Breakdown of Is dat jouw eerste hond?
zijn
to be
de hond
the dog
jouw
your
dat
that (het-words)
eerste
first (1st)
Questions & Answers about Is dat jouw eerste hond?
How does the word eerste (first) relate to the number een (one)?
Just like in English, the word for "first" is irregular. Instead of adding the usual -de or -ste endings to the number een (one), the Dutch word completely changes to eerste.
Why do we use dat here? Isn't dog a de-word (de hond), which should take die?
You are right that hond is a de-word, but when you point to something and say "That is..." or "This is...", Dutch always uses the neutral words dat or dit. You would only use die if it was directly attached to the noun, as in die hond (that dog).
Could I use je instead of jouw in this sentence?
Yes, you can! Both jouw and je mean "your". Using jouw just puts a little extra emphasis on the owner—you are asking if this is your first dog, perhaps compared to someone else's. In everyday conversation, Is dat je eerste hond? is very common.
Why does the sentence start with the verb Is?
To ask a yes/no question in Dutch, you swap the order of the subject and the verb. A normal statement would be Dat is jouw eerste hond (That is your first dog). By flipping it to Is dat..., it becomes a question.
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