Breakdown of Het afval in de prullenbak begint te stinken.
in
in
beginnen
to begin
te
to (infinitive marker)
het afval
the waste
Questions & Answers about Het afval in de prullenbak begint te stinken.
Why is there a te before stinken?
When you link two verbs in Dutch and the first one isn't a modal verb (like zullen, kunnen, or moeten), you often need te before the infinitive. The verb beginnen (to begin) is one of the most common verbs that requires te when it introduces another action.
The translation says 'is beginning'. Why not use the continuous aan het form here?
While Dutch does have a continuous form (zijn aan het + infinitive), it is rarely used with verbs that simply indicate the start or end of an action, like beginnen (to begin) or stoppen (to stop). The simple present tense (begint) is the most natural way to translate 'is beginning' here.
Is afval (waste) treated as singular or plural?
Het afval is an uncountable noun in Dutch, just like 'trash' or 'rubbish' in English. Because it's uncountable, it is always treated as singular, which is why it takes the singular verb begint.
How would I rewrite this to say the trash is becoming smelly, using worden?