Learn Hardcore Dutch: Tom vindt gezouten brood erg lekker.

The verb vindt is the third-person singular present form of the Dutch verb vinden, which literally means "to find". In this sentence, however, it is used in the sense of "thinks"—expressing Tom’s opinion about the bread. This usage is quite common in Dutch when stating one’s impression or evaluation of something.

Why does the adjective gezouten come before brood, and how does adjective placement work in Dutch?

In Dutch, adjectives are typically placed directly before the noun they describe, much like in English. Here, gezouten means "salted" and modifies brood (bread). This is straightforward adjective-noun order, ensuring that the descriptive quality is immediately linked with the noun.

What role does erg play in the sentence, and how is it similar to or different from English?

Erg functions as an adverb in Dutch to intensify the adjective that follows—in this case, lekker. It is equivalent to the English "very". So, erg lekker translates to "very tasty" or "very delicious", emphasizing the strong positive opinion that Tom holds about the salted bread.

How does the overall sentence structure compare to a typical English sentence?

The Dutch sentence follows a structure that is quite similar to English. It starts with the subject Tom, followed by the verb vindt, then the object gezouten brood (salted bread), and concludes with the adjective phrase erg lekker (very tasty). While Dutch and English share a similar subject-verb-object order here, keep in mind that the placement of adjectives and intensifiers can differ in more complex sentences.

Why is brood written in lowercase, and is that different from English capitalization rules?

In Dutch, as in English, common nouns like brood (bread) are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence or are part of a title. Capitalization in Dutch is similar to English in this regard, meaning that everyday nouns remain in lowercase, which is why brood is written that way in the sentence.