Breakdown of De aannemer is nog niet met de fundering begonnen.
zijn
to be
niet
not
met
with
nog
still, yet / more, another (with a quantity)
de aannemer
the contractor
de fundering
the foundation (of a building)
beginnen met
to begin with / to start (doing)
Questions & Answers about De aannemer is nog niet met de fundering begonnen.
Why do we use nog niet in this sentence instead of nog geen?
We use nog niet because we are negating the verb begonnen (started). You only use nog geen (not yet any / not yet a) when you are negating an unspecified noun, for example if you wanted to say the contractor has built no foundation yet (nog geen fundering). Here, we are simply saying the action hasn't happened yet.
Why does the sentence say is ... begonnen? Shouldn't "has started" translate to heeft ... begonnen?
The verb beginnen (to begin / to start) is one of the Dutch verbs that uses zijn (to be) instead of hebben (to have) to form the perfect tense. Native English speakers often trip over this, but in Dutch, you literally say that someone is started.
The English translation says "started on", but the Dutch uses met. Why?
Verbs often pair with different prepositions across languages. In Dutch, the fixed combination is beginnen met (literally: to start with). Whenever you start a task, project, or activity in Dutch, you start met it.
Could I place nog niet later in the sentence, maybe right before begonnen?
It is best where it is. In Dutch, adverbs of time like nog niet usually come before prepositional phrases like met de fundering. The past participle begonnen must sit at the very end, so the natural order is: auxiliary verb (is) + time (nog niet) + prepositional phrase (met de fundering) + past participle (begonnen).
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