Het weer is onvoorspelbaar.

The weather is unpredictable.

Breakdown of Het weer is onvoorspelbaar.

• zijn: to be
• het weer: the weather
• onvoorspelbaar: unpredictable

Questions & Answers about Het weer is onvoorspelbaar.

What does each word in Het weer is onvoorspelbaar. mean?

Het is the neuter definite article equivalent to “the”. Weer means “weather”. Is is the third person singular form of the verb “to be” (zijn). Onvoorspelbaar means “unpredictable.”

Why is the article het used with weer instead of de?

In Dutch, every noun has a gender. Weer is classified as a neuter noun, and neuter nouns take the definite article het rather than de, which is used for common gender nouns.

How is the adjective onvoorspelbaar functioning in this sentence?

Onvoorspelbaar serves as a predicate adjective. It follows the linking verb is and describes the subject het weer without needing any inflection. In Dutch, adjectives used after linking verbs are typically not declined.

How is the compound adjective onvoorspelbaar constructed?

It is formed by combining the prefix on-, which means “not” or “un-”, with voorspel—a root derived from the verb voorspellen meaning “to predict”—and the suffix -baar, which is used to form adjectives that imply capability or possibility. Together, they literally convey “not predictable.”

Is the sentence structure of Het weer is onvoorspelbaar. similar to English sentence structure?

Yes, it follows a similar structure: a subject (het weer), a linking verb (is), and a predicate adjective (onvoorspelbaar). This mirrors the typical English pattern “The weather is unpredictable.”

What cues help identify the grammatical roles in this sentence?

The definite article het signals that weer is a neuter noun. The verb is functions as the linking verb connecting the subject to its description, while the adjective onvoorspelbaar follows the verb as a predicate adjective. These elements clearly delineate the subject, verb, and modifier, aiding in understanding the sentence’s structure.