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Questions & Answers about Hij kleineert ons en noemt ons dom.
The verb kleineren starts with the word klein. Is this a separable verb?
No, kleineren is an inseparable verb. Even though it looks like a combination of a prefix and a verb, it functions as a single root verb with the stress on the third syllable (klei-NE-ren). That is why the sentence is Hij kleineert rather than separating it like Hij kleint neer, which is incorrect.
I sometimes mix up noemen and heten for 'to call'. Why is noemt used here?
Noemen is used when a person actively assigns a name, label, or insult to someone or something else, as he is doing here by 'calling us stupid'. You use heten to express what someone or something is actually named (for example, Hij heet Peter - He is called Peter).
Why doesn't dom get an -e ending here to match the plural ons?
In Dutch, adjectives only get an -e ending when they are placed directly in front of the noun they modify (like de domme mensen). Because dom is used later in the sentence to describe the result of the verb (predicative use), it stays in its basic, uninflected form.
How could we apply this lesson's grammar to say 'He claims to belittle us and call us stupid'?