Questions & Answers about Deze automaat heeft een groot touchscreen.
Why does this sentence use groot instead of grote?
Because touchscreen is a neuter word (het touchscreen) and it is preceded by the indefinite article een (a/an). In Dutch, when an adjective comes before a het-word with een, it does not get an -e at the end.
Does automaat mean "automobile"?
No, an automobile is simply an auto. An automaat refers to an automatic machine, most commonly a vending machine, ticket machine, or ATM (pinautomaat). It can also mean a car with an automatic transmission, but here it clearly refers to a machine you interact with.
Why is it Deze automaat and not Dit automaat?
Automaat is a de-word (de automaat). For de-words, the word for "this" is always deze. We only use dit for het-words (for example, dit touchscreen).
Are English tech words like touchscreen common in Dutch?
Very common! Dutch adopts a lot of English vocabulary, especially for modern technology. These loanwords are usually pronounced exactly as they are in English and are frequently treated as het-words.