Breakdown of Ik sta op de trap in het huis dat wij bouwen.
ik
I
het huis
the house
wij
we
in
in
op
on
staan
to stand
bouwen
to build
dat
that/which (relative pronoun)
de trap
the stairs
Questions & Answers about Ik sta op de trap in het huis dat wij bouwen.
Why do we use dat instead of die for "that" in this sentence?
The word dat refers back to het huis, which is a singular het-word. In Dutch, relative clauses that describe a singular het-word always start with dat. If it were a de-word or a plural word, we would use die instead.
Why is the verb bouwen at the very end of the sentence?
The phrase dat wij bouwen is a relative clause (a subclause that gives more information about the house). In all Dutch subclauses, the verb gets pushed to the very end of the clause.
Why does the Dutch sentence say Ik sta instead of just "I am" (Ik ben)?
Dutch prefers to use posture verbs like staan (to stand), zitten (to sit), or liggen (to lie) to describe where someone or something is. Because a person is usually upright on a staircase, Ik sta is the most natural way to say "I am" in this situation.
Why is de trap singular when the English translation says "stairs"?
In English, we almost always use the plural "stairs" for a staircase. In Dutch, a whole flight of stairs is treated as one singular object: de trap.
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