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Questions & Answers about De dief bekende alles.
Is bekende related to the verb kennen (to know)?
Yes! It is the past tense of bekennen (to confess or admit). Like many verbs with the be- prefix, it builds on the root word to create a new meaning. Since your current lesson is on reported speech, keep an eye out for this verb: it is very often used as the introductory verb for a confession, such as in De dief bekende dat hij het had gestolen (The thief confessed that he had stolen it).
Why does bekende only have one 'n' in the middle, when the infinitive is bekennen?
In the infinitive bekennen, the double 'n' is needed to keep the 'e' short because it sits between syllables (be-ken-nen). To form the simple past, you take the stem (beken) and add -de. The syllables are then broken up as be-ken-de. Because the single 'n' now closes that middle syllable, the 'e' naturally stays short and the second 'n' is dropped.
Could I use the verb toegeven (to admit) instead of bekennen here?
You could, but bekennen is a much better fit in this context. Bekennen strongly means to confess to a crime, a sin, or an illegal act. Toegeven means to admit or to concede, and is more commonly used for everyday mistakes, giving in to something, or admitting that someone else is right.
If I wanted to say 'The thieves confessed everything', how does dief change in the plural?