Breakdown of Mijn broers partner heeft geen tijd.
hebben
to have
de broer
the brother
de tijd
the time
geen
no / not any
mijn
my
de partner
the partner
Questions & Answers about Mijn broers partner heeft geen tijd.
Why is there no apostrophe in broers like there is in English?
In Dutch, the possessive -s is usually attached directly to the word without an apostrophe (like broers, vaders, or Jan becoming Jans). You only use an apostrophe if adding the -s directly would change how the vowel at the end of the word sounds, like with opa's or Anna's. Since broer ends in a consonant, we just glue the -s right on.
Could I say de partner van mijn broer instead?
Yes, absolutely! Saying de partner van mijn broer (the partner of my brother) is very common in everyday Dutch. Using the possessive -s for family members (like mijn broers partner) is just a slightly shorter alternative that is good to recognize and use.
Why do we use geen here instead of niet?
We use geen because it means "no" or "not any" and is used to negate an indefinite noun (a noun without a specific article like "the" or "my" in front of it). Just like in English you say "has no time," in Dutch you say heeft geen tijd. You would use niet if you were negating a specific thing or a verb.
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