Zij eet brood.

she

Breakdown of Zij eet brood.

• eten: to eat
• het brood: the bread

Questions & Answers about Zij eet brood.

Why does the sentence use Zij instead of Ze?

Ze is a shorter version used more commonly in quick or informal speech, whereas Zij can add emphasis or formality. If you want to stress that she is the one performing the action, Zij is preferred. In many everyday contexts, however, Ze and Zij can be used interchangeably.

Is brood always used without an article?

In Dutch, it’s common to omit an article when talking about certain food items in a general sense. Using brood without an article means you’re referring to bread in general rather than a specific piece or type of bread.

Why do we say eet instead of eten here?

Eten is the infinitive form of the verb (meaning “to eat”). For the third-person singular pronoun (zij, meaning “she”), we need to use eet. Other forms include ik eet, jij eet, but for wij (we) and zij (they), the verb stays in the plural form eten.

How is Zij eet brood pronounced?

• Zij sounds roughly like [zay] or [z-eye], with a longer vowel similar to saying “z-eye” in English.
• eet rhymes with “ate” in English, but with a slightly tenser vowel.
• brood sounds like [broht] in a more Dutch accent, with a longer, rounded o sound. It’s slightly different from the English “broad.”