Breakdown of De slingers zijn klaargelegd, maar ze zijn nog niet opgehangen.
zijn
to be
niet
not
maar
but
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
nog
still, yet / more, another (with a quantity)
ophangen
to hang up
de slinger
the garland
klaarleggen
to lay out
Questions & Answers about De slingers zijn klaargelegd, maar ze zijn nog niet opgehangen.
Why does this sentence use zijn instead of worden for a passive sentence?
This is the state passive. Using zijn (to be) + a past participle describes the result or state after an action is finished: the garlands are laid out. If we used worden, it would mean the action is happening right now: de slingers worden klaargelegd (the garlands are being laid out).
Can zijn klaargelegd also translate to 'have been laid out'?
Yes! In Dutch, the state passive ('are laid out') and the present perfect passive ('have been laid out') look exactly the same: zijn klaargelegd. The practical meaning is identical: the action happened in the past, and we are looking at the resulting state right now.
How are the past participles klaargelegd and opgehangen formed?
They come from the separable verbs klaarleggen (to lay ready) and ophangen (to hang up). To make the past participle of a separable verb, the ge- is sandwiched between the prefix and the main verb: klaar + ge + legd, and op + ge + hangen.
Why are the words nog niet placed right before opgehangen?
In a Dutch clause, the past participle (opgehangen) is pushed to the very end. Adverbs of time and negation like nog niet (not yet) typically go as close to the end as possible, which puts them right in front of that final verb.
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