Breakdown of De onderzoekers lezen de tekst en geven hun nuttige feedback.
en
and
lezen
to read
hun
their
geven
to give
de tekst
the text
nuttig
useful
de onderzoeker
the researcher
de feedback
the feedback (constructive evaluation)
Questions & Answers about De onderzoekers lezen de tekst en geven hun nuttige feedback.
Why is hun used here instead of hen?
In formal written Dutch, hun is used for the indirect object (the receiver of the action) when there is no preposition. Here, the researchers are giving feedback to them. Since there is no preposition like aan (to) before the pronoun, the strict formal rule requires hun.
How would the sentence change if I explicitly used aan hen (to them)?
If you use the preposition aan, you must use hen. Additionally, prepositional phrases like aan hen usually move after the direct object. The sentence would become: De onderzoekers lezen de tekst en geven nuttige feedback aan hen.
Could hun in this sentence also translate to 'their'?
Yes, this sentence is grammatically ambiguous! Out of context, hun nuttige feedback could mean 'their useful feedback' where hun acts as a possessive pronoun. However, based on the provided meaning, we know hun is acting as the indirect object pronoun here, meaning they give useful feedback 'to them'.
Why does nuttig get an -e ending here even though there is no article in front of it?
English loanwords like feedback are typically de words in Dutch. For de words, any adjective placed directly in front of the noun gets an -e ending, even if there is no article present (as is common with uncountable concepts like feedback). Thus, it becomes nuttige feedback.
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