Questions & Answers about Hij heeft blonde wenkbrauwen.
How would you rewrite this sentence using right dislocation (the focus of this lesson)?
To use right dislocation here, you would replace the direct object (blonde wenkbrauwen) with the pronoun ze (them) and place the full noun phrase at the very end, usually adding a pointing word like die (those) to make it sound natural. For example: Hij heeft ze, die blonde wenkbrauwen. This structure creates a conversational tone, adding special emphasis or an afterthought clarification.
Why does blond get an -e ending here even though there is no article like de or het?
Because wenkbrauwen is plural. In Dutch, adjectives placed before plural nouns always take the -e ending, even if they are indefinite (meaning there is no de in front of them). The only time a standard adjective drops the -e is before a singular, indefinite het-word.
What is the literal translation of the compound word wenkbrauwen?
It combines wenk (a gesture or hint, from the verb wenken, meaning to beckon) and brauw (an old word for brow). Literally, they are "gesture-brows"—which makes perfect sense since we use our eyebrows to make facial expressions!
I sometimes see "blond" spelled with a 'dt' at the end. Is that a spelling rule I forgot?
You will only see blondt when it is being used as a verb! The adjective is always blond (or blonde). However, Dutch has the verb blonderen (to bleach/dye hair blond), which is sometimes shortened to blonden. If you see hij blondt, it is the present tense verb meaning "he dyes (his hair) blond".
Learn Hij heeft blonde wenkbrauwen 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