Questions & Answers about De regen valt op de straat.
Why is the verb valt instead of vallen?
Valt is the present tense form for "he, she, or it". Since the subject of the sentence is de regen (the rain), which acts like an "it", we use the singular form. The dictionary form (infinitive) is vallen, which you would use for plural subjects like "we" or "they".
Both "regen" and "straat" use de. Is there a simple rule to remember when to use de or het?
Dutch has two words for "the": de and het. Unfortunately, for singular nouns, you mostly just have to memorize which word takes which article. However, it helps to know that about 75% of Dutch nouns are de words, so if you have to guess, de is your best bet! Both regen (rain) and straat (street) are de words.
Is op the exact same as "on" in English?
In this sentence, yes! When talking about something physically resting or falling on a surface, op works exactly like the English "on" (like op de straat or op de tafel). Be careful though, as prepositions don't always translate perfectly between languages in other contexts.
What happens to the word order if I start the sentence with op de straat?
If you move the location to the front of the sentence to emphasize it (Op de straat...), the verb and the subject have to swap places. This rule is called inversion. The sentence would become: Op de straat valt de regen. Remember that in Dutch, the main verb always wants to sit in the second position!
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