Questions & Answers about Wat doet de student nu?
Why does the verb doet come right after the question word wat?
In Dutch questions that start with a question word like wat (what), wie (who), or waar (where), the verb always takes the second position. The subject (de student) then swaps places to come right after the verb. This swapping is called inversion.
The English translation says "is doing", but I only see one verb (doet). Why isn't there a word for "is"?
Dutch doesn't usually use a separate "to be" verb with an "-ing" word like English does to show something happening right now. The single present tense verb doet translates to both "does" and "is doing".
What is the dictionary form of the verb doet?
The infinitive (dictionary form) is doen (to do). It is a slightly irregular verb. For a singular subject like de student (the student), you take the stem (doe) and add a -t, which gives you doet.
Could I put nu (now) earlier in the sentence, like "Wat nu doet de student"?
No, you cannot put nu before the verb here. Because wat must be followed immediately by the verb (doet) and then the subject (de student), short time words like nu generally fall at the end of simple questions like this.