Hij zoekt zijn sleutel in de kelder.

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Breakdown of Hij zoekt zijn sleutel in de kelder.

• in: in
• zijn: his
• de sleutel: the key
• zoeken: to search
• de kelder: the basement

Questions & Answers about Hij zoekt zijn sleutel in de kelder.

What is the role of "zoekt" in this sentence?

"Zoekt" is the third-person singular present tense of the verb "zoeken" (to search). In Dutch, the finite verb takes the second position in a main clause, so after the subject "Hij", "zoekt" follows as the correctly conjugated verb.

Why is the possessive adjective "zijn" used before "sleutel"?

"Zijn" means "his", and Dutch places possessive adjectives before the noun they modify. Therefore, "zijn sleutel" directly translates to "his key", clearly indicating ownership.

Why is the definite article "de" used with "kelder" instead of "het"?

In Dutch, each noun has a grammatical gender. "Kelder" is a common gender noun, which takes the "de" article. That’s why the phrase is "in de kelder"—it conforms to the rule that common gender nouns are preceded by "de".

How would you describe the sentence structure of "Hij zoekt zijn sleutel in de kelder"?

The sentence follows a typical Dutch main clause structure: • Subject: "Hij" • Finite Verb: "zoekt" • Object: "zijn sleutel" • Prepositional Phrase: "in de kelder"

This order—subject, verb, object, then additional information—is very similar to the basic SVO structure we see in English, with the important note that the finite verb must appear in the second position.

Is the word order in this Dutch sentence different from that in an English sentence?

For this simple declarative sentence, the word order is quite similar to English: subject, then verb, followed by the object and prepositional phrase. However, Dutch syntax requires that the finite verb always occupies the second slot in main clauses, and when sentences get more complex (especially in subordinate clauses), the word order can differ significantly from English.