Welk zilveren horloge ligt naast die gouden ring?
Which silver watch is lying next to that gold ring?
Breakdown of Welk zilveren horloge ligt naast die gouden ring?
het horloge
the watch
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
naast
next to
welk
which (for het-words)
liggen
to lie
de ring
the ring
zilveren
silver (adjective)
gouden
golden
Questions & Answers about Welk zilveren horloge ligt naast die gouden ring?
Why do zilveren and gouden end in -en instead of the usual -e?
These are material adjectives, meaning they describe what something is made of (silver and gold). In Dutch, almost all material adjectives get a fixed -en ending. Unlike normal adjectives, this -en ending never changes, regardless of whether the noun is a de-word or a het-word.
Why does the sentence use welk instead of welke?
Horloge is a het-word (het horloge). When you ask "which" before a singular het-word, you must use welk. If you were asking about a de-word, like ring, you would use welke (welke ring).
Why does the sentence use ligt (lies) instead of just saying the watch is there?
Dutch frequently avoids the verb zijn (to be) when describing where physical objects are located. Because a watch typically rests flat on a surface, Dutch uses the positional verb liggen (to lie). Things don't usually just be somewhere in Dutch; they stand, sit, hang, or lie!
Why is it die gouden ring and not dat gouden ring?
Ring is a de-word (de ring). To say "that" with a de-word, you use die. You only use dat to mean "that" when pointing out a het-word (for example, dat zilveren horloge).
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