Breakdown of Vandaag schildert de schilderes een prachtig portret.
een
a/an
vandaag
today
schilderen
to paint
prachtig
gorgeous
het portret
the portrait
de schilderes
the female painter
Questions & Answers about Vandaag schildert de schilderes een prachtig portret.
How do we form the feminine word schilderes from the base word?
The base word for a painter is schilder. To make it specifically feminine, we add the suffix -es. This is a very common way to create female professions in Dutch, closely related to the English suffix "-ess" (like host/hostess).
Why is the verb schildert placed before the subject de schilderes?
Because the sentence starts with the time word vandaag (today). In Dutch, whenever a main clause starts with something other than the subject, the verb and subject must swap places. This rule is known as inversion.
Why is there no -e at the end of the adjective in een prachtig portret?
The word for portrait is a neuter noun (het portret). When you have a het-word preceded by the indefinite article een (a/an), the adjective before it does not get the standard -e ending. If it were "the beautiful portrait", it would be het prachtige portret.
Are the words schilder and schilderes used for both artists and house painters?
Yes! Unlike English which often distinguishes between an "artist" and a "painter", Dutch uses schilder (and the feminine schilderes) for both someone who creates art and someone who paints walls. Here, painting a portrait tells us she is an artist.
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