Questions & Answers about Ik zie oma's portemonnee niet.
Why does oma's use an apostrophe here?
In Dutch, when a name or family word ends in a single vowel letter that makes a long sound (like a, o, u, or i), you must use an apostrophe before the possessive s. This keeps the vowel sounding long. If you wrote omas, the rules of Dutch spelling would make the a sound short.
Why is the word niet at the very end of the sentence?
When you negate a sentence that has a specific, definite object, the word niet usually goes after that object. Since oma's portemonnee is a specific item, niet is placed right after it at the end of the sentence.
Is it also correct to say de portemonnee van oma?
Yes! Just like in English, you can say either Grandma's wallet (oma's portemonnee) or the wallet of Grandma (de portemonnee van oma). Both are perfectly correct and commonly used in Dutch.
Why are there so many double letters in portemonnee?
It is a loanword from French, combining words for carry and money. Because it was adopted into Dutch, it kept a spelling very close to the original French. Watch out for the double m, double n, and double e when you write it!