Breakdown of De jonge atleet rent de lange afstand het snelst.
jong
young
snel
fast
het
it
lang
long
rennen
to run
de atleet
the athlete
de afstand
the distance
Questions & Answers about De jonge atleet rent de lange afstand het snelst.
Why do we use het snelst instead of just snelst for "the fastest"?
When a superlative ("fastest", "best", "highest") is used to describe how an action is done (acting as an adverb modifying a verb like rent), Dutch requires the fixed phrase het + superlative. You cannot leave out het here.
Would het snelst change if the subject was plural, like "the young athletes"?
No, it remains exactly the same. When used as an adverb modifying a verb, het + superlative is invariant. It doesn't change to match the gender or number of the subject or object. So, "The young athletes run the fastest" would simply be De jonge atleten rennen het snelst.
Why do jonge and lange get an -e ending, but snelst doesn't?
Jonge and lange are adjectives placed directly before the nouns they describe (de atleet and de afstand). Because both are de-words, the adjectives get the -e ending. Snelst is not modifying a noun; it's part of the adverbial phrase het snelst modifying the verb rent, so it doesn't take an adjective ending.
Why does het snelst go at the very end of the sentence?
In Dutch, adverbs of manner (words that describe how an action is done, like het snelst) are usually placed towards the end of the sentence, after the direct object (de lange afstand).
Learn De jonge atleet rent de lange afstand het snelst 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