Questions & Answers about Gisteren zag ik de kattenbak niet.
Why does kattenbak have -en- in the middle instead of just being katbak?
Kattenbak (litter box) is a compound noun made of kat and bak. When the first word of a compound noun has a plural that only ends in -en (like katten), you must use -en- as the linking sound (the "tussen-n") between the two words.
Why is the 't' doubled in the middle of kattenbak?
Because you are adding the linking -en-, you have to follow normal Dutch spelling rules to keep the 'a' sound short. Just like the plural of kat becomes katten, the compound form requires that double 't' to prevent it from sounding with a long 'a' like "katenbak".
Why does the sentence say zag ik instead of ik zag?
The sentence starts with the time word Gisteren (Yesterday). Whenever you start a Dutch main clause with something other than the subject, the verb and subject swap places. This is a classic example of inversion.
Why does niet come right at the end of the sentence?
In Dutch, niet comes after a specific direct object. Because you are talking about a specific litter box (de kattenbak), niet gets pushed after it to negate the entire action of seeing it.