De student luistert naar muziek.

to

Breakdown of De student luistert naar muziek.

• de muziek: the music
• luisteren: to listen
• de student: the student

Questions & Answers about De student luistert naar muziek.

What is the role of the verb luistert in the sentence?

Luistert is the main verb and is the present tense, third-person singular form of luisteren. It agrees with the subject De student by adding the -t ending, which is standard for regular verbs when the subject is singular.

Why is the preposition naar necessary after luistert?

In Dutch, the verb luisteren is used in combination with naar to indicate what is being listened to. This fixed expression, luisteren naar, corresponds to “listen to” in English. Removing naar would break this idiomatic structure and result in incorrect grammar.

Why does the sentence use no article before muziek?

In this context, muziek is treated as an uncountable noun representing music in general. Similar to English, when referring to an abstract or non-specific substance, the article can be omitted. Thus, muziek appears without an article.

How is De student functioning in the sentence?

De student acts as the subject of the sentence. The definite article de signifies that the sentence refers to a particular student (or the concept of “the student” in a general sense), and it shows proper noun-adjective agreement in Dutch.

Would it be correct to say De student luistert muziek without the preposition naar?

No, it would not be correct. The verb luisteren requires the preposition naar to connect it with its object, as part of the fixed phrase luisteren naar. Leaving out naar disrupts the idiomatic verb-preposition pairing and makes the sentence ungrammatical.

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

Breaking it down: De means “the”, student means “student”, luistert means “listens” (in third-person singular), naar translates to “to”, and muziek means “music”. So the entire sentence translates literally as “The student listens to music.”