Dutch to English examples

Ik wil snel Engels leren.

→ I want to learn English quickly.

Dutch infinitives go to the end of the clause — 'leren' (learn) comes last. In English 'learn' comes right after 'to want'. Dutch speakers instinctively end clauses with the verb.

Ik leer al drie jaar Engels.

→ I have been learning English for three years.

Dutch uses the present tense with 'al' for ongoing situations. English uses the present perfect continuous — Dutch speakers often use the simple present incorrectly here.

Kunt u wat langzamer praten, alstublieft?

→ Could you speak more slowly, please?

Very similar structure. Dutch and English are close cousins here — both use auxiliary verb inversion for formal requests.

Als ik meer gestudeerd had, had ik het examen gehaald.

→ If I had studied more, I would have passed the exam.

Dutch third conditional maps closely to English — both use past perfect in the condition. The main difference is Dutch word order in the result clause.

Engels is een zeer belangrijke taal.

→ English is a very important language.

Almost identical structure — Dutch and English align closely in basic declarative sentences. Note that English uses the article 'a' before 'language' — Dutch uses 'een' similarly.