Breakdown of Ik verzamel geen postzegels meer.
ik
I
verzamelen
to gather
geen meer
no more / no longer any
de postzegel
the postage stamp
Questions & Answers about Ik verzamel geen postzegels meer.
Why do we use geen ... meer here instead of niet meer?
We use geen to negate indefinite nouns—nouns that don't have words like 'the', 'my', or 'this' in front of them. Since postzegels (stamps) is an indefinite plural noun, we use geen postzegels. To make it mean 'not anymore', we simply add meer after the noun.
Does meer always have to come after the noun being negated?
Yes. When you use geen ... meer, the word geen sits right before the noun, acting like the English word 'no' (as in 'I collect no stamps'). The word meer (anymore) comes after the noun. You cannot put geen and meer right next to each other.
Why isn't there a word for 'do' in this sentence, like in the English 'I do not collect'?
Dutch does not use a helping verb like 'to do' to make negative sentences. Instead of saying 'I do not collect', you literally say 'I collect no' (Ik verzamel geen). The English translation uses 'do not' simply because that is how English grammar works.
I see that postzegels is a single word. What are its parts?
It is a compound noun made of post (mail) and zegels (stamps or seals). In Dutch, you never put a space between the words in a compound noun, which is why they are written together as postzegels.
Learn Ik verzamel geen postzegels meer 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