Anna laat haar boek zien.

Anna

Breakdown of Anna laat haar boek zien.

• het boek: the book
• haar: her
• laten zien: to show

Questions & Answers about Anna laat haar boek zien.

Why does the sentence contain two verb elements, “laat” and “zien”?

In Dutch, “laten zien” is a separable verb that means “to show.” The main verb “laten” is conjugated according to the subject (here, “Anna”), while its separable particle “zien” is shifted to the end of the sentence in a main clause. This splitting is typical for many Dutch separable verbs.

What does the word “haar” represent in this sentence?

“Haar” is a possessive adjective meaning “her.” It modifies the noun “boek” (book), indicating that the book belongs to Anna.

What is the overall structure of the sentence “Anna laat haar boek zien”?

The sentence follows a standard Dutch main clause order. “Anna” is the subject, “laat” is the conjugated part of the separable verb, “haar boek” is the object (with “haar” as a possessive determiner), and “zien” is the separable particle placed at the end. The structure can be seen as: Subject – Verb – Object – Separable Particle.

Why is the separable particle “zien” positioned at the end of the sentence?

In Dutch main clauses with separable verbs, the rule is to move the separable element to the end of the sentence. This rule helps to clearly mark the split between the conjugated verb and its particle, a feature that distinguishes Dutch from English, where such splitting doesn’t occur.

What tense is used in this sentence?

The sentence is in the present tense. The verb “laten” appears in its third person singular form “laat” to agree with the subject “Anna.”

Does the sentence imply that Anna is showing the book to someone, even though no recipient is mentioned?

Yes, typically the separable verb “laten zien” carries an implicit idea that someone is being shown something. Even though the recipient isn’t explicitly stated, context or a broader conversation usually makes it clear that Anna is showing her book to someone.

How would the structure change if this separable verb were used in a subordinate clause?

In subordinate clauses, separable verbs often remain together or follow a different word order. For example, while in a main clause you say “Anna laat haar boek zien,” in a subordinate clause you might say “…dat Anna haar boek laat zien.” In subordinate clauses, the verb cluster tends to appear later in the sentence, and the splitting of the separable particle is handled according to specific Dutch syntax rules.