Breakdown of De proefrit met deze elektrische auto was fantastisch, maar die van gisteren was vreselijk.
zijn
to be
de auto
the car
maar
but
met
with
deze
this / these
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
gisteren
yesterday
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
fantastisch
fantastic
vreselijk
awful, dreadful
elektrisch
electric
de proefrit
the test drive
Questions & Answers about De proefrit met deze elektrische auto was fantastisch, maar die van gisteren was vreselijk.
Why do we use die in die van gisteren?
Die refers back to de proefrit (the test drive). Because proefrit is a de-word, we use the demonstrative pronoun die to mean "the one" or "that". If we were referring back to a het-word, we would use dat van gisteren instead.
Does the structure die van / dat van always indicate possession (like "mine" or "his")?
Not always! While this lesson focuses on possessive replacements (like die van mij for "mine"), the structure die/dat van is incredibly versatile. Here it pairs with a time marker (gisteren) to mean "yesterday's". You can also use it for places or specific nouns, such as die van Amsterdam (the one from Amsterdam).
Why is there an -e at the end of elektrische?
Adjectives get an -e ending in almost all cases when they come before a noun. The only time you drop the -e is for a het-word that is preceded by een or no article at all. Since auto is a de-word, and it is preceded by the demonstrative deze (this), elektrische takes the standard -e ending.
How can I figure out if a compound word like proefrit takes de or het?
Proefrit is made from proef (test) and rit (ride). In Dutch, the last part of a compound noun always determines the article. Since it is de rit, the whole word becomes de proefrit. Remembering this rule is crucial for correctly choosing die or dat later in the sentence!
Learn De proefrit met deze elektrische auto was fantastisch, maar die van gisteren was vreselijk and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free