Breakdown of Hij koopt altijd tien pond vlees voor de barbecue.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
kopen
to buy
tien
ten
altijd
always
Questions & Answers about Hij koopt altijd tien pond vlees voor de barbecue.
Why is there no Dutch word for "of" between pond and vlees?
This is a grammatical feature called a zero preposition. When you use a unit of measurement (tien pond) followed by the substance being measured (vlees), Dutch links them directly. You never use van (of) in these standard quantity phrases.
Why is it tien pond and not the plural tien ponden?
In Dutch, nouns representing units of measurement, weight, or currency generally remain in their singular form when they are preceded by a specific number above one. You will also see this rule applied in phrases like vijf kilo or tien euro.
Is a Dutch pond the exact same weight as an imperial pound?
Not quite! A Dutch pond is a metric unit that equals exactly 500 grams (half a kilo). An imperial pound is slightly lighter at roughly 454 grams. It is a very common unit of measurement at Dutch markets and butchers.
Why does the adverb altijd come after the verb, unlike the English "always buys"?
Dutch main clauses strictly follow the V2 (verb-second) rule, meaning the main conjugated verb (koopt) must occupy the second position in the sentence. Therefore, adverbs of time like altijd are placed after the verb, rather than between the subject and the verb as in English.