Word
Het historische erfgoed is belangrijk voor de stad.
Meaning
The historical heritage is important for the city.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Het historische erfgoed is belangrijk voor de stad.
zijn
to be
de stad
the city
belangrijk
important
voor
for (on behalf of)
Questions & Answers about Het historische erfgoed is belangrijk voor de stad.
Why does historische get an -e at the end, even though erfgoed is a het word?
Adjectives in front of a noun usually get an -e ending. The only time you drop the -e for a het word is when it is indefinite (like with een, geen, or no article). Because this sentence uses the definite article het, the adjective keeps the -e.
How is the word erfgoed formed?
It is a compound noun made from the stem of erven (to inherit) and the noun goed (goods or property). Together, they literally mean inherited property, which translates to heritage.
Why doesn't belangrijk have an -e ending here like historische?
Belangrijk is used here as a predicative adjective, meaning it comes after a linking verb (is) and describes the subject, rather than sitting directly in front of the noun. In Dutch, predicative adjectives never get an -e ending.
Could I change the word order to ...is voor de stad belangrijk?
Yes, that is grammatically correct. However, placing the prepositional phrase voor de stad at the very end of the sentence is much more natural and common in everyday Dutch.