Breakdown of De totale schade aan de straat was onbekend.
zijn
to be
aan
on / at (attached to, edge)
de straat
the street
de schade
the damage
onbekend
unknown
totaal
total / totally
Questions & Answers about De totale schade aan de straat was onbekend.
Why is it totale schade with an -e here?
In this sentence, totale is acting as a standard adjective modifying the noun schade (meaning "the total damage"). Because schade is a de-word and follows the definite article de, the adjective gets the standard -e ending.
How would the spelling change if we wanted to say the street was "totally unknown"?
If you wanted to say "The street was totally unknown", the word totaal would be acting as an adverb of degree modifying the adjective onbekend. In Dutch, adverbs of degree do not get an -e ending. You would write: De straat was totaal onbekend.
Why do we use the preposition aan to mean "to" in this sentence?
The Dutch word schade (damage) is paired with the fixed preposition aan when you want to express "damage to" something or someone. You cannot use words like naar or tot here. Schade aan is a very useful fixed combination to memorize.
Since the subject is a de-word, shouldn't onbekend also get an -e?
No, because onbekend (unknown) is used here as a predicate adjective. This means it comes after a linking verb (was) to describe the subject, rather than sitting directly in front of the noun. In Dutch, adjectives only receive the -e ending when they are placed directly before the noun they modify.
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