Breakdown of Hun aandenken aan de reis valt niet te verkopen.
niet
not
verkopen
to sell
hun
their
vallen
to fall
de reis
the journey / the trip
te
to (infinitive marker)
aan
about (with respect to)
het aandenken
the keepsake / the memento
Questions & Answers about Hun aandenken aan de reis valt niet te verkopen.
Why is valt used here? Does it mean the keepsake is falling?
No, valt te followed by an infinitive is a common Dutch expression that means something is possible or impossible to do. Here, valt niet te verkopen translates to "cannot be sold" or "is impossible to sell."
Could I use kan niet verkocht worden instead of valt niet te verkopen?
Yes! Kan niet verkocht worden is the standard passive way to say "cannot be sold." However, valt niet te verkopen is a very natural and common alternative that native speakers use to express that something is completely impossible to do.
Why is the preposition aan used after aandenken?
The noun aandenken (keepsake or souvenir) comes from the verb denken (to think). Since in Dutch you say denken aan (to think of or about), the noun keeps the same preposition: een aandenken aan (a keepsake of).
Is aandenken a singular or plural noun here?
It is singular here. Het aandenken means "the keepsake." Because it ends in -en (like all nouns created directly from whole verbs), it looks like a plural, but it is actually a singular neuter noun. The plural would be aandenkens.
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