De oudere luistert naar muziek in het park.

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Breakdown of De oudere luistert naar muziek in het park.

• in: in
• het park: the park
• de muziek: the music
• luisteren: to listen
• de oudere: the older person

Questions & Answers about De oudere luistert naar muziek in het park.

What does De oudere mean in English, and why is it used as a noun?

De oudere literally means “the older one” or “the older person.” In Dutch, adjectives can be turned into nouns (a process called substantivization) when used with a definite article. Here, ouder (meaning old) becomes de oudere, referring to someone who is older, without needing an additional noun like man or vrouw.

Why is the verb luistert spelled with a t at the end?

In Dutch, when a regular verb like luisteren (to listen) is conjugated in the present tense for a third-person singular subject (such as De oudere), you add a t to the stem. The stem of luisteren is luister, so it becomes luistert to agree with the subject.

Why do we use the preposition naar after luisteren?

The verb luisteren always pairs with the preposition naar to indicate what is being listened to. Thus, naar muziek luisteren directly translates to “to listen to music.” This is simply the idiomatic way to express the action in Dutch.

Why is there no article before muziek in the phrase naar muziek?

In Dutch, muziek is generally treated as an uncountable noun when referring to music in general, much like in English. That’s why an article isn’t needed here. Saying naar muziek is equivalent to saying “to music” in the sense of listening to music, just as English speakers say “listen to music” without an article.

Why is it in het park and not using a different preposition like op?

The preposition in is used to indicate being within or inside a location, which is appropriate for a place like het park. Additionally, park is a neuter noun in Dutch, so it takes the article het. Combined, in het park correctly means “in the park.”

What is the role of the definite article de in De oudere?

The article de means “the” in Dutch and is used with masculine and feminine nouns, as well as with substantivized adjectives like ouder. Even though ouder is originally an adjective, when it is used as a noun (referring to an older person), it takes the definite article de to make it specific.

Is the word order in this sentence typical for Dutch, or might it change in different contexts?

The sentence De oudere luistert naar muziek in het park. follows the standard Dutch word order for a main clause: Subject – Finite Verb – (Prepositional) Object/Complement. While this is typical for main clauses, the word order can change, especially in subordinate clauses, where the finite verb usually moves to the end.