hey thanks so much for the response, i'm sure it was pretty late when i wrote you, you must have been up partying or something? haha Thanks again you are such a great help! Im using rosetta stone but I feel it also helps to actually hear Dutch people speak. Tot Ziens!

[@dutchforn00bs]

I'm from the Netherlands.

[@PitBullMafia1]

What's the IPA transcription of the IJ ?? ei ɛi æi ai ʌi ??? Most, if not ALL books say it's "ɛi" but it sounds totally different. More like the Norwegian æɪ

[@cambiassimovic]

Thank you again for all these tutorials there are really of great help:). Just a question, when making questions does it matter if I use Jij instead of Je or viceversa? I am asking you that cos sometimes I found two different examples which are: 'Ben Jij William?' and 'Wil Je ook koffie?'. I assumed Jij has to be used with a auxiliar and Je in all other cases but then again I might be wrong. Dankje!!!

[@TheLinkMedic]

This is one of your best videos thanks!

[@cw_uk]

ha ha, a vampire! - - Yeah im always up late myself, I kinda got addicted to Rosetta Stone recently and Im a musician. I always seem to get all my best ideas at night! Rosetta Stone, is really good because you speak into the computer and it tells you if you have the correct pronunciation or not. Which helps. Thanks again, its totally cool that there are people like you in the world, willing to help people on here! Bye. James

[@MARKMYOPINIONS]

@dutchforn00bs Sorry but I have a question. So literally, jij and je are the same. It's just that jij is shortened to je. So you hardly use jij? BTW, Ik kom uit Duitsland. I love learning from you vids, they're very informative and useful. Also, how do you ask someone where they're from in Dutch? BTW, if you remember, I'm ZeldaWindWaker50.

[@SimplyMeRachelLee]

Sooo, what's the difference between u/jij/je annndd jou? :P

[@dutchforn00bs]

Thank you so much! I hope you achieve the thinking in Dutch, it's an important step!

[@dutchforn00bs]

I'm not sure what you're asking exactly, but this sentence should probably be: "Je moet voor het rode licht stoppen."

[@TheRealAmyJane]

I'm dutch and I really want to join this program!!

[@tegetthoffstrassenr4368]

waar is de vlag? ;)

[@SportsPhanatic17]

This is like whether to say mam/sir or not. That makes a lot of sense.

[@wejigu]

I want you to know that your work is priceless!! Heel erg bedankt!... Wonde uit Den Haag.

[@jamieterbeek3648]

your videos of very helpful to me. the majority of my family speaks Dutch and they help me speak casually to them. Keep making videos.. 3 Dankje

[@jimmydon8]

hallo ik ben sajid , hou gaat het? and pls upload some more conversations like a common conversation between two people pls