Hij verwelkomt zijn vriendin.

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Breakdown of Hij verwelkomt zijn vriendin.

• zijn: his
• verwelkomen: to welcome
• de vriendin: the girlfriend

Questions & Answers about Hij verwelkomt zijn vriendin.

What does verwelkomt mean, and how is it conjugated in relation to the subject hij?

Verwelkomt is the third person singular present form of the verb verwelkomen, which means to welcome. The verb ends in -t because, in Dutch, verbs conjugated for hij/zij/het (he/she/it) in the present tense typically receive this ending.

What role does zijn play in the sentence?

In this sentence, zijn functions as a possessive adjective meaning his. It indicates that the vriendin (girlfriend) is associated with or belongs to hij (he), and it always appears directly before the noun it modifies.

Why is the verb verwelkomt placed immediately after the subject hij?

Dutch main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) word order rule, which requires that the finite verb appears in the second position of the sentence. This is why, immediately after the subject hij, the verb verwelkomt comes in the sentence.

How does the word order in "Hij verwelkomt zijn vriendin" compare to English?

The word order in this Dutch sentence mirrors the English subject-verb-object pattern. Hij corresponds to he, verwelkomt to welcomes, and zijn vriendin to his girlfriend. However, while this similarity holds in simple declarative sentences, Dutch often exhibits different word order patterns in subordinate clauses and other complex constructions.

Is there any additional grammatical or gender information conveyed by the use of vriendin?

Yes, vriendin specifically refers to a female friend or girlfriend, providing a clear indication of gender. In Dutch, vriend is generally used for a male friend or in a gender-neutral context, whereas vriendin explicitly denotes a female, offering important contextual information.