Word
Vandaag schaamt de bruidegom zich voor de vlek.
Meaning
Today the groom is ashamed of the stain.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Vandaag schaamt de bruidegom zich voor de vlek.
vandaag
today
zich schamen voor
to be ashamed of
de vlek
the stain
de bruidegom
the groom
Questions & Answers about Vandaag schaamt de bruidegom zich voor de vlek.
Why does zich come after de bruidegom rather than directly after the verb?
Because the sentence starts with Vandaag, it uses inverted word order, placing the verb (schaamt) before the subject (de bruidegom). In Dutch, the verb and subject form a tight cluster. You can never interrupt this verb-subject cluster with a reflexive pronoun like zich. It must wait until after the full-noun subject.
Could I say Vandaag schaamt zich de bruidegom voor de vlek?
Absolutely not. While some other languages allow the reflexive pronoun to slip in front of a noun subject, Dutch strictly forbids this. The subject de bruidegom must immediately follow the finite verb schaamt.
Why is the preposition voor used here instead of a literal translation for 'of'?
The reflexive verb zich schamen (to be ashamed) requires the fixed preposition voor. While English speakers say they are ashamed 'of' something, Dutch speakers say they are ashamed 'for' it.
Does the word bruidegom have the same root as the English word 'bridegroom'?
Yes! It comes from bruid (bride) and an old Germanic word gom meaning man. While English added an extra 'r' over time to make 'groom', Dutch kept the original form.