Question 1

Is tedere in this sentence an example of a noun derived with -de, like liefde or koude?

Accepted Answer

No, in this sentence tedere is an adjective modifying the noun kus (kiss). The base adjective is teder (tender), and it gets an -e ending because it comes after een and modifies a de-word (de kus).

Question 2

If I wanted to talk about 'tenderness' as a noun, would I use the -de suffix and say tederde?

Accepted Answer

Good guess based on this lesson, but no. While some adjectives become nouns with -de (like liefde from lief), teder uses the suffix -heid to become tederheid (tenderness). The -de suffix is no longer productive in Dutch, meaning you can't attach it to random adjectives to create new nouns.

Question 3

Why doesn't the spelling of teder change to teeder when we add the -e adjective ending?

Accepted Answer

Because the first e in teder is already in an open syllable (te-der), so it has a long sound. When you add the -e for tedere, the syllables break down as te-de-re. The first e remains in an open syllable, so you don't need to double it to keep the long vowel sound.

Question 4

Could I say Hij gaf een tedere kus aan haar instead of Hij gaf haar een tedere kus?

Accepted Answer

Yes, both are perfectly correct. Just like in English, the indirect object (haar) can either come immediately after the verb without a preposition ('He gave her a kiss'), or it can be placed after the direct object using the preposition aan ('He gave a kiss to her').

Hij gaf haar een tedere kus.

Breakdown of Hij gaf haar een tedere kus.

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