Breakdown of Aandachtig kauwend, proefde het kind de nieuwe kaas.
het kind
the child
de kaas
the cheese
nieuw
new
proeven
to taste
kauwen
to chew
aandachtig
attentively
Questions & Answers about Aandachtig kauwend, proefde het kind de nieuwe kaas.
Why does the verb proefde come before the subject het kind?
How do we know who is doing the chewing in Aandachtig kauwend?
In a shortened subclause like this (a beknopte bijzin), the subject is omitted. The strict grammatical rule is that the hidden subject of the participial clause must be the exact same entity as the subject of the main clause. Since het kind is the subject of the main clause, the child is the one chewing.
How is the word kauwend formed here?
It is the present participle of the verb kauwen (to chew). In Dutch, you form the present participle by simply adding -d to the full infinitive. We use the basic form kauwend rather than kauwende here because it functions as an adverbial phrase describing the action, not as an adjective placed directly in front of a noun.
Is this the most common way to express this idea in Dutch?
Participial clauses like Aandachtig kauwend are quite formal and are mostly found in written Dutch or literature. In everyday spoken Dutch, a B2 learner should generally use a normal subclause with terwijl (while) for simultaneous actions, for example: Terwijl het kind aandachtig kauwde, proefde het de nieuwe kaas.
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