Questions & Answers about We zien twee dieren.
How do we make the word for 'animal' plural in this sentence?
The singular word for animal is dier. To make it plural, we simply add the regular suffix -en to the end, resulting in dieren. This is the most common way to make words plural in Dutch.
Why is the verb zien used here instead of zie?
Because the subject of the sentence is we (we), which is plural. In Dutch, plural subjects like we, you all, and they almost always take the plural form of the verb. This plural form looks exactly like the full dictionary form (the infinitive), which is zien.
If I wanted to say 'the animals', which word for 'the' would I use?
You would use de. The singular word is a 'het' word (het dier), but a very important rule in Dutch is that all plural nouns automatically use de. So, it becomes de dieren.
How do you pronounce the -en ending on dieren?
The e in the -en ending is pronounced like a very short, soft 'uh' sound. Also, in everyday spoken Dutch, the final -n is often dropped entirely. So dieren usually sounds a bit like 'dee-ruh'.