Breakdown of Mijn zus heeft een dure smaak.
een
a/an
hebben
to have
de zus
the sister
duur
expensive
mijn
my
de smaak
the taste
Questions & Answers about Mijn zus heeft een dure smaak.
Why does the Dutch sentence use een here, when in English we just say "expensive taste"?
In Dutch, when talking about having a particular kind of style or preference, smaak is treated as a countable noun. You literally say someone has "an" expensive taste (een dure smaak).
Why does the adjective duur get an -e ending here to become dure?
Because smaak is a de-word (de smaak). When an adjective comes before a noun, it normally gets an -e ending. Adjectives only drop the -e after een if they describe a het-word, but since smaak is a de-word, the -e stays. This is a good refresher for a tricky early rule!
If the dictionary form is duur, why is dure spelled with only one 'u'?
This is a classic Dutch spelling rule for keeping vowels long. When you add the -e to duur, the word breaks into two syllables: du - re. Because the first syllable ends in a vowel (an "open" syllable), a single 'u' automatically makes the long vowel sound. Keeping the double 'u' is unnecessary and incorrect in Dutch spelling.
Does smaak mean "taste" for both food and fashion?
Yes! Just like in English, smaak can refer to the physical flavor of food or your personal preferences in things like clothing, art, and design.
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