Breakdown of Mag ik vaders tamme vogel aaien?
ik
I
mogen
to be allowed to / may
de vader
the father
de vogel
the bird
aaien
to pet
tam
tame
Questions & Answers about Mag ik vaders tamme vogel aaien?
Why is there an 's' on the end of vaders?
Just like in English, you can add an -s to names and family titles to show possession. Vaders tamme vogel simply translates to "father's tame bird". Notice that you do not use an article like de before it.
Why does the adjective tam (tame) change to tamme here?
Vogel is a de-word (de vogel). When an adjective comes before a noun in a specific or possessive phrase, it usually gets an -e added to it. The spelling also changes: to keep the "a" sound short, the "m" has to be doubled to make tamme.
Why is the verb aaien at the very end of the sentence?
This sentence uses the modal verb mag (may / am allowed to). In Dutch, when you use a modal verb, the main action verb (aaien, meaning "to pet") is pushed to the very end of the sentence in its full dictionary form.
What verb does mag come from?
How would I ask "Which bird may I pet?" using the grammar from this lesson?
You would use the word welke because you are asking to choose a specific bird from a group. The question would be: Welke vogel mag ik aaien? You use welke rather than welk because vogel is a de-word.
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