Breakdown of Zijn theorieën bevatten vreemde analogieën.
zijn
his
vreemd
strange / weird
bevatten
to contain
de theorie
the theory
Questions & Answers about Zijn theorieën bevatten vreemde analogieën.
Why do theorie and analogie get -ën added to the end, similar to words like ideeën?
For nouns ending in stressed -ie (like the-o-RIE) or -ee (like i-DEE), the plural is formed by adding -ën. The trema (the two dots) is placed on the final 'e' to show that a new syllable starts there, preventing the vowels from blending together in pronunciation.
Does this mean all Dutch words ending in -ie get -ën in the plural?
No, it depends entirely on where the stress falls! In words where the final -ie is unstressed, such as porie or bacterie, you do not add an extra e. You simply add an n and place the trema on the existing e, resulting in poriën and bacteriën.
Why does vreemde get an -e ending here?
The word analogieën is a plural noun. All plural nouns in Dutch take the definite article de. Because the adjective is placed directly in front of a de word here, it gets the standard -e ending. This is a good rule of thumb to remember: adjectives before plurals almost always get an -e.
Is bevatten the standard word for 'contain' in both abstract and physical contexts?