…
Breakdown of Tom heeft een afspraak met zijn vriendin.
Tom
Tom
hebben
to have
met
with
de vriendin
the (female) friend
zijn
his
een
a, an
de afspraak
the appointment
Questions & Answers about Tom heeft een afspraak met zijn vriendin.
What does heeft mean in this sentence, and how is it used grammatically?
Heeft is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb hebben (to have). In this sentence, it indicates that Tom "has" an appointment. Even though it literally means "has," it’s used in a fixed expression to denote holding or having an engagement.
What is the meaning of afspraak in this context?
Afspraak translates to "appointment" or "meeting." It refers to a scheduled engagement or arrangement that Tom has, which in this case is with his girlfriend.
How does the preposition met function in the sentence?
Met means "with" in English. It is used here to link the appointment to the person involved—in this sentence, zijn vriendin (his girlfriend). It shows the connection between Tom’s appointment and the person with whom the appointment is made.
What does zijn indicate in this sentence?
Zijn is a possessive pronoun meaning "his." It specifies that the vriendin (girlfriend) belongs to Tom, clarifying the relationship between the subject and the object in the sentence.
Why might the use of hebben (to have) be confusing for an English speaker, and how should it be understood here?
In English, we often say "to have a meeting" or "to have an appointment," but the concept might be less straightforward because English speakers might also expect verbs like "make" or "schedule" when talking about appointments. In Dutch, using hebben in heeft een afspraak is a fixed expression that simply means "has an appointment" without implying any additional action beyond possessing that arrangement.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Dutch grammar?”
Dutch grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning DutchMaster Dutch — from Tom heeft een afspraak met zijn vriendin to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions