Breakdown of De tieners waren vroeger erg onzeker.
zijn
to be
erg
very / really
vroeger
in the past
de tiener
the teenager
onzeker
insecure
Questions & Answers about De tieners waren vroeger erg onzeker.
Why is the verb waren used here instead of was?
De tieners (the teenagers) is a plural noun, so we must use the plural past tense form of zijn (to be), which is waren. If the sentence was about just one teenager (de tiener), you would use the singular form, was.
The English translation says "used to be", but where is the verb for "used to"?
Dutch doesn't have a specific verb that means "used to". Instead, it expresses this idea by combining a past tense verb (waren) with the time word vroeger (which literally means "formerly" or "in the past"). Together, waren ... vroeger translates perfectly to "used to be".
I thought erg meant "bad" or "terrible". Why does it translate to "very" here?
Erg can mean "bad" or "awful" when used on its own. However, when you put it directly before an adjective like onzeker (insecure), it acts as an intensifier meaning "very" or "really", just like the word heel.
Why doesn't the adjective onzeker get an -e at the end?
In Dutch, adjectives only get an extra -e when they are placed directly in front of the noun they describe (for example: de onzekere tiener). Because onzeker comes after the verb in this sentence, it stays in its basic dictionary form without the -e.
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