Breakdown of De nakomeling bezocht het dorp waar zijn voorouders honderd jaar geleden woonden.
wonen
to live
waar
where
zijn
his
bezoeken
to visit
honderd
one hundred
het jaar
the year
het dorp
the village
geleden
ago
de voorouder
the ancestor
de nakomeling
the descendant
Questions & Answers about De nakomeling bezocht het dorp waar zijn voorouders honderd jaar geleden woonden.
How does geleden work in this sentence?
The word geleden translates to 'ago'. Just like in English, it always goes directly after the duration of time it describes. That is why 'a hundred years ago' becomes honderd jaar geleden.
Since it refers to a hundred years, why does the sentence use the singular jaar instead of the plural jaren?
In Dutch, units of time, measurement, and weight almost always stay singular when they follow a number greater than one. Because of the number honderd, the word jaar stays singular. You will also see this rule with words like uur (hour) and meter.
Why is the verb woonden pushed all the way to the end of the sentence?
The word waar (where) introduces a subordinate clause that gives more information about the village. In Dutch subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb is pushed to the very end, which is why woonden comes after the time phrase honderd jaar geleden.
Is there an easy trick to remember the long vocabulary words nakomeling and voorouders?
Yes, you can break them down into basic words you likely already know. A nakomeling (descendant) comes from na (after) and komen (to come) because they are a person who comes after you. Voorouders (ancestors) is simply made of voor (before) and ouders (parents).
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