Word
De arts controleert wie het slachtoffer is.
Meaning
The doctor checks who the victim is.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of De arts controleert wie het slachtoffer is.
zijn
to be
de arts
the doctor
wie
who
controleren
to check
Questions & Answers about De arts controleert wie het slachtoffer is.
Why is is at the very end of the sentence instead of after wie?
This sentence contains an indirect question: wie het slachtoffer is. When a question is embedded inside another sentence starting with a question word (like wie, wat, or waar), it acts like a subclause. That means the verb is pushed to the very end! If it were a normal, direct question, the verb would come right after the question word: Wie is het slachtoffer?
Does controleert mean "controls"?
Not exactly! The Dutch verb controleren is a classic "false friend" for English speakers. It almost always means "to check," "to inspect," or "to verify." It rarely means "to control" (as in having power over someone or steering a machine). Here, the doctor is checking the identity of the victim.
I learned the word dokter before. Is arts different?
They mean the exact same thing and are used interchangeably in daily life. Arts is slightly more formal (similar to "physician" in English), but you will see it everywhere. It is also the word used to build other medical titles, like tandarts (dentist), huisarts (family doctor), or dierenarts (veterinarian).
Why do we use het for slachtoffer (victim)? Does it refer to a thing?