Breakdown of De verslaggever zag een schokkende gebeurtenis in het dorp.
een
a/an
zien
to see
in
in
het dorp
the village
de gebeurtenis
the event (occurrence)
de verslaggever
the reporter
schokkend
shocking / shockingly (upsetting, appalling)
Questions & Answers about De verslaggever zag een schokkende gebeurtenis in het dorp.
Why does schokkende get an -e ending here?
Here, schokkende is an adjective describing the noun gebeurtenis. Since gebeurtenis is a de-word, the adjective gets an -e after een. If it were used as an adverb of degree modifying another adjective (like 'a shockingly big event'), it would not get the -e: een schokkend grote gebeurtenis.
How can I remember that gebeurtenis is a de-word?
Nouns ending in the suffix -nis (like de betekenis or de kennis) are almost always de-words. This gender is what forces the -e ending on the adjective schokkende in this sentence.
Is schokkende actually a verb form?
Yes, it is the present participle of the verb schokken (to shock). In Dutch, present participles are formed by adding -d to the infinitive. When used as adjectives, they follow the normal adjective inflection rules, which is why we add the extra -e here.
What are the component parts of verslaggever?
It is a compound of het verslag (the report) and de gever (the giver, from the verb geven). So a reporter is literally a 'report giver'.
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