Word
De dierenarts kijkt naar de buik van de hond.
Meaning
The vet looks at the dog's belly.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of De dierenarts kijkt naar de buik van de hond.
de hond
the dog
de dierenarts
the veterinarian
de buik
the belly
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about De dierenarts kijkt naar de buik van de hond.
If I wanted to add namelijk to this sentence to explain why the vet is busy, where exactly would it go?
It would go right after the verb: De dierenarts kijkt namelijk naar de buik van de hond. In a main clause, namelijk usually sits in the middle field, right after the finite verb and before the prepositional phrase.
Why is the word for vet dierenarts instead of just dierarts?
In Dutch compound nouns, it is very common to use the plural form of the first noun if the concept applies to multiple things. A vet treats multiple animals, so we use the plural dieren (animals) joined with arts (doctor).
The English translation says "the dog's belly". Can I say de honds buik instead of de buik van de hond?
No, adding an 's' to make a possessive is mostly used for names of people or family members in Dutch (like Anna's hond). For regular nouns, you should use the structure with van (of) to show possession, making it de buik van de hond.
Is kijkt naar always used together like this?
Yes, just like in English where you say "look at", the Dutch verb kijken requires the preposition naar when you are directing your gaze at a specific object, person, or direction.