Breakdown of Ze is haar fiets aan het repareren.
zijn
to be
zij
she
de fiets
the bicycle
haar
her
aan
on / at (attached to, edge)
repareren
to repair
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
Questions & Answers about Ze is haar fiets aan het repareren.
Why are the words aan het repareren at the end of the sentence?
In Dutch, the present continuous is formed with the verb zijn (to be) plus aan het and the infinitive of the action verb. The conjugated verb (is) takes the normal second position in the sentence, but the aan het part and the infinitive (repareren) are pushed all the way to the end.
Can I say Ze is aan het repareren haar fiets to match the English word order?
No, you have to put the object (haar fiets) before the aan het block. If you translate the Dutch word order exactly, it sounds like "She is her bicycle on the repairing". The aan het + infinitive combination almost always stays together at the very end of the sentence.
Is haar exactly the same as the English word "her"?
Yes! haar is used as the possessive pronoun to mean "her" (as in haar fiets). It is also the word you use for "her" when she is the object of a sentence, making it very easy for English speakers to remember.
Why does the sentence use ze instead of zij?
ze is the unstressed, everyday form of zij (she). In Dutch, we usually use unstressed pronouns unless we want to put special emphasis on the person (for example, if we wanted to say "SHE is repairing it, not him"). Since the focus here is on the action of fixing the bike, ze is the most natural choice.
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