Questions & Answers about Ik ben een meisje.
I know the Dutch verb for 'to be' is 'zijn'. Why do we use 'ben' here?
Just like in English, the verb 'to be' is irregular. For the pronoun ik (I), the correct form is ben (am). You will say Ik ben, just like you say 'I am' instead of 'I be' in English.
How do I pronounce 'een' in this sentence?
When een means 'a' or 'an', it is pronounced like 'uhn' (similar to the 'a' in 'about'). If you want to say the number 'one', it is written with accents as één and rhymes with 'rain'.
What does the '-je' at the end of 'meisje' mean?
In Dutch, -je is a diminutive ending, which is added to words to mean 'little'. The word meisje historically meant 'little maiden', but in modern Dutch, it is simply the standard everyday word for 'girl'.
Does the pronoun 'ik' always have to be capitalized like 'I' in English?
No. Unlike English, the word ik is only capitalized if it comes at the very beginning of a sentence, just like in this example. If it appears in the middle of a sentence, it is written as a lowercase ik.
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