Breakdown of Zij is de beroemdste arts van de stad.
zijn
to be
zij
she
de arts
the doctor
de stad
the city
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
beroemd
famous
Questions & Answers about Zij is de beroemdste arts van de stad.
Why does beroemdste have an -e at the end?
When a superlative comes right before a noun, it usually gets an -e at the end, just like a normal adjective. The base word is beroemd (famous), the superlative adds -st to make beroemdst (most famous), and the -e is added because it comes before the noun arts.
Why is it de beroemdste arts and not het beroemdste arts?
The article before the superlative always matches the noun it describes. Because the word for doctor is a de-word (de arts), we use de. If we were talking about the most famous hospital (het ziekenhuis), it would be het beroemdste ziekenhuis.
Why do we use van de stad instead of in de stad for "in the city"?
When expressing that someone is the "most" something in a specific place or group, Dutch typically uses van (literally "of") instead of in. So, "the most famous doctor in the city" translates to de beroemdste arts van de stad.
Could I use Ze instead of Zij at the start of the sentence?
Yes! Ze is the standard, unstressed word for "she". You use Zij here if you want to put extra emphasis on her specifically, as in "She is the most famous doctor, not that other person."
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