Breakdown of Ik zie een bordje op de tafel.
ik
I
een
a/an
zien
to see
op
on
de tafel
the table
het bord
the plate
Questions & Answers about Ik zie een bordje op de tafel.
How does the word bordje get the meaning of "small plate"?
It combines the noun bord, which means "plate", with the suffix -je. Adding -je to the end of a noun is the standard way to make a diminutive (a "little" version of something) in Dutch.
If all diminutives are het words, why does the sentence use een bordje?
You are right that all diminutives take het for "the" (so it is het bordje). However, een means "a" or "an", and in Dutch, een is used for both de and het words.
Could bordje mean anything else in this context?
Yes! The root word bord also means "sign". So een bordje op de tafel could also mean a small sign on the table, like a "Reserved" sign in a restaurant.
Why is it de tafel instead of het tafel?
Tafel (table) is simply a de word. While diminutives like bordje always follow a set rule (they are always het words), standard nouns like tafel have their own fixed article that you just have to memorize.
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