Questions & Answers about Ik zie de lange trein.
Why is there an -e at the end of lange?
In Dutch, when an adjective comes directly before a noun, it usually gets an -e added to the end. Since lang comes right before trein, it becomes lange.
Do I pronounce the -e at the end of lange?
Yes! Unlike in English, the -e at the end of Dutch words is almost always pronounced. It sounds like a short, soft 'uh' sound, making the word sound like 'lang-uh'.
Would it still be lange if the sentence was 'I see a long train'?
Yes, it would be Ik zie een lange trein. Because trein is a de-word, the adjective gets the -e whether it follows de (the) or een (a). You only drop the -e after een if the noun is a het-word.
Why does the verb zie look different from the dictionary word zien?
Zien is the full verb. In Dutch, the verb changes to match the subject. Because the subject is ik (I), we use the basic form of the verb. We drop the -n from zien to get zie.