Word
Ze komen uit een klein land.
Meaning
They come from a small country.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Ze komen uit een klein land.
Why does this sentence use uit instead of van to mean "from"?
In Dutch, when you talk about where someone originates from (like a country or city), you use uit, which literally translates to "out of". The combination komen uit is the standard way to say "to come from" a place.
Can ze also mean "she"? How do we know it means "they" here?
Yes, ze can mean either "she" or "they". You can tell it means "they" in this sentence because the verb komen is in its plural form. If the sentence were about "she", the verb would be singular: ze komt (she comes).
Why is it klein land without an extra "-e" at the end of the adjective?
The word land is a het word (het land). In Dutch grammar, when you put an adjective before a het word and use een (a) in front of it, you do not add an -e to the adjective. If you used "the" instead of "a", the rule changes and it would become het kleine land.
Can I use komen uit for cities too, or just countries?
You can use it for cities, regions, and even buildings! It is the most common way to state your origin or where you just stepped out of. For example, ik kom uit Londen means "I come from London".