Breakdown of Zij proefde de kaas in dat gebied.
zij
she
in
in
de kaas
the cheese
dat
that (het-words)
het gebied
the area
proeven
to taste
Questions & Answers about Zij proefde de kaas in dat gebied.
Why does the past tense get '-de' (proefde) instead of '-te' when there is an 'f' right before it?
The past tense ending depends on the verb's stem before any spelling changes. The infinitive is proeven. When you drop the -en, you are left with proev-. Since v is a voiced consonant (it is not in the 't kofschip memory trick), the verb takes the -de ending.
Wait, if the stem ends in 'v', why is it spelled with an 'f' in 'proefde'?
Dutch spelling rules do not allow a syllable to end in v or z. So, the v changes to an f before adding the past tense ending. That gives us proef- plus -de, resulting in proefde. The spelling changes, but the original v still dictates the -de ending!
Why do we use 'dat' instead of 'die' for 'that area'?
In Dutch, the word for 'that' depends on the noun's gender. Because gebied is a het word (het gebied), you must use dat. You only use die for de words or plural nouns.
Can I use 'ze' instead of 'zij' at the start of this sentence?
Absolutely. Ze is the normal, unstressed word for 'she'. You use zij when you want to put emphasis on the subject, highlighting that she tasted the cheese, as opposed to someone else.
Learn Zij proefde de kaas in dat gebied and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free