Word
Zoek je een broek?
Meaning
Are you looking for pants?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Zoek je een broek?
een
a/an
zoeken
to look for
de broek
the pants / the trousers
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
Questions & Answers about Zoek je een broek?
Why does the Dutch sentence use een broek when the English translation is plural ("pants")?
In Dutch, broek is a singular word that refers to one pair of pants. You literally say "a pant" (een broek). You only use the plural form (broeken) if you are talking about two or more pairs of pants.
Where is the word for "for" in this sentence?
The Dutch verb zoeken means "to look for" or "to search" all on its own. You don't need to add a separate word for "for".
Why is it Zoek je instead of Je zoekt?
To ask a yes/no question in Dutch, you swap the subject (je) and the verb. The normal statement Je zoekt (You look) becomes Zoek je? (Do you look?). Notice that the -t at the end of the verb is dropped when je comes right after it.
How would I ask "Are you looking for these pants?" using the pronouns from this lesson?
You would say Zoek je deze broek? Because broek is a de-word (de broek), you use the pronoun deze. Keep in mind that because broek is singular in Dutch, you are technically saying "this pant" instead of the plural "these pants" used in English.