Breakdown of Die spijker is roestig geworden.
zijn
to be
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
worden
to become
de spijker
the nail
Questions & Answers about Die spijker is roestig geworden.
Why does the Dutch sentence say is ... geworden when English uses 'has become'?
In Dutch, the verb worden (to become) always takes zijn (to be) as its helper verb to form the perfect tense. You cannot use hebben (to have) with this verb. So literally, you are saying 'That nail is rusty become.'
Why are is and geworden separated?
In a main clause in the perfect tense, the conjugated helper verb (is) takes the second position, and the past participle (geworden) goes all the way to the end of the sentence. The adjective roestig gets sandwiched between them.
Why doesn't the adjective roestig get an -e ending here?
Adjectives only get an -e ending when they are placed directly in front of the noun they describe (like de roestige spijker). Here, roestig comes after the noun and a linking verb, so it stays in its basic form.
How do I know whether to use die or dat for 'that nail'?
It depends on the gender of the noun. Because the word for nail is a de word (de spijker), you must use die for 'that'. If it were a het word, you would use dat.