Breakdown of We kopen twaalf appels en dertien koekjes.
en
and
de appel
the apple
kopen
to buy
het koekje
the cookie
twaalf
twelve
dertien
thirteen
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about We kopen twaalf appels en dertien koekjes.
Why is 13 dertien and not "drietien"?
Just like in English where "three" becomes "thir-" in "thirteen", the Dutch word drie changes to der- in dertien. Most other numbers from 13 to 19 just add -tien to the normal number (like veertien for 14).
Is twaalf related to the English word "twelve"?
Yes! Both Dutch and English have special, irregular words for 11 (elf) and 12 (twaalf). From 13 onwards, both languages start using a regular pattern (-tien in Dutch, "-teen" in English).
Why do appels and koekjes end in -s for the plural instead of -en?
While most Dutch plurals end in -en, words that are diminutives ending in -je (like koekje, meaning cookie or little cake) always get an -s for the plural. Appel is also one of several common words that simply takes an -s plural instead of -en.
Why is the verb kopen used here instead of koop or koopt?
Because the subject is we (a plural pronoun), you must use the plural form of the verb. In Dutch, the present tense plural form is almost always exactly the same as the full dictionary form (the infinitive), which is kopen.
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