Breakdown of De pan is schoon na het koken.
zijn
to be
na
after
de pan
the pan
schoon
clean
het koken
the cooking
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Questions & Answers about De pan is schoon na het koken.
Why is it de pan and not het pan?
In Dutch, nouns can take either de or het, and there’s no simple rule that always predicts which article is correct. You have to learn them individually, much like you learn a word’s gender in other languages. For common household items like pan, it’s de pan because it’s a feminine/masculine noun rather than a neuter noun.
Why do we say schoon here instead of another adjective like proper or netjes?
While English has different words for degrees or types of cleanliness (clean, tidy, proper), Dutch often uses schoon in those contexts. The word proper in Dutch doesn’t quite mean the same as in English, and netjes means “neat” or “tidy,” focusing on order rather than cleanliness. Schoon is the most direct equivalent to “clean.”
What does na het koken literally mean, and why is there a definite article there?
Na het koken literally translates to “after the cooking.” In Dutch, the infinitive koken (“to cook”) can be turned into a gerund-like noun by adding het in front of it. That’s why it’s not just na koken—the article het makes the action of cooking into a noun.
Could I rearrange the sentence in Dutch, for example: Na het koken is de pan schoon?
Yes! Na het koken is de pan schoon is also correct Dutch. The meaning remains the same, and both word orders sound natural. Dutch allows some flexibility in where phrases like na het koken can be placed, as long as it doesn’t create confusion.
Is there anything special about the verb is in this sentence?
It’s just the normal present tense form of zijn (“to be”), used to describe a state or condition. Here, it indicates the pan’s condition—is schoon (“is clean”). There’s nothing irregular or tricky about its use in this sentence.