Breakdown of Ze zijn over het project aan het denken.
zijn
to be
het project
the project
aan
on / at (attached to, edge)
denken
to think
over
about
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
Questions & Answers about Ze zijn over het project aan het denken.
How does aan het make the verb "continuous" in this sentence?
In Dutch, you form the present continuous (doing something right now) by using a form of the verb zijn (to be) + aan het + the full dictionary form of the action verb (the infinitive). Here, zijn (are) pairs with aan het denken to mean "are thinking".
Why is over het project right in the middle of the sentence? Why not at the end?
Ze can mean "she" or "they". How do we know it means "they" here?
You have to look at the verb right next to it! Because the verb is zijn (the plural form "are"), we know ze must mean "they". If it meant "she is thinking", the sentence would start with the singular form: Ze is.
Does the preposition over translate to "about" here?
Yes! Just like in English where you "think about" a topic, in Dutch you usually use denken over when considering or pondering something. You might also sometimes see denken aan, which is closer to "thinking of" someone or something.
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