Breakdown of Het water bevriest in onze schuilplaats.
het water
the water
in
in
onze
our (de-words, plurals)
bevriezen
to freeze (turn to ice)
de schuilplaats
the shelter (hiding place, refuge)
Questions & Answers about Het water bevriest in onze schuilplaats.
Why is the verb bevriest used here instead of just vriest?
Vriezen is generally used to talk about the weather, such as het vriest (it is freezing outside). When a specific liquid, object, or person physically turns to ice or gets frozen, we use bevriezen.
Why do we use onze here instead of ons for "our"?
The possessive pronoun for "our" changes depending on whether the noun is a de or het word. Because schuilplaats is a de word (it takes its gender from de plaats), we must use onze. We only use ons for het words, like ons huis.
What parts make up the compound word schuilplaats?
It combines the stem of the verb schuilen (to take shelter or to hide) with the noun plaats (place). Dutch frequently builds new vocabulary by gluing a verb stem directly to a noun.
How would the word order change if I wanted to emphasize "in our shelter" by putting it at the beginning of the sentence?
Dutch strictly follows the "V2" rule, meaning the conjugated verb must be the second element in a main clause. If you put In onze schuilplaats at the front, the subject (het water) and the verb must swap places so the verb stays second: In onze schuilplaats bevriest het water.
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