Word
De repetitie van de band duurt anderhalf uur.
Meaning
The band's rehearsal lasts one and a half hours.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of De repetitie van de band duurt anderhalf uur.
het uur
hour / o'clock
duren
to last / to take time
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
anderhalf
one and a half
Questions & Answers about De repetitie van de band duurt anderhalf uur.
Why do we use anderhalf here instead of anderhalve?
We use anderhalf because uur is a 'het' word (het uur). If the noun following it were a 'de' word, you would use anderhalve instead.
In English we say 'hours' (plural). Why is uur singular here?
In Dutch, the quantifier anderhalf always takes a singular noun. Furthermore, units of time and measurement generally stay singular after any number above one in Dutch (such as twee uur for two hours).
Does repetitie just mean 'repetition'?
In a musical or theatrical context, repetitie translates to 'rehearsal'. If you want to talk about the act of repeating something, you would use the word herhaling.
Can I say 'de bands repetitie' instead of de repetitie van de band?
While you can sometimes use an -s for possession in Dutch (especially with people's names), using van is much more common for regular nouns and groups. De repetitie van de band is the most natural way to say 'the band's rehearsal'.