Breakdown of Ik heb tenminste één goed argument gevonden.
ik
I
hebben
to have
één
one
vinden
to find
goed
good
het argument
the argument (reasoning)
tenminste
at least (at any rate)
Questions & Answers about Ik heb tenminste één goed argument gevonden.
In this lesson about adverbs, we learned about tenminste. Shouldn't it be written as two words (ten minste) when counting?
Technically, yes! When expressing a strict mathematical minimum (like 'at least one'), the official spelling is two words: ten minste (or you can use the word minstens). Written as one word, tenminste is an adverb meaning 'at any rate' or 'anyway' to add a reassuring tone, as in 'Well, at least I found one...'. However, native speakers constantly mix up these spellings, so you will see tenminste één written together all the time in everyday Dutch.
Why does één have accent marks here?
The accent marks show that it is the number 'one' rather than the indefinite article 'a' or 'an' (which is written een without accents). It tells you to stress the word in speech. Here, it emphasizes that you found at least one argument, rather than just an argument.
Why is it goed argument instead of goede argument?
Argument is a neuter noun (a het-word). The rule for adjectives before a het-word is that they do not get an -e ending if they are preceded by an indefinite word like een, geen, or a number like één. Therefore, it remains goed.
Why is gevonden placed at the very end of the sentence instead of right after heb?
This is the standard Dutch word order for the present perfect tense, often called the 'verb brace' or 'verb bracket'. The conjugated helping verb (heb) takes the second position in the sentence, while the past participle (gevonden) is pushed to the very end of the clause. The direct object (tenminste één goed argument) is sandwiched between them.
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