Questions & Answers about Ik weet niet waar de dief dat wapen verstopt.
Why is the verb verstopt at the very end of the sentence?
Because waar de dief dat wapen verstopt is an indirect question. When a question word like waar (where) connects two halves of a sentence, it turns the second half into a subclause. In Dutch subclauses, the verb is always pushed to the very end.
Could I make a direct question just by using the second half of this sentence exactly as it is?
No, because the word order would be wrong. If you want to ask the direct question "Where does the thief hide that weapon?", the verb must move to the second position right after the question word: Waar verstopt de dief dat wapen?
Why do we use dat for "that weapon" instead of die?
Because the Dutch word for weapon is a het-word (het wapen). When you want to say "that" pointing to a het-word, you must use dat. If it were a de-word, you would use die.
What is the infinitive (dictionary form) of the verb verstopt?
The infinitive is verstoppen, which means to hide something. Since the subject of our subclause is de dief (the thief, which is a "he" or "she"), we use the present tense stem verstop and add a -t.