Breakdown of Het tijdschrift had de primeur over de actrice.
hebben
to have
over
about
de actrice
the actress
de primeur
the scoop
het tijdschrift
the magazine
Questions & Answers about Het tijdschrift had de primeur over de actrice.
Since this lesson focuses on the perfect tense, why does this sentence use the simple past had?
While spoken Dutch heavily uses the perfect tense for past actions, verbs describing possession or states—like hebben (to have)—usually stick to the simple past. It is much more natural to say had here than the perfect tense heeft gehad.
What is the origin of the word primeur?
De primeur is a French loanword meaning a 'scoop' or the very first publication of a news story. Like many French loanwords in Dutch, it takes the de article.
How is the word tijdschrift constructed?
It is a compound noun made of tijd (time) and schrift (writing). Together they mean 'magazine' or 'periodical'. Because the core noun is het schrift, the combined word is also het tijdschrift.
Could I use van instead of over for 'about the actress'?
No, using van de actrice would mean the scoop belonged to her or came from her. To say the story is about her, you must use the preposition over.
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