Question 1

Why does the plural of verantwoordelijkheid end in -heden?

Accepted Answer

In Dutch, abstract nouns that end in the suffix -heid (which is similar to '-ness' or '-ity' in English) have a special irregular plural. The -heid always changes to -heden. That is why verantwoordelijkheid (responsibility) becomes verantwoordelijkheden (responsibilities).

Question 2

Why does collega's have an apostrophe before the plural s?

Accepted Answer

When a noun ends in a single, open vowel like a, o, u, i, or y, you must add an apostrophe before the plural s. If you just wrote collegas, the spelling rules would force the final a to be pronounced as a short vowel instead of the correct long 'ah' sound. The apostrophe protects that long vowel.

Question 3

Why doesn't the word veel get an -e ending like nieuwe does?

Accepted Answer

When veel (many/a lot of) is used as an indefinite quantity word before a noun, it usually does not take an -e ending. On the other hand, nieuwe is a regular adjective describing a plural noun (verantwoordelijkheden), so it must take the standard -e ending.

Question 4

Is krijgen used exactly like the English verb 'to get'?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, yes! Here krijgen means 'to receive' or 'to be given'. But remember that English uses 'get' for many other things. If you mean 'to become' (like getting sick), you use worden, and if you mean 'to fetch', you use halen.

Mijn collega's krijgen veel nieuwe verantwoordelijkheden.

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