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Het politiebureau is in het centrum.

Het politiebureau is in het centrum.
The police station is in the centre.
From Lesson 86:If and when clauses (als)·Dutch

Breakdown of Het politiebureau is in het centrum.

het centrum
the center
het politiebureau
the police station

Questions & Answers about Het politiebureau is in het centrum.

Why is it het politiebureau when politie is a de word?
In Dutch, compound words (words made by combining two or more words) always take the article of the last word in the chain. Because it is het bureau (the office/desk), the combined word becomes het politiebureau, even though the first part is de politie.
Since the current lesson is about als (if/when), how would this sentence look if it started with als?
Great question! If you turn this into a subordinate clause starting with a conjunction like als, the verb (is) gets pushed to the very end of the clause. 'If the police station is in the centre' would translate to: ... als het politiebureau in het centrum is.
What is the plural of centrum?
Words ending in -um often have an irregular plural in Dutch. The most common plural for het centrum is de centra, although de centrums is technically also correct and understood.
Is bureau pronounced the same way as in French?
Yes! Bureau is a loanword from French and keeps its French pronunciation (bu-RO). In Dutch, it is a versatile word that can mean a physical desk, a general office, or a specialized agency (like a police station).

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