Breakdown of Mijn broer huurt een dure studentenkamer.
een
a/an
de broer
the brother
duur
expensive
mijn
my
huren
to rent
de studentenkamer
the student room
Questions & Answers about Mijn broer huurt een dure studentenkamer.
Why is there an -en- in the middle of studentenkamer?
Studentenkamer is a compound noun made of student and kamer. In Dutch, when the first noun in a compound has a plural that only ends in -en (like studenten), you connect the words with the linking letters -en-.
Would it ever be correct to write studentskamer with a linking -s-?
No. You generally use a linking -s- (the tussen-s) if the first word takes a plural in -s or if tradition and pronunciation dictate it. Since the plural of student is exclusively studenten, the spelling rules strictly require the -en- link here.
Why is the adjective dure instead of duur?
The word kamer is a de word (de kamer). When an adjective comes before a de word with een, it gets an -e ending. To keep the vowel sound long in an open syllable, the double u in duur drops one letter to become dure.
The English translation says 'is renting'. Why isn't a continuous form used in Dutch?
Dutch often uses the simple present tense (huurt) for ongoing actions where English requires the continuous form ('is renting'). You would only use a continuous structure like is aan het huren if you really needed to emphasize that the action is happening right at this very moment.
Learn Mijn broer huurt een dure studentenkamer and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free