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Questions & Answers about Jij hebt hem al gezien.
Why is jij used here instead of je?
In Dutch, jij is the stressed form of the second-person singular pronoun, whereas je is the unstressed form. If you want to emphasize that it was you who saw him, or if the sentence starts with the pronoun, you use jij. In less emphasized contexts or in the middle of a sentence, je is more common.
Which tense is hebt ... gezien?
It is the present perfect tense (in Dutch, het voltooid tegenwoordige tijd). It indicates that the action of seeing him has been completed, but is relevant to the present moment.
Why does the word al appear between hem and gezien?
Dutch often places short adverbs like al (already) in the middle of the sentence, after the object and before the past participle. The word order is typically: subject – finite verb – object – short adverb – main (or past participle) verb.
Can I leave out al in this sentence?
Yes, you could say Jij hebt hem gezien, but it would change the meaning slightly. Al emphasizes that you have already seen him at some point in the past. Leaving out al just states you have seen him, without stressing that it happened earlier than expected.
What is the function of hem in this sentence?
Hem is the direct object pronoun meaning him. It refers to the person being seen. In Dutch, object pronouns like hem go after the auxiliary (hebben) and before the adverb in most common word orders.
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