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Questions & Answers about Sofie drinkt water.
Why does the verb have a "t" at the end ("drinkt")?
In Dutch, when using the present tense for the third-person singular (he/she/it, or in this case a proper name like Sofie), you generally add a -t to the verb. So, the base verb is drinken, and for Sofie (third-person singular), it becomes drinkt.
Do I need an article before "water"?
No, not necessarily. In Dutch, you don’t always need an article before an uncountable noun, such as water, so you can simply say Sofie drinkt water. If you want to be more specific, for example referring to particular water, you might say Sofie drinkt het water, but that changes the meaning slightly.
How do I pronounce “drinkt”?
You’ll pronounce drinkt with a throat-clearing hard G (as in Dutch drin/Gt). It’s a bit like saying “drinkt” with a bit of friction in the g sound, rather than the softer English g. The -t at the end is clearly pronounced too.
What if I want to say "I drink water" in Dutch?
The Dutch first-person singular form is ik drink, without the -t. So you would say Ik drink water.