Zijn (to be) in Dutch

The verb zijn (to be) is the most fundamental verb in Dutch. Just like English "to be," it is irregular — none of its forms look like the infinitive. You will use zijn constantly: to introduce yourself, state your nationality, describe people and things, tell the time, and much more.

Because zijn is so common, mastering its conjugation early will give you a solid foundation for everything that follows. The good news is that there are only a few forms to memorize, and with regular practice they will become second nature very quickly.

Zijn also serves as an auxiliary verb in the perfect tense for verbs of motion and change of state, but at the A1 level the focus is on its main uses as a linking verb.

Formation / How It Works

Present Tense Conjugation

Person	Dutch	English
ik	ben	I am
jij / je	bent	you are
u	bent / is	you are (formal)
hij / zij / het	is	he / she / it is
wij / we	zijn	we are
jullie	zijn	you (all) are
zij / ze	zijn	they are

Key Rules

1. Inversion with jij: When the subject jij/je comes after the verb (in questions or after a fronted element), the -t drops: Jij bent moe → Ben je moe?

2. Formal u: With u, both bent and is are accepted. U bent is standard in the Netherlands; u is is more common in Belgium.

3. Plural forms are identical: Wij zijn, jullie zijn, and zij zijn all use the same form.

Common Uses

Use	Example	English
Identity	Ik ben Maria.	I am Maria.
Nationality	Hij is Nederlands.	He is Dutch.
Profession	Zij is dokter.	She is a doctor.
Description	Het weer is mooi.	The weather is nice.
Location	Wij zijn thuis.	We are at home.
Age	Ik ben twintig jaar.	I am twenty years old.
Time	Het is drie uur.	It is three o'clock.

Note that with professions, Dutch does not use an article: Ik ben student (not Ik ben een student).

Examples in Context

Dutch	English	Note
Ik ben moe.	I am tired.	Description
Ben jij klaar?	Are you ready?	Inversion — no -t on ben
U bent welkom.	You are welcome.	Formal
Hij is mijn vriend.	He is my friend.	Identity
Zij is heel aardig.	She is very nice.	Description
Het is koud buiten.	It is cold outside.	Weather
Wij zijn studenten.	We are students.	Profession/role (plural)
Jullie zijn te laat.	You are too late.	Plural informal
Zij zijn uit Duitsland.	They are from Germany.	Nationality/origin
Dat is niet waar.	That is not true.	Statement
Is dat jouw tas?	Is that your bag?	Question with inversion
Waar ben je?	Where are you?	Question — no -t after inversion

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
Ik is blij.	Ik ben blij.	The first person singular of zijn is ben, not is.
Bent je moe?	Ben je moe?	When jij/je follows the verb, the -t drops.
Ik ben een leraar.	Ik ben leraar.	Dutch omits the article before professions after zijn.
Hij bent groot.	Hij is groot.	Third person singular uses is, not bent.
Wij bent hier.	Wij zijn hier.	All plural subjects take zijn.

Practice Tips

1. Conjugation chant. Say the full conjugation aloud every day — ik ben, jij bent, hij is, wij zijn, jullie zijn, zij zijn — until it becomes automatic. Speed it up each day.

2. Describe your surroundings. Look around and make simple sentences: De tafel is bruin. Mijn koffie is warm. Ik ben in de keuken. This builds the habit of reaching for zijn naturally.

3. Practice inversion questions. Take any statement with jij and turn it into a question: Jij bent moe → Ben je moe? Jij bent Nederlands → Ben je Nederlands? Focus on dropping that -t.

Related Concepts

• Subject Pronouns
• Hebben (to have)
• Basic Word Order
• Negation