De karabiner verbindt het zekeringsapparaat met de klimgordel.

Because Dutch nouns have two grammatical genders for articles in the singular:

• de words
• het words

In this sentence:

• de karabiner = the carabiner
• het zekeringsapparaat = the belay device
• de klimgordel = the climbing harness

Unfortunately, the article usually has to be learned with the noun. There are some patterns, though:

• diminutives always take het
• many plural nouns take de
• many compound nouns take the article of the last part of the compound

For example, zekeringsapparaat ends in apparaat, and apparaat is a het word, so zekeringsapparaat is also a het word.

Verbindt is the third-person singular present tense of the verb verbinden (to connect).

The subject is de karabiner, which is singular, so Dutch uses:

• ik verbind = I connect
• jij verbindt / u verbindt = you connect
• hij/zij/het verbindt = he/she/it connects
• de karabiner verbindt = the carabiner connects

So the -t ending appears because the subject is a singular third-person noun.

Dutch main clauses usually follow the V2 rule: the finite verb goes in the second position.

In this sentence:

• position 1: De karabiner
• position 2: verbindt
• then the rest: het zekeringsapparaat met de klimgordel

This is very normal Dutch word order in a statement.

If you start with another element, the verb still stays second:

• Met de klimgordel verbindt de karabiner het zekeringsapparaat.
  This is less natural here, but grammatically it shows the rule.

Here met means with, but in this sentence it is best understood as part of the pattern:

• iets verbinden met iets = to connect something with/to something

So:

• verbindt het zekeringsapparaat met de klimgordel
• literally: connects the belay device with the harness

Dutch often uses met where English might use to or with, depending on the context.

Because Dutch uses a different verb pattern from English.

In English, you can say:

• connect A to B
• connect A with B

In Dutch, the usual pattern is:

• A verbinden met B

So met is the normal preposition after verbinden.

Yes, it is a compound noun, which is very common in Dutch.

It is made up of:

• zekering = securing / belaying / safety device, depending on context
• apparaat = device

Together, zekeringsapparaat means belay device.

Dutch often creates long nouns by joining smaller words together. A good strategy is to look at the last part first, because that usually tells you the basic category of the word:

• apparaat = device
  so zekeringsapparaat is a kind of device

Yes.

• klim = climb / climbing
• gordel = belt / harness

So klimgordel literally means something like climbing belt, but in correct English this is climbing harness.

Again, Dutch compounds are written as one word, unlike English, which often uses two words.

Yes, both exist, but they are not always used in exactly the same way in every context.

• karabiner is very common, especially in climbing contexts
• karabijnhaak is also used and is more transparently Dutch in form

In climbing language, karabiner is very natural.

There actually is an article there: de.

The phrase is:

• met de klimgordel = with the climbing harness

The structure is:

• met = preposition
• de klimgordel = noun phrase

So the object of the preposition still keeps its normal article.

Almost, but not perfectly.

Word-for-word:

• De = the
• karabiner = carabiner
• verbindt = connects
• het zekeringsapparaat = the belay device
• met = with
• de klimgordel = the climbing harness

That gives:

• The carabiner connects the belay device with the climbing harness.

This is understandable English, but depending on the context, English may more naturally say:

• The carabiner connects the belay device to the climbing harness.

So the Dutch structure is close to English, but the preferred preposition in English may differ.

You can tell from the sentence structure.

• De karabiner comes before the finite verb verbindt, so it is the subject
• het zekeringsapparaat comes after the verb with no preposition, so it is the direct object
• met de klimgordel is a prepositional phrase

So the structure is:

• subject: de karabiner
• verb: verbindt
• direct object: het zekeringsapparaat
• prepositional phrase: met de klimgordel

In other words, the carabiner is the thing doing the connecting.

A helpful learner-friendly guide:

• verbindt ≈ fur-BINT
• zekeringsapparaat ≈ ZAY-kuh-rings-ap-pah-RAHT
• klimgordel ≈ klim-GOR-dul
• karabiner ≈ kah-rah-bee-NEER

A few tips:

• Dutch r varies by speaker and region
• ij and ui are tricky Dutch sounds, but they do not appear here
• compound words are usually stressed more strongly on one main part, often later in the word than an English speaker expects

If you want to sound natural, listening to native audio is especially useful with technical words like these.

Yes, but that changes the structure and slightly changes the focus.

• De karabiner verbindt het zekeringsapparaat met de klimgordel
  = active; the carabiner is presented as the thing that connects one item to another

• De karabiner is verbonden met de klimgordel
  = passive/result state; the carabiner is connected to the harness

The second sentence does not explicitly mention het zekeringsapparaat, so it gives less information.

A few useful takeaways:

1. Learn nouns with their articles:

   • de karabiner
   • het zekeringsapparaat
   • de klimgordel

2. Notice the verb form:

   • verbinden → verbindt

3. Learn the verb pattern as a chunk:

   • iets verbinden met iets

4. Get used to Dutch compound nouns:

   • zekeringsapparaat
   • klimgordel

If you learn whole chunks instead of isolated words, this sentence becomes much easier to remember.