Breakdown of Het erfgoed wordt niet afgebroken maar herbouwd.
het erfgoed
the heritage
herbouwen
to rebuild
afbreken
to demolish / to break off
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Questions & Answers about Het erfgoed wordt niet afgebroken maar herbouwd.
What exactly does the prefix her- add to the verb bouwen in this sentence?
The prefix her- is used to indicate repetition, equivalent to the English prefix "re-". Just as bouwen means "to build", herbouwen means "to rebuild".
Why doesn't herbouwd have the ge- prefix in its past participle form?
Because herbouwen starts with the unstressed prefix her-. Verbs that start with inseparable, unstressed prefixes like her-, ont-, be-, ver-, and ge- never take an extra ge- in their past participle. Thus, it becomes herbouwd instead of geherbouwd.
Compare afgebroken and herbouwd. Why does one get a -ge- in the middle, while the other gets no ge- at all?
Afbreken is a separable verb with the stressed prefix af-, so the past participle adds -ge- between the prefix and the verb root, forming afgebroken. Herbouwen is an inseparable verb because of its unstressed her- prefix, which prevents it from taking a ge- entirely.
Why is the verb wordt used here instead of is to translate "is not demolished"?