Breakdown of Zij is verantwoordelijk voor de ontwikkeling.
zijn
to be
zij
she
voor
for (on behalf of)
verantwoordelijk
responsible
de ontwikkeling
the development
verantwoordelijk zijn voor
to be responsible for
Questions & Answers about Zij is verantwoordelijk voor de ontwikkeling.
How does the suffix '-ing' work in the word ontwikkeling?
The noun ontwikkeling (development) is formed by taking the verb ontwikkelen (to develop) and adding the suffix -ing. This is a standard way in Dutch to turn an action into a noun, similar to '-ment' or '-tion' in English.
Is it safe to assume ontwikkeling is a de word just because of the -ing ending?
Yes! Nouns that are formed from verbs using the -ing suffix are always feminine in Dutch. This means you can confidently always use de as their definite article.
Why is the preposition voor used in this sentence?
The adjective verantwoordelijk (responsible) uses the fixed preposition voor to indicate what someone is in charge of. Luckily, this matches the English structure 'responsible for' perfectly.
How do I pronounce the -lijk part of verantwoordelijk?
Even though it is spelled with the letters 'ij', the suffix -lijk is always pronounced with an unaccented 'uh' sound (a schwa). It sounds just like the English word 'luck', so the word ends in '-de-luck'.
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