Breakdown of Het hoofd van het kind is warm.
het kind
the child
warm
warm
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
het hoofd
the head
Questions & Answers about Het hoofd van het kind is warm.
Why does the sentence use van het kind instead of a possessive like the English 'child's'?
While English often uses an apostrophe-s ('the child's head'), Dutch frequently prefers to use van (of) to show possession. The sentence literally translates to 'the head of the child'.
Why do both hoofd and kind take the article het?
Both words are neuter nouns in Dutch, so they use het instead of de. It is very common for body parts and words for children to be neuter, so it is helpful to memorize het hoofd and het kind.
Can I use the word kop instead of hoofd here?
No, because kop is generally used for the heads of animals. For humans, including children, you use hoofd. Using kop for a person usually sounds rude or informal, similar to saying 'mug' in English.
Why doesn't the adjective warm get an -e ending?
Adjectives in Dutch only get an extra -e ending when they are placed directly in front of a noun (like in het warme hoofd). Because warm comes after the verb is, it is a predicate adjective and stays in its basic dictionary form.
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