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Het is donker buiten.

Het is donker buiten.
It is dark outside.
FromLesson 11inHardcore Dutch
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Breakdown of Het is donker buiten.

zijn
to be
het
it
buiten
outside
donker
dark
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Questions & Answers about Het is donker buiten.

What does het represent in this sentence, and why is it used even though there is no clear noun being referenced?
Het functions as a neutral or dummy subject, similar to the English it when talking about weather or conditions. In Dutch, even when there isn't a specific noun, het is used to introduce states or general conditions, which is why you see it at the beginning of the sentence.
Why is the adjective donker not modified with any additional ending for agreement in this sentence?
In Dutch, adjectives used predicatively—that is, after verbs like is (from zijn)—remain uninflected. Because donker serves as a predicative adjective here, it doesn’t need any modification to agree with the subject.
What role does buiten play in the sentence, and why is it placed at the end?
Buiten acts as an adverb indicating location, meaning outside. In Dutch sentence structure, it’s common for adverbs to be placed at the end of the sentence to add contextual details after the main statement has been made.
From which verb is is derived, and how is it correctly conjugated?
Is is derived from the verb zijn, which means to be. It is the third person singular present form. Other conjugations include ik ben (I am), jij bent (you are), and wij zijn (we are).
How does the sentence structure of Het is donker buiten compare to a similar expression in English?
While both Dutch and English use a similar subject-verb-adverbial construction (as in It is dark outside), Dutch uniquely requires the use of a dummy subject (het) even when there isn't a concrete noun. Additionally, Dutch generally places the adverb (buiten) at the end of the sentence, which mirrors English in this case but can differ in more complex sentences.