Learn Hardcore Dutch: Tom ziet zijn vriendin in het park. - Tom sees his girlfriend in the park.

Ziet is the third-person singular present form of the verb zien (to see). Since the subject is Tom, a singular noun, the verb must agree with it, so ziet is used rather than zien.

What does the possessive pronoun zijn mean in this sentence?

The word zijn translates to "his". It indicates that the girlfriend belongs to Tom. Even though vriendin (girlfriend) is a feminine noun, the possessive form comes from the owner (Tom), so zijn is the correct choice.

How is the prepositional phrase in het park constructed and what does it signify?

In het park is composed of: • in meaning "in", • het, the neuter definite article equivalent to "the", and • park, which means "park". Together, they form a phrase that indicates the location where the action takes place, i.e., "in the park."

How does the sentence structure in Dutch compare to English in this example?

The structure is quite similar in both languages. The sentence follows a straightforward order: • Subject: Tom
• Verb: ziet
• Object: zijn vriendin
• Additional information (location): in het park
So, like the English sentence "Tom sees his girlfriend in the park," Dutch follows a similar pattern in main clauses. However, be mindful that word order can vary in more complex or subordinate sentences in Dutch.

What is the literal word-by-word translation of the sentence?

Literally, the sentence translates as:
Tom – sees – his – girlfriend – in the park.
This mirrors the meaning of the natural English sentence "Tom sees his girlfriend in the park."