Breakdown of Niemands bestanden zijn echt privé.
zijn
to be
echt
real; really (genuinely)
het bestand
the file
privé
private
niemands
no one's
Questions & Answers about Niemands bestanden zijn echt privé.
How does niemands work here?
Niemands is the possessive form of niemand (nobody/no one). By adding an -s, it becomes "nobody's" or "no one's", which works exactly like adding an 's in English.
Since niemand is singular, why is the verb zijn plural?
The verb always agrees with the main noun of the subject. Here, the subject is bestanden (files), not the possessive word niemands. Because bestanden is plural, the verb must be the plural zijn.
What is the singular form of bestanden?
The singular is het bestand (the file). You will very frequently see this word used for digital computer files and data.
Would the adjective privé get an -e ending if we put it before a noun?
No, privé is a loanword from French and never gets an -e ending. In fact, if you use it directly before a noun in Dutch, it is usually glued to it to form a compound word, such as privébestanden (private files).
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