Breakdown of Die kleine plant heeft roodachtige bladeren.
klein
small
hebben
to have
de plant
plant
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
het blad
the leaf
roodachtig
reddish
Questions & Answers about Die kleine plant heeft roodachtige bladeren.
Why does rood keep its double 'o' in roodachtige, when it usually drops one (like in the word rode)?
When adding the suffix -achtig, you attach it directly to the base word. The base is rood, so it becomes roodachtig. The spelling rule for open syllables doesn't apply to the root here because the 'd' stays in the first syllable (rood-ach-tig), keeping it a closed syllable. The double 'o' is therefore required.
Can the suffix -achtig be added to words other than colors?
Yes! While it translates perfectly to '-ish' for colors (like blauwachtig for bluish), it can also be added to nouns to mean 'like' or 'having the traits of'. For example, kinderachtig means childish, and hondachtig means dog-like.
Why does roodachtige get an -e at the end?
Adjectives created with the -achtig suffix follow the exact same grammar rules as regular adjectives. Because it comes directly before a plural noun (bladeren), it gets the standard -e ending.
The singular is blad, so why use the irregular plural bladeren instead of bladen?
Blad actually has two different plurals depending on its meaning! When talking about leaves on a plant or tree, you use the irregular plural bladeren (or the diminutive blaadjes). If you are talking about sheets of paper or magazines, you use the regular plural bladen.
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