Question 1

Why does the verb missen have a double 's' here?

Accepted Answer

This is because of the consonant doubling spelling rule. The root of the verb is mis, which has a short 'i' sound. When we add the plural ending -en, it would normally break into syllables as mi-sen, turning the first part into an open syllable with a long 'i' sound. To keep the 'i' short, we have to double the 's', making it mis-sen.

Question 2

Is missen used for missing a person emotionally, or missing a physical thing like a train?

Accepted Answer

It works for both! Just like in English, you can use missen when you are sad that someone isn't there (like de docent in this sentence), and you can also use it for missing a bus, a train, or a target.

Question 3

I've also learned the word leraar for teacher. What is the difference between that and docent?

Accepted Answer

Both words mean 'teacher'. Leraar is very common for primary and high school teachers. Docent is a bit broader and slightly more formal; it is used for high school teachers, but also for college or university instructors. In everyday Dutch, you will hear both used interchangeably.

Question 4

If I want to make docent plural, do I need to double the 't' at the end?

Accepted Answer

No, the plural is simply docenten. The consonant doubling rule only applies when a single short vowel is followed by a single consonant (like the 'i' followed by the 's' in mis). Because the short 'e' in docent is already followed by two consonants ('n' and 't'), the syllable is safely closed. You don't need an extra consonant to keep the vowel short, so you just add -en.

We missen de docent.

Breakdown of We missen de docent.

Questions & Answers about We missen de docent.

Learn We missen de docent and more in Dutch