Breakdown of Hij opent het raampje voor de kat.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
de kat
the cat
het raam
the window
openen
to open
voor
for (on behalf of)
Questions & Answers about Hij opent het raampje voor de kat.
Why does raam become raampje with a 'p' instead of just adding '-je'?
In Dutch, nouns that end in a single vowel followed by -m (like raam or boom) take the suffix -pje to form the diminutive. This little inserted 'p' makes the transition between the 'm' and the 'j' much easier to pronounce. So raam becomes raampje (little window).
The sentence uses het raampje. Does the original word raam also use het?
Yes, raam happens to be a het word (het raam). However, it's a great time to remember a golden rule: all diminutives in Dutch are het words, no matter what article the original noun uses! For example, the cat is de kat, but a little cat is het katje.
I've learned the verb opendoen for opening things. Why does this sentence use opent?
Openen (used here as opent) and the separable verb opendoen both mean 'to open'. They are mostly interchangeable, though openen can sound slightly more formal or written. If you wanted to use opendoen here, the sentence structure would change because the verb splits: Hij doet het raampje voor de kat open.
How do you pronounce the ending of raampje?
The -pje suffix is pronounced like 'pyuh' (with a short, unstressed 'uh' sound at the end, known as a schwa). Because the suffix is just attached to the end of the root word, the double aa in raam keeps its long 'ah' sound exactly as it normally does.
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