Breakdown of De oude zeelieden drinken koffie in de haven.
oud
old
drinken
to drink
in
in
de koffie
the coffee
de zeeman
the sailor
de haven
the port
Questions & Answers about De oude zeelieden drinken koffie in de haven.
Why is the plural of zeeman written as zeelieden here instead of zeemannen?
For many traditional professions or demographics ending in -man, the plural shifts to -lieden (people) or -lui (folks). Therefore, zeeman (sailor) becomes zeelieden. While you might occasionally hear zeemannen, zeelieden and zeelui are the standard plurals.
Could I use zeelui in this sentence instead of zeelieden?
Yes, zeelui is perfectly correct here. The suffix -lui is simply a more informal, everyday alternative to the slightly more formal or written -lieden. Both refer to the exact same group of people.
As a refresher, why does the adjective have an 'e' at the end (oude)?
Because zeelieden is a plural noun. All plural nouns take the definite article de, and adjectives placed directly in front of a de word must take the -e suffix.
Why do we say in de haven rather than op de haven or aan de haven?
Dutch treats a harbor or port as a contained geographic district or area, so you are physically in it. You would typically only use aan de haven if you are specifically emphasizing standing right on the water's edge at the harbor.
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