Breakdown of Zij zijn de hoogste toren aan het bouwen.
zijn
to be
zij
they
aan
on / at (attached to, edge)
bouwen
to build
Questions & Answers about Zij zijn de hoogste toren aan het bouwen.
How do we form the superlative hoogste from the base word for high?
The basic adjective is hoog (high). To make the superlative (highest), we add -st to get hoogst. Because it is placed directly before the noun toren and follows the definite article de, we must add an -e to the end, resulting in de hoogste.
Why does hoogste have two 'o's, while the adjective with a regular '-e' ending (hoge) only has one?
This is due to Dutch spelling rules for keeping long vowel sounds. When you add -ste, the syllables split as hoog-ste. The first syllable ends in a consonant (g), making it a closed syllable, so it needs the double 'o' to keep the long sound. In hoge, the syllable splits as ho-ge, an open syllable where a single 'o' is enough to make the same sound.
What does the phrase aan het do in this sentence?
The combination of the conjugated verb zijn (are) + aan het + the infinitive verb bouwen (build) is the standard Dutch way to express an ongoing action. It translates directly to the English continuous form: they are building right now.
Why is de hoogste toren (the highest tower) placed in the middle of the verb phrase?