Learn Dutch: Is de verdachte schuldig of onschuldig? - Is the suspect guilty or innocent?

Verdachte is a substantivized past participle. It comes from verdacht (suspected), which is the past participle of the verb verdenken (to suspect). By adding an -e and an article, it turns into a noun meaning "the suspected person" or "the suspect". This is a common way in Dutch to create nouns for people based on a state or an action done to them.

Why does verdachte take the definite article de?

When you turn an adjective or participle into a noun to refer to a person, it always takes the article de. For example, de zieke (the sick person) or de verdachte (the suspect). If it referred to an abstract concept or a thing, it would take het, such as het onverwachte (the unexpected).

How does the adjective schuldig relate to the noun schuld?

The Dutch noun schuld can mean "guilt", "fault", or "debt". By adding the common adjective suffix -ig, it becomes schuldig (guilty). The prefix on- negates it, creating onschuldig (innocent, or literally "unguilty").

Could the word of mean "whether" or "if" in this sentence?