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Questions & Answers about Wat schitterende tijgers!
Why do we use Wat here instead of Wat een?
Because tijgers is a plural noun. You use wat een for singular countable nouns, like in wat een tijger (what a tiger). For plural nouns, uncountable nouns, and standalone adjectives, you just use wat.
Why is there an -e added to the end of schitterende?
The base adjective is schitterend. In Dutch, adjectives placed before a noun generally get an -e ending. Because tijgers is a plural noun, the adjective always gets this -e.
Does schitterende have a more literal meaning?
Yes, it comes from the verb schitteren, which means to shine, sparkle, or glitter. Calling the tigers schitterende literally means they are shining or brilliant, which we naturally translate as magnificent.
Why does tijger get an -s for its plural instead of -en?
Dutch nouns ending in an unstressed -er, -el, -en, or -em usually take an -s to form the plural. Since the stress is on the first syllable of tijger, the plural is simply tijgers.