Breakdown of Hij besteedt aandacht aan elke gedachte.
de gedachte
the thought
aandacht besteden aan
to pay attention to
Questions & Answers about Hij besteedt aandacht aan elke gedachte.
Why does the Dutch sentence use besteedt instead of a word for "pays"?
In English, we "pay" attention, but in Dutch, you "spend" attention on something. The verb besteden means to spend (like time, money, or effort). The fixed expression is aandacht besteden aan, which literally translates to "spending attention on."
Why is aan used here for "to"?
The preposition aan is permanently linked to this expression. The full phrase is always aandacht besteden aan (to pay attention to).
Why is it elke gedachte and not just elk gedachte?
Because gedachte is a de-word (de gedachte). When using the word for "every" or "each" before a de-word, you must add an -e to make it elke. You only use elk without the -e for het-words (like elk woord).
How does gedachte relate to the verb denken?
Gedachte (thought) is a noun built directly from gedacht, the past participle of denken (to think). The extra -e at the end is a common way Dutch turns a past participle into a noun.
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