Breakdown of De baas verandert de beslissing niet.
niet
not
de baas
the boss
veranderen
to change
de beslissing
the decision
Questions & Answers about De baas verandert de beslissing niet.
Why does niet go at the very end of this sentence?
When you negate a sentence that has a specific direct object—like de beslissing (the decision)—the word niet goes after that object. In a short sentence like this, that pushes niet to the very end.
Why can't I put niet right before the verb, like "does not change" in English?
In a standard Dutch sentence, the main verb must always be in the second position. Here, De baas (the boss) is in position one, so the verb verandert must come exactly next. You can never wedge niet between the subject and the verb.
Why do we use niet here instead of geen?
Geen is used to negate a noun that has "a", "an", or no article in front of it (for example, if you wanted to say "The boss does not change a decision"). Because this sentence talks about the decision (de beslissing), it is a specific noun, so we must use niet.
How do you form the verb verandert?
The dictionary form of the verb is veranderen (to change). For a "he/she/it" subject like de baas, you take the stem of the verb (verander) and simply add a -t at the end, giving you verandert.