Breakdown of Het vervallen gebouw waarin we woonden, is nu leeg.
zijn
to be
wij
we
nu
now
wonen
to live
leeg
empty
het gebouw
the building
waarin
in which
vervallen
decayed
Questions & Answers about Het vervallen gebouw waarin we woonden, is nu leeg.
Why doesn't vervallen get an -e ending here, since it comes before the noun gebouw?
Vervallen is a strong past participle acting as an adjective. Because it already ends in -en, it never takes an extra -e ending. Adding one would make it awkward to pronounce. This rule applies to all adjectives ending in -en, such as materials like houten or states like open.
How does the prefix ver- function in the word vervallen?
Similar to prefixes like ont- and her- from your current lesson, ver- attaches to a base verb to create a new meaning. Here, it indicates a change of state, often a negative one or a process of deterioration. It changes vallen (to fall) into vervallen (to fall into ruin or to decay).
Why do we use waarin instead of translating 'in which' literally as in welk?
In Dutch, when a preposition like in refers back to an inanimate object or concept (like gebouw), it cannot be followed by a relative pronoun. Instead, they combine into a pronominal adverb using waar + the preposition. Therefore, 'in which' becomes waarin.
Why are the verbs woonden and is placed right next to each other, separated only by a comma?
The main subject of the sentence is the entire extended phrase Het vervallen gebouw waarin we woonden. Because waarin we woonden is a relative clause, its verb (woonden) is pushed to the end of that specific clause. The main verb (is) immediately follows because it must take the second structural position in the main sentence.
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