Breakdown of Voor de veiligheid is een helm hier verplicht.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
hier
here
voor
for (on behalf of)
verplicht
mandatory / required
de veiligheid
the safety
de helm
the helmet
Questions & Answers about Voor de veiligheid is een helm hier verplicht.
Why is the verb 'is' placed before the subject 'een helm'?
This is due to the Dutch V2 (verb-second) rule. Because the sentence starts with the prepositional phrase Voor de veiligheid, the verb is must take the second position, pushing the subject een helm to the third position.
I recognize 'veilig' (safe). Is the '-heid' ending common?
Yes! The suffix -heid is widely used to turn adjectives into nouns, exactly like "-ty" or "-ness" in English. So, veilig (safe) becomes veiligheid (safety). As a handy B1 rule: all nouns ending in -heid take the article de.
Why does 'hier' come before 'verplicht' instead of at the end of the sentence?
In Dutch main clauses, location words like hier generally come after the subject (een helm) but before predicative adjectives like verplicht. Putting hier at the very end of this sentence would sound unnatural to a native speaker.
Does 'verplicht' mean "obliged" or "mandatory"?
It can mean both, depending on the context! It is the past participle of the verb verplichten (to oblige / to require). When describing a condition, an object, or a rule, as in this sentence, it translates best to "mandatory" or "required".
Learn Voor de veiligheid is een helm hier verplicht and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free