Questions & Answers about Ik lees het dikke boek.
Why does dikke have an -e at the end instead of just being dik?
In Dutch, when an adjective comes right before the noun it describes, it usually gets an -e added to the end. Since we are using the definite article het with the noun boek, the adjective dik takes this extra -e to become dikke.
The dictionary says the word for thick is dik. Where did the extra k come from in dikke?
This happens because of a Dutch spelling rule that keeps vowels sounding short. If we just added an -e to make dike, the i would change to a long vowel sound. By doubling the k to make dikke, we lock in that short vowel sound.
The English translation uses the continuous form am reading, but I just see the word lees. How do we form the present continuous in Dutch?
Dutch usually does not use a separate continuous form like English does. You just use the simple present tense verb. So, Ik lees can mean either I read or I am reading depending on what makes sense in the conversation.
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