Breakdown of Nederland is een erg dichtbevolkt land.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
erg
very / really
het land
the country
Nederland
the Netherlands
dichtbevolkt
densely populated
Questions & Answers about Nederland is een erg dichtbevolkt land.
Why is there no article before Nederland, even though we say "The Netherlands" in English?
Unlike English, which treats the country name as plural and uses "the", Dutch uses Nederland as a singular proper noun without any article.
Why doesn't the adjective dichtbevolkt get an -e ending here?
This is a great refresher point! Land is a het-word (het land). When a het-word is preceded by the indefinite article een, the adjective in front of it doesn't get an -e ending. If you used the definite article (het dichtbevolkte land), the -e would be added.
How is the word dichtbevolkt formed, and what does dicht mean in this context?
It is a compound of dicht and bevolkt (populated). While you might know dicht mainly as "closed", it also means "dense" or "close together" in Dutch. Therefore, dichtbevolkt literally translates to "densely populated".
Could I use heel instead of erg in this sentence?
Yes, you can. Heel and erg both mean "very" and are interchangeable here. Een heel dichtbevolkt land is just as correct and natural, though erg can sometimes sound slightly more formal in writing.
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