Breakdown of Het meisje gaat morgen naar de winkel om groenten en fruit te kopen.
gaan
to go
morgen
tomorrow
naar
to
en
and
kopen
to buy
om
for
het meisje
the girl
de winkel
the store
de groente
the vegetable
het fruit
the fruit
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Questions & Answers about Het meisje gaat morgen naar de winkel om groenten en fruit te kopen.
Why is the article “Het” used with “meisje” instead of “De”?
In Dutch, the word meisje is a neuter noun (even though it refers to a feminine person). Neuter nouns often use het as their definite article. It's a peculiarity of Dutch grammar that the level of “femininity” in meaning doesn't always align with the grammatical gender.
Why does “morgen” come after “gaat”?
Dutch word order typically places time elements either at the beginning of the sentence or after the conjugated verb if they are not the main focus of the sentence. In this sentence, Het meisje gaat morgen emphasizes that “tomorrow” is when she goes, rather than highlighting “tomorrow” at the very start.
What is the function of “om groenten en fruit te kopen”?
This phrase explains the purpose or reason for going to the store. The structure om ... te + infinitive is used in Dutch to indicate why someone does something. In this case, she goes to buy vegetables and fruit.
Can “groenten en fruit” be singular or plural in Dutch?
Groenten is already the plural form of groente, and fruit in Dutch is generally treated as a collective (uncountable) noun. You might occasionally see fruiten, but it is not common and is generally reserved for specific contexts or creative language use.