Questions & Answers about Moeders sleutel is kwijt.
Why is there no apostrophe in Moeders, like there is in the English "Mother's"?
In Dutch, you attach the possessive -s directly to the word whenever possible. You only use an apostrophe if attaching the s directly would change how the word's final vowel is pronounced (for example, names ending in a single open vowel like Anna's). Since moeder ends in a consonant, you simply add the s directly to make moeders.
How does kwijt work here? Does it mean "lost"?
Yes, kwijt means "lost", "missing", or "misplaced". In Dutch, you use it with the verb zijn (to be). So is kwijt means "is missing". It is the most natural word to use when you simply cannot find an everyday item like a key.
Can I say Moeder is haar sleutel kwijt instead?
Yes! That is actually a very common way to say someone lost something in Dutch. The structure "[Person] is [Object] kwijt" means "[Person] lost [Object]" or literally "[Person] is missing [Object]". It means exactly the same thing as Moeders sleutel is kwijt.
How would this sentence change if she lost a whole bunch of keys?
The plural word for keys is sleutels. Because the subject is now plural, the verb must also change from is to zijn. The sentence becomes Moeders sleutels zijn kwijt.