Breakdown of Tienduizenden vogels bedekken de zon.
de vogel
the bird
de zon
the sun
bedekken
to cover (with a layer)
tienduizenden
tens of thousands
Questions & Answers about Tienduizenden vogels bedekken de zon.
The lesson is about the '-tallen' suffix. Why does this sentence use tienduizenden instead of tienduizendtallen?
For smaller numbers like 10, Dutch adds -tallen to create indefinite aggregates (tientallen means tens). However, the large base numbers 100 (honderd) and 1000 (duizend) skip the -tal suffix entirely and just add -en to form honderden (hundreds) and duizenden (thousands). Since 10,000 is a multiple of 1000, it follows this exact same rule: tienduizenden.
English says 'tens of thousands of birds'. Why is there no translation for the word 'of' here?
In Dutch, these indefinite aggregate numbers behave like regular numbers rather than nouns. Just as you place a simple number directly before the noun in tien vogels (ten birds), you place the aggregate directly before the noun as well: tienduizenden vogels. You never use the preposition van (of) in these quantitative constructions.
Can I build other large aggregates using this exact same pattern?
Yes, you can easily combine this pattern for other large multiples. Common everyday examples include honderdduizenden (hundreds of thousands) and miljoenen (millions). Just like in this sentence, they sit directly in front of the noun they modify, such as in honderdduizenden mensen (hundreds of thousands of people).
Is bedekken the best verb to use when clouds cover the sun too?
Absolutely. Bedekken is a very versatile verb for physically covering a surface or obscuring something from view. You will frequently see it used with weather and nature, such as wolken bedekken de lucht (clouds cover the sky) or sneeuw bedekt het dak (snow covers the roof).
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