Breakdown of De groente in de koelkast is slap geworden.
zijn
to be
in
in
worden
to become
de groente
the vegetable
de koelkast
the fridge
slap
limp
Questions & Answers about De groente in de koelkast is slap geworden.
Why does this sentence use is ... geworden instead of heeft ... geworden?
The verb worden (to become) always uses zijn (to be) as its auxiliary verb in the perfect tense, never hebben. So, to say something became or has become a certain way, you must use a form of zijn combined with the past participle geworden.
In English we usually say vegetables in the plural. Why is De groente singular here?
In Dutch, groente is very often used as a singular collective noun to refer to vegetables in general, similar to how English uses the word fruit. You can also use the plural groenten, but the singular form is completely natural and common.
Why doesn't the adjective slap get an -e ending here?
Adjectives usually only get an -e ending when they come directly before the noun they describe (like de slappe groente). In this sentence, slap is separated from the noun by the verb worden. When an adjective is used later in the sentence to describe the state of the noun, it stays in its basic dictionary form.
Wait, isn't worden used for the passive voice? Is this a passive sentence?
Worden is indeed used to form the passive voice, but here it is acting as a main linking verb meaning to become. If this were a perfect tense passive sentence (for example, the vegetable has been eaten), the word geworden would actually be dropped in Dutch! Because geworden is explicitly written here, you know it means the vegetable has become limp.
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