Breakdown of Ik zie tientallen trekvogels.
ik
I
zien
to see
tientallen
dozens / tens
de trekvogel
the migratory bird
Questions & Answers about Ik zie tientallen trekvogels.
Why does the Dutch sentence use tientallen (tens) when the English translation says "dozens"?
In English, we traditionally group medium-large indefinite numbers by twelves ("dozens"). Dutch groups them by tens. So tientallen literally means "tens", but it is the natural equivalent of the English expression "dozens".
Why is there no Dutch word for "of" between tientallen and trekvogels?
Unlike in English, where we say "dozens of birds", Dutch treats tientallen as a direct quantifier, similar to how you would use "many" or a specific number. You simply place the noun immediately after it. Adding van here would be incorrect.
What does the -en at the end of tientallen do here?
It makes the noun tiental (a group of ten) plural. While een tiental means "about ten", the plural tientallen expresses an indefinite multiple of ten. This is how Dutch creates indefinite aggregate nouns, just like adding an "s" to "dozen" makes "dozens".
How does the compound word trekvogels relate to migration?
It combines the verb stem of trekken (which means to travel, migrate, or pull) and vogels (birds). Therefore, a bird that migrates is literally a "traveling bird" or trekvogel.