Word
De kat kwam bij het gat en wilde de muis vangen.
Meaning
The cat came to the hole and wanted to catch the mouse.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of De kat kwam bij het gat en wilde de muis vangen.
en
and
de kat
the cat
komen
to come
willen
to want
Questions & Answers about De kat kwam bij het gat en wilde de muis vangen.
I see that kwam means "came". What is the dictionary form of this verb?
The infinitive is komen (to come). This is a strong (irregular) verb, which is the focus of this lesson. Notice how the vowel changes completely in the simple past: the "o" in komen turns into a short "a" in kwam. If there were multiple cats, it would take the plural form: de katten kwamen.
Why is vangen (to catch) at the very end of the sentence?
Because wilde (wanted) acts as a helping verb here. In Dutch, when you use a conjugated helping verb, the main action verb (vangen) is always pushed to the very end of that clause. So you are literally saying that the cat "wanted the mouse to catch".
Could I say kwam naar het gat instead of kwam bij het gat?
Yes, but there is a slight difference in meaning. Using naar emphasizes the travel direction (headed toward the hole), whereas bij emphasizes the arrival or position (arrived at or near the hole). Since the cat is right there and ready to catch the mouse, bij fits perfectly.
I have sometimes heard people say wou for "wanted". Is wilde the same thing?