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De vogel is naar de boom gevlogen.

De vogel is naar de boom gevlogen.
The bird has flown to the tree.
From Lesson 49:The present perfect tense with motion verbs (zijn gegaan)·Dutch

Breakdown of De vogel is naar de boom gevlogen.

zijn
to be
naar
to
de boom
the tree
de vogel
the bird
vliegen
to fly

Questions & Answers about De vogel is naar de boom gevlogen.

Why does the sentence use is instead of heeft for 'has'?
In English, we say 'has flown'. But in Dutch, verbs that describe a physical movement from point A to point B (like flying to a tree) use the verb zijn (to be) as the helper verb instead of hebben (to have). Literally, the sentence says 'The bird is to the tree flown.'
Why is gevlogen at the very end of the sentence?
This is a strict rule in Dutch word order. When you use the present perfect tense, the helper verb (is) takes the normal second position in the sentence, and the past participle (gevlogen) is pushed all the way to the very end.
How do we get gevlogen from the verb vliegen?
The verb vliegen (to fly) is irregular. While regular past participles often end in -t or -d, irregular verbs frequently change their middle vowel and end in -en. For now, it is easiest to just memorize that vliegen becomes gevlogen.
Why use naar to mean 'to' the tree?
In Dutch, naar is the standard word you use when moving towards a physical destination. You use it for going to a tree, a city, a building, or a country.

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