Breakdown of Met genealogie onderzoek je de geboorte van elke voorouder in de stamboom.
in
in
met
with
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
onderzoeken
to investigate
elk
each, every
de stamboom
the family tree
de voorouder
the ancestor
de genealogie
genealogy
de geboorte
the birth
Questions & Answers about Met genealogie onderzoek je de geboorte van elke voorouder in de stamboom.
Why is the verb onderzoek before the subject je?
Because the sentence starts with the prepositional phrase Met genealogie. In Dutch, when you put something other than the subject at the beginning of a main clause, the verb and the subject swap places. This is a standard grammar rule called inversion.
Why is it elke voorouder and not elk voorouder?
Because voorouder is a de-word (de voorouder). The base word for "every" or "each" is elk, but when it is placed before a singular de-word, it takes an extra -e at the end to become elke. If it were a het-word, it would remain elk (for example, elk kind).
Is je referring to a specific person here?
No, in this sentence je is used as a general "you" (meaning "one" or "people in general"). Dutch uses the unstressed je frequently for these kinds of general statements. If the speaker wanted to point out a specific person, they would use the stressed form jij.
How is the word stamboom built?
It is a compound word made of stam (tree trunk, stem, or tribe) and boom (tree). It translates literally to "trunk tree" or "tribe tree," which perfectly describes a family tree.
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