Impersonal verbs

What are impersonal verbs in Dutch?

• In Dutch, some verbs do not talk about a person or thing.
• They describe things like weather, time, seasons, temperature.
• These are called impersonal verbs (in Dutch: onpersoonlijke werkwoorden).
• They always use het as the subject.

Think of English sentences like:

• It rains.
• It is twelve o'clock.
• It is getting warmer.

In Dutch, you do the same with het.

Always use “het” as the subject

With impersonal verbs, you always start the sentence with het.

• Do not use hij regent or de regen regent.
• Correct is always: het regent.

Typical impersonal “het” verbs (weather, time, seasons)

Here are the most common forms you meet on A1 level.

Notice: in all examples the subject is always het.

Word order: where does “het” go?

In normal (statement) sentences, het + verb stay together.

1. Simple sentence
   Subject + verb + rest
   Het regent vandaag.
   (It is raining today.)
2. Time or place first
   In Dutch, the verb must be in position 2. So het moves behind the verb:
   Time/place + verb + subject
   Vandaag regent het.
   In Amsterdam regent het veel.

• After any word or phrase at the start (Today, In Amsterdam, In the winter, etc.), the verb comes first, then het.
• This is the same rule as with other verbs in Dutch.

“Het” in Dutch vs “it” in English

For English speakers this topic is actually familiar. The logic is almost the same as in English.

• If you would say “it” in English for weather or time, you almost always say het in Dutch.

Typical mistakes to avoid

• Using another pronoun instead of “het”
  Hij regent vandaag.
  Correct: Het regent vandaag.
• Using a noun as subject with these verbs
  De regen regent heel hard.
  Better: Het regent heel hard.
• Forgetting “het” completely
  Regent vandaag.
  Correct: Het regent vandaag.
• Wrong word order after time/place
  Vandaag het regent.
  Correct: Vandaag regent het.

Verbs that can be personal or impersonal

The book mentions: some verbs can be both personal and impersonal.

On A1 level, you mostly need the impersonal “het” form. But it is useful to see the difference.

• In the impersonal use, the subject is het and the verb is a classic weather verb: regent, sneeuwt, waait, onweert, hagelt, vriest.
• In the personal use, the subject is a real noun: de regen, de sneeuw, de wind with other verbs like komt, valt, stopt.

For talking about weather in daily conversation, focus on the impersonal “het” sentences.

Step-by-step: build a correct impersonal sentence

1. Choose what you want to say
   Weather now? Time? Change in weather? Temperature?
2. Start with “het”
   This is fixed: Het …
3. Add the correct verb
   
   • regent, sneeuwt, waait, onweert, hagelt, vriest
   • is (for time / general state)
   • wordt (for change)
   • blijft (for “keeps / continues”)
4. Add extra information (optional)
   
   • When? → vandaag, nu, in de winter, in januari
   • Where? → in Amsterdam, buiten
   • How? → hard, langzaam, veel

Examples:

• Het regent vandaag de hele dag.
• Het wordt langzaam warmer in maart.
• Het blijft de hele week regenen.
• Het is nu twaalf uur.

Quick self-check: do you have an impersonal sentence?

Use this short checklist when you speak or write:

1. Am I talking about weather, time, seasons, temperature?
   If yes → go to step 2.
2. Does my subject say “het”?
   If not, change it to het.
3. Is the verb one of the “impersonal” verbs?
   • regent, sneeuwt, waait, onweert, hagelt, vriest, wordt, blijft, is
4. If the sentence starts with a time or place:
   Do you have time/place + verb + het?
   Example: In de winter sneeuwt het vaak.

If you can answer “yes” to all, your impersonal sentence is probably correct.

What should you be able to do now?

• Recognise impersonal “het” verbs in texts and dialogues.
• Use het correctly to talk about weather and time.
• Place het and the verb in the right position in the sentence.
• Quickly change a sentence like “De regen is hard” into “Het regent hard”.

When this feels easy, you are ready to use these forms spontaneously in conversation about the weather and time in Dutch.