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Questions & Answers about Mijn zus leest een boek.
Why does the sentence use mijn instead of ik?
In Dutch, mijn means my, which shows possession (the sister belongs to me). Meanwhile, ik means I. So mijn zus means my sister, while ik zus would not make sense.
Why is it leest and not lees or lezen?
Dutch verbs change with the subject. Lezen is the infinitive form (to read). For the first person singular (I) it’s ik lees, but for the third person singular (he/she/it) it becomes hij/zij leest. Since the sentence is mijn zus (she), we say leest.
Can we say mijn zus een boek leest or must the verb always come right after the subject?
In Dutch main clauses, the verb generally follows the subject. The standard word order is subject–verb–object (SVO). Saying mijn zus een boek leest is not the usual, neutral form. The most natural sentence is mijn zus leest een boek.
Why do we use een boek instead of het boek?
Een boek is the indefinite article, similar to a book in English. It does not specify which book exactly. Het boek would refer to a specific book (the book). Since the sentence is indefinite, een boek is used.
Is zus always used for sister, or can it mean other female relatives?
Zus specifically means sister. If you want to say female cousin, you'd use nicht. If you want to say aunt, you'd say tante. So zus doesn’t work for other female relatives.
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