Word
De regering der koningin was gisteren aanwezig.
Meaning
The queen's government was present yesterday.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of De regering der koningin was gisteren aanwezig.
zijn
to be
gisteren
yesterday
de regering
the government
aanwezig
present
Questions & Answers about De regering der koningin was gisteren aanwezig.
Why do we use der instead of van de here?
der is a relic of the old Dutch genitive (possessive) case, meaning "of the". While modern everyday Dutch normally uses van de (so, de regering van de koningin), highly formal, legal, or historical contexts still sometimes use these old case forms.
How do I know whether to use der or des in these formal phrases?
It depends on the gender and number of the noun. der was the genitive article for feminine singular nouns (like koningin) and all plural nouns. If the noun were masculine or neuter singular, you would use des and add an -s to the noun, like de regering des konings (the king's government).
Could I say De koningins regering instead?
Grammatically, yes (note that there is no apostrophe because the word ends in a consonant and the pronunciation of the vowel doesn't change). However, putting the possessor first like this often sounds a bit too informal for something as official as a government. In normal modern Dutch, De regering van de koningin is the most natural choice.
Why is gisteren placed before aanwezig?