Explaining a grammar pattern | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Kun je dit grammaticapatroon nog een keer uitleggen?

   Could you explain this grammar pattern again?

   Kun je

   could you

   dit

   this

   grammaticapatroon

   grammar pattern

   nog een keer

   again

   uitleggen

   explain

   More detail

   Kun je is a reusable way to ask whether the addressee or addressees can do something: kunnen means “can / be able to,” and je is the subject “you.” In a yes/no question, the conjugated verb comes before the subject: Kun je ...? Compare the ordinary word order Je kunt ... (“You can ...”). Here kun is the form of kunnen used with je when the verb comes before the subject. dit means “this.” It is the neuter singular form of the Dutch demonstrative meaning “this,” and here it accompanies grammaticapatroon. Other forms include deze for a singular common-gender noun or a plural noun; the choice depends on the noun’s grammatical class and number, not simply on physical distance. grammaticapatroon is a compound noun meaning “grammar pattern.” Its parts are grammatica (“grammar”) and patroon (“pattern”), but the complete compound is the useful noun here. Dutch compounds are written as one word, and the final part generally determines the compound’s grammatical gender; patroon is a neuter het-word, so dit grammaticapatroon is the matching demonstrative-noun combination. nog een keer is a common construction meaning “again” or “one more time.” nog adds the idea of continuation or an additional occurrence, while een keer means “one time” in this expression. The phrase can be reused with another action. Example: Kun je dat nog een keer zeggen? — “Could you say that again?” uitleggen means “to explain.” It is an infinitive and a separable verb: in an ordinary main clause, Je legt het uit means “You explain it,” with uit separated from legt. After the modal verb kunnen, the infinitive stays together at the end. Example: Kun je het uitleggen? — “Can you explain it?” Together, Kun je dit grammaticapatroon nog een keer uitleggen? asks the addressee or addressees, politely, whether they can explain this grammar pattern again. The question structure is Kun je + object dit grammaticapatroon + repetition phrase nog een keer + infinitive uitleggen.

2. Het laat zien dat een handeling al klaar is.

   It shows that an action is already complete.

   Het

   it

   laat zien

   shows

   dat

   that

   handeling

   action

   al

   already

   klaar

   complete

   More detail

   Het is a subject pronoun meaning “it.” It is the neuter singular form; its specific referent is not identified in the supplied sentence. Dutch also has hij for a masculine singular referent and zij for a feminine singular referent, but the sentence itself does not establish one of those referents. laat zien is the present-tense form of the expression laten zien, “to show.” With a third-person singular subject such as het, laten appears as laat; the two words work together as the lexical verb. Example: De afbeelding laat het verschil zien. — “The image shows the difference.” dat introduces the clause whose content is shown: “that …”. It connects the main clause to the following statement. een handeling means “an action.” Handeling is the noun; its plural is handelingen. The article een marks an indefinite noun phrase, but it does not by itself assert a numerical count in the English sense. al means “already.” It places the completion before the relevant reference point. Example: De les is al klaar. — “The lesson is already complete.” klaar is an adjective meaning “complete” or “finished” here. It is used after the linking verb is in the clause een handeling al klaar is; it describes the action’s state rather than changing the noun’s form. Together, dat een handeling al klaar is means “that an action is already complete.” The full structure is Het laat zien + dat ...: “It shows that an action is already complete.”

3. Waarom verandert het werkwoord in deze zin?

   Why does the verb change in this sentence?

   Waarom

   why

   verandert

   changes

   werkwoord

   verb

   deze

   this

   zin

   sentence

   More detail

   Waarom asks for a reason: “why?”. It introduces a question about the cause or explanation of something. Compare waarom “why?” with hoe “how?”, which asks about manner or method. Example: Waarom leer je Nederlands? — “Why are you learning Dutch?” verandert means “changes” here. Its base form is veranderen; verandert is the present-tense form used with the third-person singular subject het werkwoord. The -t ending is part of this inflected verb form. Example: De vorm verandert. — “The form changes.” werkwoord means “verb”. It is a noun, so it is capitalized in Dutch only when it begins a sentence; here it is lowercase. With the definite article, it appears as het werkwoord. Example: Dit is een werkwoord. — “This is a verb.” deze means “this” and points to one nearby or contextually selected item. In this sentence it belongs with zin, which is a singular de-word: deze zin. Dutch uses dit with a singular het-word, while deze is used with a singular de-word. Example: Deze vraag is duidelijk. — “This question is clear.” zin means “sentence” here. It is a singular noun with the definite article de: de zin. Its plural is zinnen. Example: Ik lees een zin. — “I read a sentence.” Together, het werkwoord is the subject, verandert is the present-tense verb, and in deze zin identifies the sentence in which the change occurs. The question word Waarom asks for the reason. Thus Waarom verandert het werkwoord in deze zin? means “Why does the verb change in this sentence?”

4. De vorm verandert omdat de gebeurtenis voorbij is.

   The form changes because the event is finished.

   vorm

   form

   verandert

   changes

   omdat

   because

   gebeurtenis

   event

   voorbij

   finished; over

   More detail

   vorm means “form” here: the shape or grammatical form that is being discussed. It is the common-gender noun de vorm; its plural is vormen. The article de belongs with this noun in the sentence. verandert is the present-tense form of veranderen, “to change”. Here it is third-person singular because de vorm is the subject: de vorm verandert = “the form changes”. The same form can also occur with singular je (“you”), so the subject identifies its role here. Example: De kleur verandert. — “The colour changes.” omdat introduces the reason for the main clause and means “because”. In Dutch, an omdat clause normally places its finite verb at the end. The pattern is omdat + subject + ... + verb. gebeurtenis means “event”. It is the common-gender noun de gebeurtenis; its plural is gebeurtenissen. Example: De gebeurtenis is belangrijk. — “The event is important.” voorbij means “over” or “finished” in this context. With zijn, the construction voorbij zijn says that something has ended: De les is voorbij. — “The lesson is over.” It is not the verb itself; is is the present-tense form of zijn and agrees with singular de gebeurtenis. The initial De marks a definite noun phrase: de vorm means “the form”. The main clause is De vorm verandert (“The form changes”). omdat then adds the reason, de gebeurtenis voorbij is (“the event is finished/over”); the verb is comes at the end of this subordinate clause. Together, the utterance means: “The form changes because the event is finished.”

5. Kun je me nog een voorbeeld geven?

   Can you give me another example?

   Kun je

   Can you

   me

   me

   nog een

   another

   voorbeeld

   example

   geven

   give

   More detail

   Kun je is the Dutch question pattern for asking whether an informal second-person singular listener is able or willing to do something: “Can you…?” It contains kun, the present form of the modal verb kunnen, plus je, an unstressed form of “you.” In this question, the verb comes before the subject: Kun je ...? Compare the ordinary word order Je kunt ... (“You can ...”). Dutch also uses kan je in informal speech, but kun je is the form in this utterance. me is the unstressed object pronoun meaning “me.” Its stressed counterpart is mij, used when the pronoun needs emphasis or contrast. Here, me identifies the recipient of the giving. nog een means “another” or “one more” in this context. nog adds the idea of an additional item, while een is the indefinite article. Here een does not by itself assert a numerical count; the combination presents the requested example as an additional one. The useful pattern is nog een + noun, as in nog een vraag (“another question”). voorbeeld is the noun “example.” Its plural is voorbeelden (“examples”). The singular form follows een here; the plural form uses the ending -en. geven is the infinitive “to give.” Its important forms include geven (infinitive), geeft (present third-person singular), gaf (past singular), and gegeven (past participle). After a modal verb such as kunnen, the other verb remains an infinitive and appears at the end of this question: Kun je ... geven? For example, Kun je me helpen? means “Can you help me?” Together, Kun je asks about the listener’s ability or willingness, me marks the recipient, nog een voorbeeld specifies an additional example, and geven names the requested action. The complete meaning is “Can you give me another example?”

6. Iemand deed het boek open vóór de les.

   Someone opened the book before class.

   Iemand

   someone

   deed … open

   opened

   boek

   book

   vóór

   before

   les

   class

   More detail

   Iemand means “someone” here: an unspecified person is the actor. It is an indefinite pronoun, so the sentence does not identify who that person is. Compare niemand (“no one”) when the meaning is negative. deed ... open is the past-tense form of the separable verb open doen, “to open.” In the present, the parts are separated in a main clause: Iemand doet het boek open (“Someone opens the book”). In the past, doen becomes deed, while open remains at the end of the clause: Iemand deed het boek open. Do not treat deed as the ordinary past form of a different verb meaning “opened”; here it is the form of doen in this separable construction. boek means “book.” The sentence uses het boek, with the definite article het, meaning “the book.” The article belongs to the noun phrase; boek itself is the noun. A useful plural form is boeken (“books”), as in Ik lees twee boeken (“I read two books”). vóór means “before” in the time expression vóór de les. The accent helps distinguish this preposition from voor in contexts where the spelling and pronunciation distinction matters. It places the opening of the book earlier than the class. les means “class” or “lesson.” Here, de les refers to the class as a time reference, not to an object that was opened. The plural is lessen (“classes” or “lessons”). Together, Iemand deed het boek open says that an unspecified person opened the book, and vóór de les specifies that this happened before class. The complete meaning is: “Someone opened the book before class.”

7. Daardoor is het patroon gemakkelijker te begrijpen.

   That makes the pattern easier to understand.

   Daardoor

   as a result; because of that

   is

   is

   patroon

   pattern

   gemakkelijker

   easier

   te begrijpen

   to understand

   More detail

   Daardoor means “because of that” or “as a result.” It points back to an earlier situation and presents the current statement as its consequence. A useful contrast is daarom (“for that reason”), which usually introduces a reason for an action or decision, while daardoor focuses on the resulting effect. is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject in the third person: het patroon is (“the pattern is”). The same form also occurs with other singular subjects, such as De zin is duidelijk (“The sentence is clear”). patroon means “pattern.” It is a noun with the article het: het patroon. The plural is patronen (“patterns”). gemakkelijker means “easier.” It is the comparative form of gemakkelijk (“easy”): gemakkelijk → gemakkelijker → het gemakkelijkst (“easy” → “easier” → “the easiest”). The comparative compares the pattern’s ease of understanding with an implicit or previously known alternative; it does not itself specify what that alternative is. te begrijpen means “to understand.” begrijpen is the infinitive (“to understand”), and Dutch commonly uses te before an infinitive in this type of complement: Het is moeilijk te begrijpen (“It is difficult to understand”). Here, te begrijpen completes the description of what is easier. Together, het patroon is gemakkelijker te begrijpen means “the pattern is easier to understand.” Daardoor connects that result to the preceding situation, so the complete utterance means: “That makes the pattern easier to understand.”

8. Probeer nu zelf een zin te maken.

   Now try making your own sentence.

   Probeer

   try

   nu

   now

   zelf

   your own

   zin

   sentence

   maken

   make

   More detail

   Probeer is the imperative form of proberen (“to try”). This stem-form imperative can address one person or several people; a polite form with explicit u commonly uses probeert u. Example: Probeer het. — “Try it.” nu means “now” and places the action at the present time. Here it follows the imperative in Probeer nu ... (“Try now ...”), though its position can vary for emphasis. zelf emphasizes that the addressee does the action personally or independently. Here the fixed translation conveys this as “your own”; zelf itself is not a possessive word. Example: Ik doe het zelf. — “I’ll do it myself.” zin means “sentence” in this context. It is a common-gender Dutch noun. The indefinite article een is used with indefinite singular nouns of either gender: een woord — “a word” and een zin — “a sentence.” maken means “to make” and is the infinitive form. After proberen, Dutch uses te plus an infinitive for the action being attempted: Probeer een zin te maken. — “Try to make a sentence.” The te belongs to this construction; it is not part of the base form maken. Together, Probeer nu zelf een zin te maken. is an imperative telling the addressee to try now to make a sentence personally. The structure is Probeer ... te maken (“try to make ...”), with een zin as the thing made and zelf emphasizing the addressee’s own effort.