Word
De jongen loopt fluitend op straat.
Meaning
The boy walks on the street whistling.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about De jongen loopt fluitend op straat.
How do we form the word fluitend?
It comes from the infinitive verb fluiten (to whistle). To make a present participle (an '-ing' word like 'whistling'), you simply add a -d to the infinitive. Here, it is used as an adverb to describe how the boy is walking.
Why is it fluitend and not fluitende?
Because it is used as an adverb describing the action (loopt), not as an adjective describing the noun (de jongen). If we wanted to say 'The whistling boy', we would add an -e to make it an adjective: De fluitende jongen.
Why does fluitend come before op straat?
Dutch sentences generally follow a 'Time, Manner, Place' word order. fluitend (whistling) is the manner (how he does it), and op straat (on the street) is the place. Therefore, the manner comes before the place.
Why do we say op straat instead of op de straat?
The phrase op straat is a fixed expression in Dutch that means 'out on the street' or 'in public' in a general sense. In common fixed phrases like this, the article (de) is usually dropped.