Breakdown of Velen zonderen zich af van de menigte.
de menigte
the crowd (group of people)
zich afzonderen
to isolate oneself
velen
many (people)
Questions & Answers about Velen zonderen zich af van de menigte.
Why does the word for 'many' take the -n suffix to become velen?
Because it acts as an independent noun referring to people. When words like vele, sommige, or andere stand on their own without a noun right after them, you must add an -n if they refer to human beings. If it were followed by a noun, it would just be vele mensen.
Why is af separated from zonderen, and why is zich in between?
The infinitive is zich afzonderen (to isolate oneself). It is a separable verb, so the prefix af moves later in the sentence. The reflexive pronoun zich immediately follows the conjugated verb zonderen, giving us zonderen zich af.
Can I use veel instead of velen to mean 'many' here?
Not as an independent subject referring to people. Veel is generally used for uncountable nouns (like 'much') or as an adverb. To say 'many people' in one word, you need the inflected plural form velen.
What is the root of the verb afzonderen?
It comes from the word zonder (without). By adding the prefix af-, it becomes a separable verb meaning to put someone or something apart, or literally 'without' the rest of the group.
Learn Velen zonderen zich af van de menigte 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