Tom beklimt de berg snel.

Tom

Breakdown of Tom beklimt de berg snel.

• snel: quickly
• de berg: the mountain
• beklimmen: to climb

Questions & Answers about Tom beklimt de berg snel.

What is the meaning of beklimmt and how is it conjugated in this sentence?

The verb beklimmen means “to climb.” In the sentence, beklimmt is the third person singular present tense form, which agrees with the subject Tom. This indicates that Tom is currently climbing.

Why is the adverb snel placed at the end of the sentence rather than directly after the verb?

In Dutch, it is typical for adverbs to come after the object in simple declarative sentences. Placing snel at the end clarifies that it modifies the entire action of climbing. Although English also often uses a final adverb position (as in “Tom climbs the mountain quickly”), Dutch generally maintains this word order as part of its standard sentence structure.

Why does the noun berg take the definite article de instead of het?

In Dutch, nouns are assigned a gender that determines which definite article they use. The noun berg (meaning “mountain”) is a common gender noun, so it takes the article de. Not every noun uses het—that article is reserved for neuter nouns.

How does the word order in Tom beklimt de berg snel compare to the English sentence “Tom climbs the mountain quickly”?

Both sentences follow a similar structure: subject, verb, object, and then an adverb. However, while English can be flexible about the position of the adverb (sometimes placing it before or after the object), Dutch typically places the adverb snel at the end of the sentence. This word order is a key characteristic to keep in mind when transitioning from English to Dutch.

Would rearranging the position of snel in the sentence change its meaning or emphasis?

Slight changes in word order can affect emphasis in Dutch. For example, if you placed snel immediately after beklimmt (forming Tom beklimt snel de berg), the sentence would still be understandable but might put more direct emphasis on the speed of the climbing. The standard order, however, is to have snel at the end, which offers a balanced description of how the action is performed.

How could this sentence be modified to express a different tense, and what changes would be necessary?

To express the past tense, you would need to change the verb form. For example, you could say Tom beklom de berg snel, where beklom is the simple past tense form of beklimmen. The rest of the sentence remains the same, keeping the subject, object, and adverb in their usual positions.