Breakdown of De kunstenaar fotografeert het monument dat hij mooi vindt.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
mooi
beautiful
vinden
to think / consider (hold an opinion)
fotograferen
to photograph
Questions & Answers about De kunstenaar fotografeert het monument dat hij mooi vindt.
Why do we use dat for "that" in this sentence instead of die?
We use dat because it refers back to het monument. In Dutch, when you use a relative pronoun to refer back to a singular het-word, you always use dat. If it referred to a de-word or a plural noun, we would use die.
Why is the verb vindt at the very end of the sentence?
The second part of the sentence (dat hij mooi vindt) is a relative clause. Relative clauses act like subordinate clauses, which means they use a special word order that pushes the conjugated verb (vindt) all the way to the end of the clause.
The translation says "that he likes", but doesn't mooi vindt literally mean "finds beautiful"?
Yes, literally it translates to "that he finds beautiful." In Dutch, the verb vinden (to find or to consider) combined with an adjective is the standard way to express an opinion. To say you "like" how a piece of art or a monument looks, you say you find it mooi.
Why does the Dutch sentence use fotografeert instead of a continuous form for "is photographing"?
While Dutch does have a continuous form, the simple present tense (fotografeert) is used much more often. It naturally translates to either "photographs" or "is photographing" in English depending on the context.