Breakdown of De dansvloer is versierd en de lampen zijn geïnstalleerd.
zijn
to be
en
and
de lamp
the lamp
de dansvloer
the dance floor
versieren
to decorate
installeren
to install (e.g. software, equipment)
Questions & Answers about De dansvloer is versierd en de lampen zijn geïnstalleerd.
Why does this sentence use is and zijn instead of wordt and worden for a passive sentence?
This is a state passive (toestandspassief). It uses forms of zijn (to be) instead of worden (to become) because we are looking at the result of the action, not the action happening right now. The decorating and installing are already finished, and now the floor and lamps are in that completed state. If we used wordt versierd, it would mean someone is actively decorating the floor right at this moment.
Why is there a double dot (trema) on the 'i' in geïnstalleerd?
The trema tells you to start a new syllable. In Dutch, ei is usually pronounced as a single vowel sound. By putting the trema on the i, it shows that the e from the ge- prefix and the i from the verb must be pronounced separately: ge-in-stal-leerd.
How do I know whether to end the past participle versierd with a 'd' or a 't'?
You can use the 't kofschip rule. Take the infinitive versieren, remove the -en, and you are left with the stem versier. The last letter is r. Because r is not one of the consonants in 't kofschip (t, k, f, s, c, h, p), the past participle gets a d.
Why doesn't the verb go to the end in the second part of the sentence after en?
The word en (and) is a coordinating conjunction. It links two regular main clauses together without changing the word order. Both De dansvloer is versierd and de lampen zijn geïnstalleerd keep their normal main clause structure where the conjugated verb is placed right after the subject.
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