Breakdown of Waarom staat de afwas nog op tafel?
op
on
de tafel
the table
staan
to stand
waarom
why
nog
still, yet / more, another (with a quantity)
de afwas
the dishes
Questions & Answers about Waarom staat de afwas nog op tafel?
Why does it say staat (stands) instead of a word for 'are'?
In Dutch, when describing where something is located, you rarely use zijn (to be). Instead, you use a posture verb like staan (to stand), liggen (to lie), or zitten (to sit). Because a pile of dishes is generally upright or resting on its base, it 'stands' on the table.
The English translation says 'dishes' (plural). Why is de afwas treated as singular here?
De afwas is a collective noun in Dutch. It refers to the entire pile of dirty dishes as a single concept, or the chore of washing them. Because it is a singular noun, it takes the singular verb form staat rather than the plural staan.
The current lesson is about separable verbs. Is there one hiding in this sentence?
There isn't a separable verb in this exact sentence, but there is a related noun! De afwas comes from the separable verb afwassen (to wash up). The prefix af- and the verb wassen combine to form this noun.
Why is it op tafel instead of op de tafel?
In Dutch, certain everyday locations drop the article (de or het) after a preposition. Op tafel is a fixed expression meaning 'on the table'. This is very similar to how we say 'in bed' or 'at school' in English without using 'the'.
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