Questions & Answers about Ik leen hem vaders auto.
Why is it vaders and not vader's with an apostrophe?
In Dutch, you only use an apostrophe for the possessive 's' if adding it directly would change how the last vowel sounds (like with names ending in -a, -o, -i, or -u). Because vader ends in a consonant, you just attach the 's' directly to make vaders.
Why does hem come right after the verb instead of at the end of the sentence?
Hem (him) is the indirect object, meaning he is the person receiving the item. In Dutch, when the indirect object is a pronoun without a preposition like aan (to), it usually comes before the direct object (vaders auto).
Can lenen mean both 'to lend' and 'to borrow'?
Yes, lenen translates to both! You can tell which one it is based on the context. Because the sentence has someone receiving the car (hem), it means 'lend'. If you wanted to say 'I borrow Father's car from him', you would use the preposition van (from): Ik leen vaders auto van hem.
Why isn't there a de before auto?
Just like in English, using a possessive word replaces the article. Because we are saying vaders auto (Father's car), we drop the de that would normally go before auto.