Wij zien de hond in het park.

the dog

Breakdown of Wij zien de hond in het park.

• wij: we
• in: in
• het park: the park
• zien: to see

Questions & Answers about Wij zien de hond in het park.

Why do we use “Wij” instead of “We”?

In Dutch, wij and we both mean we in English. Wij is the more emphasized form and often appears in more formal or written contexts, whereas we is used in everyday conversation. In many cases they are interchangeable, but picking one over the other can add nuance or emphasis.

Which word is the subject in this sentence, and why?

The subject is wij (we). It identifies who is performing the action of seeing. In Dutch sentences, the subject dictates the verb form, so you can tell it’s the subject because it matches with the verb zien (to see).

Why is it “de hond” and not “het hond”?

Dutch nouns can be either de words or het words. These are called grammatical genders, but they don’t always correspond to natural gender. Hond is a de word, so you say de hond. It’s something you just have to memorize as you learn new vocabulary, though there are some patterns (e.g., most masculine or feminine nouns use de, while most diminutive forms use het).

What is the function of “in het park” in this sentence?

In het park is a prepositional phrase indicating the location where the action takes place. It tells us where wij (we) see the dog.

Is there any difference in word order compared to English?

In the sentence Wij zien de hond in het park, the order is Subject–Verb–Object–Location (S-V-O-L), which aligns closely with English. One difference is that Dutch can sometimes move elements around for emphasis or use inverted word orders in questions. However, basic sentences often parallel English word order.

How is the verb “zien” conjugated?

Zien is the infinitive (to see). For the pronoun wij (we), it remains zien because the plural form uses the infinitive. Ample conjugations include:
• Ik zie (I see)
• Jij ziet / U ziet (You see)
• Hij/zij/het ziet (He/she/it sees)
• Wij zien (We see)
• Jullie zien (You [plural] see)
• Zij zien (They see)