Breakdown of De dakloze is naar het ziekenhuis gegaan.
zijn
to be
naar
to
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
het ziekenhuis
the hospital
Questions & Answers about De dakloze is naar het ziekenhuis gegaan.
How do we know De dakloze means the homeless person?
Dakloos is an adjective meaning homeless. In Dutch, you can turn an adjective into a noun to refer to a person by adding an -e at the end and using the article de. So, de dakloze means the homeless person. You do not need to add a word like persoon (person) or man (man) after it.
Why does the spelling change from dakloos to dakloze?
When you add the -e ending to an adjective that ends in a single s preceded by a long vowel, the s changes to a z for pronunciation. Also, because the new syllable is open, you drop one o to keep the same long vowel sound. This is why dakloos becomes dakloze.
Why does this sentence use is gegaan instead of heeft gegaan?
The verb gaan (to go) describes a movement from one place to another. In Dutch, verbs that show a change of location or state use zijn (to be) as their helper verb in the perfect tense, rather than hebben (to have).
Could I use tot or aan instead of naar to say to the hospital?
No, when you are talking about traveling or physically moving toward a destination like a hospital, a city, or a building, you must use the preposition naar.