Questions & Answers about Waar is de nieuwe auto?
Why is it nieuwe instead of just nieuw?
When an adjective comes directly before a noun, we usually add an -e to it. Because auto is a de word, the adjective gets this extra -e ending, making it nieuwe auto.
Would it still be nieuwe if the noun was a het word?
Yes, because this sentence uses a specific article (the). If it were a het word with het in front of it, it would also get the -e, like het nieuwe boek (the new book). The only time we drop the -e is when a het word follows een (a) or has no article at all, like een nieuw boek.
Why doesn't nieuw get an -e if I just say De auto is nieuw?
We only add the -e ending when the adjective is placed directly in front of the noun it describes. When the adjective comes later in the sentence after a verb like is, it stays in its basic dictionary form (nieuw).
Why is the verb is the second word in the sentence?