Breakdown of Zij breken de vervallen steiger af.
vervallen
decayed
de steiger
the scaffolding
afbreken
to demolish / to break off
Questions & Answers about Zij breken de vervallen steiger af.
The lesson is about using the prefix 'ont-' to reverse an action. Why isn't an 'ont-' verb used here for 'demolish', like 'ontbouwen' or 'ontbreken'?
While the prefix ont- often shows reversal, you cannot attach it to just any verb. For example, ontbreken already exists but means 'to be missing' or 'to lack', not 'to un-break' or 'demolish'. To express tearing something down, Dutch relies on the separable verb afbreken instead.
Why doesn't the adjective vervallen get an -e at the end, considering it modifies a de word (de steiger)?
Because vervallen is a past participle ending in -en (from the strong verb vervallen, meaning to decay). In Dutch, adjectives that end in -en do not get the extra -e inflection, even when they come directly before a noun.
Afbreken is a separable verb, which is why we see breken and af split up here. When would they be written together as one word?
They would merge into one word if this sentence were turned into a subordinate clause. In a main clause like this one, the verb splits. But if you added something like 'I see that...' at the beginning, it would push the action to the end: Ik zie dat zij de vervallen steiger afbreken.
Does steiger only mean 'scaffolding'?
No, steiger is quite versatile. While it means 'scaffolding' in a construction context, it is also the standard Dutch word for a pier, jetty, or dock on the water. Given that it is being demolished, either an old wooden pier or rusty scaffolding would make sense here.
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