nu/dan

Now/Then

Level 1

Nu means 'now' (present). Dan means 'then' (future, sequence, or 'in that case').

How It Works

In Dutch, nu and dan are temporal adverbs used to anchor a sentence in time.

1. Nu (Now)
Refers to the current moment. In spoken Dutch, you will often hear nou used as a colloquial synonym for 'now'. While nu is preferred in formal writing, nou is very common in everyday speech. Note that nou also functions as a modal particle to express urgency or emphasis (e.g., 'Kom nou!' - 'Come on!').

2. Dan (Then)
Refers to a time that is not now, specifically:

  • Future/Sequence: 'Eerst eten, dan slapen.' (First eat, then sleep.)
  • Repeated Past: Unlike toen (used for single past events), dan is used for habitual or repeated actions in the past.
  • Hypothetical: 'Als het regent, dan blijf ik binnen.' (If it rains, then I stay inside.)

3. Dan as a Particle
Beyond time, dan is a very common modal particle in questions and commands. It softens the tone or implies a logical consequence, such as in 'Wat is er dan?' (What is the matter then?).

4. Dan in Comparisons
A very common use of dan is to mean 'than' when comparing two things. For example: 'Ik ben groter dan jij' (I am taller than you).

5. Word Order
Both words are adverbs. If you start a sentence with them, you must use inversion. This means the verb comes immediately after the adverb, followed by the subject.

Examples (6)

  1. Ik werk nu in Amsterdam.

    I am working in Amsterdam now.

    Word by Word: I work now in Amsterdam.

    A simple sentence where 'nu' is placed in the middle of the sentence.

  2. Nu gaan we naar huis.

    Now we are going home.

    Word by Word: Now go we to house.

    Starting with 'nu' triggers inversion: the verb 'gaan' comes before the subject 'we'.

  3. Eerst drinken we koffie, en dan beginnen we.

    First we drink coffee, and then we begin.

    Word by Word: First drink we coffee, and then begin we.

    'Dan' is used here to show a sequence of events in the near future.

  4. Mijn broer is groter dan ik.

    My brother is taller than I am.

    Word by Word: My brother is taller than I.

    In comparisons, 'dan' is used to mean 'than'.

  5. Als we vroeger op vakantie gingen, dan regende het altijd.

    When we used to go on holiday, it would always rain.

    Word by Word: If we earlier on holiday went, then rained it always.

    For repeated or habitual actions in the past, 'dan' is used instead of 'toen'.

  6. Kom nou!

    Come on!

    Word by Word: Come now!

    Here 'nou' acts as a particle to add urgency to the command.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'dan' to describe a single event in the past.

    Different MeaningIk kwam thuis en dan ging ik slapen.
    Ik kwam thuis en toen ging ik slapen.

    For a single past event, standard Dutch uses 'toen'. 'Dan' is for the future, for hypothetical situations, and for things that happened again and again (Elke avond kwam ik thuis en dan ging ik slapen).

  • Forgetting inversion after starting with 'nu' or 'dan'.

    Nu ik ben moe.
    Nu ben ik moe.

    Dutch requires the verb to be the second element (V2 rule). If 'nu' is first, the verb must follow immediately.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

nu/danLevel 1Now/Then

Learn This First

To use 'nu' and 'dan' correctly, you need to understand how to conjugate verbs in the present tense and how the position of these adverbs affects the word order of the sentence (inversion).

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Words in This Pattern

nudan