Breakdown of De wijze puber wilde nog geen hulp.
geen
no / not any
willen
to want
nog
still, yet / more, another (with a quantity)
de hulp
the help
de puber
the adolescent
wijs
wise
Questions & Answers about De wijze puber wilde nog geen hulp.
Why do we use geen here instead of niet?
In Dutch, geen is used to negate an indefinite noun (a noun without 'de', 'het', or a possessive like 'mijn'). Because hulp acts as an uncountable, indefinite noun here, it gets negated by geen rather than niet. The combination nog geen translates to 'not any... yet' or 'no... yet'.
Is puber the standard word for 'adolescent' or 'teenager'?
Yes, puber is very commonly used for adolescents, often emphasizing the developmental stage of puberty and typical teenage behavior. You will also frequently hear tiener, which strictly refers to someone in their 'teens' (aged 10-19).
Could I use wou instead of wilde for the past tense of willen here?
Yes, but wou is more informal and mostly used in spoken Dutch. Wilde is the standard, slightly more formal past tense, which fits well with the slightly literary or serious feel of the phrase de wijze puber.
If I want to emphasize that it was help the adolescent didn't want, can I start the sentence with nog geen hulp?
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