Word
Hij koopt water voor haar, want ze heeft dorst.
Meaning
He is buying water for her, because she is thirsty.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Hij koopt water voor haar, want ze heeft dorst.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
zij
she
hebben
to have
het water
the water
Questions & Answers about Hij koopt water voor haar, want ze heeft dorst.
Why is the word order normal after want?
Want means "because" and it links two complete sentences together. After want, you simply start a new sentence with standard word order (Subject + Verb), which is why we see ze directly followed by the verb heeft.
Why does the Dutch sentence say ze heeft dorst instead of using the verb for "is"?
In Dutch, you don't be thirsty, you have thirst! The word dorst is a noun meaning "thirst", so you must use the verb hebben (to have). "She is thirsty" translates to ze heeft dorst (literally: "she has thirst"). You will see the exact same rule with being hungry (honger hebben).
Does koopt mean "buys" or "is buying"?
It means both! Dutch doesn't have a strict separate verb form for things happening right now like the English "-ing" form. You just use the standard present tense, so hij koopt can mean "he buys" or "he is buying" depending on what makes sense in the moment.
Do I need to put a comma before want?
Yes, you generally place a comma before want. The comma signals a slight pause before you introduce the reason for the first sentence.