Breakdown of Het nieuws is altijd actueel en interessant.
zijn
to be
en
and
altijd
always
het nieuws
the news
Questions & Answers about Het nieuws is altijd actueel en interessant.
Does actueel mean "actual"?
No, this is a classic false friend! In Dutch, actueel means "current", "topical", or "up-to-date" (related to current events). If you want to say "actual" in Dutch, you should use words like werkelijk or eigenlijk.
Is het nieuws plural because it ends in 's'?
No, just like the English word "news", the Dutch nieuws is an uncountable singular noun, which is why it takes the singular verb is. It is a neuter noun (het-word) that was originally formed by simply adding an '-s' to the adjective nieuw.
Why is interessant spelled with a double 's'?
Because Dutch borrowed it from French, it keeps the French spelling: one 'r' and a double 's'. This is a common spelling trap for English speakers who naturally want to spell it with a single 's' as in the English word "interesting".