Breakdown of De verzamelaar wil het museum op schaal nabouwen.
op
on
willen
to want
het museum
the museum
de verzamelaar
the collector
de schaal
the scale (proportion, ratio)
nabouwen
to recreate / to reproduce
Questions & Answers about De verzamelaar wil het museum op schaal nabouwen.
Why is nabouwen written as one word at the end of the sentence?
Nabouwen (to recreate) is a separable verb (na + bouwen). However, because there is a modal verb in this sentence (wil, meaning wants to), the main verb gets pushed to the very end of the sentence and stays together as a full infinitive. If there were no modal verb, it would split: De verzamelaar bouwt het museum na.
What does the prefix na- add to the verb bouwen?
The verb bouwen means to build. The prefix na- often indicates imitation, copying, or doing something after an original. So nabouwen means to build a copy of something, or in this context, to recreate it.
Why do we use op in op schaal?
Prepositions rarely translate word-for-word! While English says 'to scale', Dutch uses op schaal. You will often see op used with measurements, proportions, or methods (like op maat for custom-made or to size).
How does the diminutive rule from this lesson apply to the nouns in this sentence?
It actually does not! This lesson focuses on doubling long open vowels at the end of nouns (like auto becoming autootje). The nouns here end in consonants: schaal becomes schaaltje and museum becomes museumpje. It is always good to remember that special spelling rules only apply when the word's ending triggers them!
Learn De verzamelaar wil het museum op schaal nabouwen 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