Breakdown of Het nieuwe tapijt is niet breed genoeg voor de kamer.
zijn
to be
niet
not
de kamer
the room
nieuw
new
voor
for (on behalf of)
breed
wide
genoeg
enough
het tapijt
the rug / the carpet
Questions & Answers about Het nieuwe tapijt is niet breed genoeg voor de kamer.
Why does genoeg come directly after breed?
When genoeg (enough) modifies an adjective like breed (wide), it must come after the adjective. This is exactly the same as in English: we say 'wide enough', never 'enough wide'.
Why does nieuwe end in -e, while breed does not?
Nieuwe comes right before the noun it describes, so it gets the -e ending (which happens after the definite article het). Breed is separated from the noun by the verb is. Adjectives that come after the verb like this are called predicate adjectives, and they never get an -e ending in Dutch.
Why is niet placed before breed instead of at the end of the sentence?
When niet negates a specific adjective phrase, it is placed right before it. Here, it negates the whole idea of being breed genoeg (wide enough), so it goes directly in front of those words.
Could I use kleed instead of tapijt here?
Yes! Tapijt often refers to wall-to-wall carpet, but can also mean a rug. If you want to be completely clear that it is a loose rug, you can use vloerkleed or simply kleed.
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