Breakdown of Is de eigenares van het hotel jong?
zijn
to be
jong
young
het hotel
the hotel
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
Questions & Answers about Is de eigenares van het hotel jong?
How do we get the word eigenares from the standard word for owner?
The base noun for owner is eigenaar. To form the feminine version, Dutch adds the suffix -es, resulting in eigenares. This is a common way to make feminine forms for professions or roles, similar to how leraar (teacher) becomes lerares.
Is it strictly necessary to use eigenares if the hotel owner is a woman?
No, it is not strictly necessary. In modern Dutch, the general form eigenaar is very commonly used for women as well. You use eigenares when you specifically want or need to highlight that the owner is female.
Why doesn't the adjective jong get an -e ending here?
Adjectives only get an -e ending when they come directly before the noun they describe (like in de jonge eigenares). Here, jong is a predicate adjective, meaning it comes after the verb is to describe the subject. Predicate adjectives never take the -e ending in Dutch.
Why do we say van het hotel instead of using an 's for possession (the hotel's)?
While you can use an 's for possession with names or family members (like Anna's boek), for objects, places, and most general nouns, Dutch strongly prefers using van (of) plus the noun. So, the hotel's owner becomes de eigenares van het hotel (the owner of the hotel).