Breakdown of Ik zie twee flessen op de tafel.
ik
I
zien
to see
twee
two
op
on
de tafel
the table
de fles
the bottle
Questions & Answers about Ik zie twee flessen op de tafel.
Why is it spelled "flessen" with a double 's' when the singular word is "fles"?
This happens because of the Dutch spelling rules for keeping vowels short. The 'e' in fles is a short vowel. When we add the plural -en ending, we have to double the consonant 's' to flessen to "lock in" that short sound. If we wrote flesen, the 'e' would become a long vowel sound.
Since this lesson is about diminutives, how would I change this sentence to say "two little bottles"?
You would say twee flesjes. To do this, you take the singular noun fles and add the basic suffix -je to get flesje (little bottle). To make any diminutive plural in Dutch, you always just add an -s at the end, giving you flesjes.
Can I also use the basic "-je" suffix to turn "tafel" into a "little table"?
Not quite! While -je is the standard ending you are learning right now, words ending in a vowel plus an l, m, n, r, or w often get slightly different endings to make them easier to pronounce. A "little table" is actually a tafeltje. You will learn these extra endings in an upcoming lesson!
Does "op de tafel" mean the bottles are literally resting on top of the table?
Yes! The preposition op is used for things resting on top of a surface, just like "on" in English. If you wanted to say someone was sitting at the table (like for dinner), you would use a different preposition: aan de tafel.
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