Word
Ik eet een aardappel.
Meaning
I eat a potato.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
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Questions & Answers about Ik eet een aardappel.
What does each word in "Ik eet een aardappel" mean?
Ik means I, eet means eat, een means a/an, and aardappel means potato.
Why is "eet" used instead of the infinitive form "eten"?
In Dutch, verbs are conjugated to match the subject. Since Ik means I, the verb eten (to eat) is conjugated as eet in the first person singular present tense.
What tense is used in this sentence?
The sentence is in the present tense, indicating an action that is currently happening or a habitual action.
How does the sentence structure compare to English?
The sentence follows a subject-verb-object (SVO) order—Ik (subject), eet (verb), een aardappel (object)—which is the same basic structure as in English.
Why is the indefinite article "een" used before "aardappel"?
The word een is the indefinite article in Dutch, equivalent to a or an in English. It is used here because the sentence refers to a non-specific, singular potato.