Learn Dutch: Verb to need (Belajar Bahasa Belanda)

“Ik heb . . . nodig.” When you see the word nodig, what do you think the best English cognate to be for it? Need. Yes, nodig means “in need”. Dutch use no word that is similar to English verb “need”. It use the pattern nodig hebben instead. It literally means “to have in need”. How do we use it then in a sentence?

Before I go on to the verb nodig hebben, I’ll give you firstly the conjugation of the word hebben (to have) itself.

Ik heb                                   : I have (Saya mempunyai)

Jij hebt                                 : You have (informal) (Kamu mempunyai)

U heeft/hebt                     : You have (formal) (Anda mempunyai)

Hij/Zij/Het heeft              : He/She/It has (Dia mempunyai)

Wij/Jullie/Zij hebben      : We/y’all/they have (Kami/Kalian/Mereka mempunyai)

Now. Let’s take a look at these sentences!

Ik heb een pen nodig                     : I need a pen (saya butuh pena)

Jij hebt de rekenmachine nodig                : You need the calculator (kamu butuh kalkulator itu)

But, Heb jij de rekenmachine nodig?      : Do you need the calculator? (Apakah kamu butuh kalkulator itu?)                                 --> without final –t

Ze hebben moeder nodig            : They need mother (mereka butuh ibu)

U heeft/hebt wachtwoord nodig, meneer    : You need a password, sir. (Anda butuh kata sandi, tuan)

Hij heeft boeken nodig                 : He needs books (Dia butuh buku)

So, when we use the verb nodig hebben in sentence, we have firstly conjugate the verb hebben, then put the word nodig after the object. Thus, the pattern is best formulated like this:

To need X            =             X nodig hebben = membutuhkan X

Subj + need(s) + obj       =             Subj + heb/hebt/heeft/hebben + nodig

Now, try to make sentence with the following objects. Combine so many objects with different subjects as possible.

Subject                 : Ik, Jij/je, U, Hij, Zij/ze, Het/’t, Wij/we, Jullie, Zij/ze

Object  :

(de) Pen              = (the) Pen         (pena/pulpen)

(het) Potlood     = (the) Pencil     (pensil)

(het) boek          = (the) Book       (buku)

(de) tas                = (the) bag          (tas)

(het) geld            = (the) money   (uang)

(de) auto             = (the) car           (mobil)

(het) mobieltje = (the) Handphone         (HP)

(de) rekenmachine         = (the) calculator              (kalkulator)

(het) papier        = (the) paper     (kertas)

(de) stoel            = (the) chair       (kursi)

(de) tafel             = (the) table       (meja)

You can also add a number or quantity before the nouns. And don’t forget to make the nouns plural. For example:

Ik heb drie T-shirts nodig              = I need three T-shirts (saya butuh tiga kaos)

Zij heeft twee paren schoenen nodig     = She needs two pairs of shoes (Dia butuh dua pasang sepatu)

Ze hebben veel geld nodig          = They need much money (Mereka butuh banyak uang) --> like in English, money has no plural form, and in Dutch there’s no difference between much and many. Both are translated veel in Dutch.

Hij heeft twee trouwringen nodig            = She needs two wedding rings (Dia butuh dua cincin kawin)

To make a negative sentence, set geen before indefinite nouns, and niet after definite nouns. For example:

Ik heb geen suiker nodig              = I don’t need sugar (Saya tidak butuh gula)

Wij hebben het huis niet nodig  = We don’t need the house (Kami tidak butuh rumah itu)

If you want to make a question, just split the position of the subject and the verb hebben. For example:

Heb je medicijnen nodig?            = Do you need medicines? (Apakah kamu butuh obat?)

Hebben jullie de resultaat nodig?             = Do you all need the result? (Apakah kalian butuh hasilnya?)

For more nouns, you can ask me by leaving a comment. Quetions from you are also welcome :)

Jika ada pertanyaan atau untuk kata benda lebih banya bisa minta ke saya melalui kolom komen di bawah.

Dank jullie wel :)

Thank you all :)