Breakdown of Die hond volgt hem altijd.
de hond
the dog
altijd
always
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
hem
him
volgen
to follow
Questions & Answers about Die hond volgt hem altijd.
Why do we use hem instead of hij here?
Hij means he (the subject, doing the action), while hem means him (the object, receiving the action). Since the dog is the one doing the following, the dog is the subject and the person being followed is the object: hem.
Why does altijd (always) come after hem? In English we say always follows him.
In Dutch main clauses, the first verb (volgt) must be the second idea in the sentence. Adverbs like altijd come later. Also, when the object is a specific pronoun like hem, the adverb usually comes after it. So the order is verb + pronoun + time: volgt hem altijd.
Why do we use die for that instead of dat?
We use die because hond is a de-word (de hond). If you were talking about a het-word, like het schaap (the sheep), you would use dat for that (dat schaap).
What is the dictionary form of the verb volgt?
The full verb is volgen (to follow). Because the subject is die hond (which acts like a he or it), we take the stem of the verb (volg) and add a -t to make volgt.
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