Breakdown of De mouwen zijn twee centimeter te wijd.
zijn
to be
twee
two
te
too
de centimeter
the centimeter
wijd
wide / loose (clothing)
de mouw
the sleeve
Questions & Answers about De mouwen zijn twee centimeter te wijd.
Why is it centimeter and not centimeters?
In Dutch, units of measurement, currency, and time usually remain in the singular form when they come directly after a number. Because of this rule, we say twee centimeter instead of using a plural ending.
Why is wijd used here instead of breed for "wide"?
When talking about clothing fitting loosely or being too big, Dutch specifically uses wijd. The word breed is used for physical width, like a wide street or broad shoulders, but it sounds unnatural when talking about how clothes fit.
What is the singular form of mouwen?
The singular is de mouw (the sleeve). To make it plural, you just add -en. Because it has the double vowel sound ou, the spelling of the root word doesn't need to change when adding the plural ending.
Learn De mouwen zijn twee centimeter te wijd 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