Breakdown of Zowel de kat als de hond spelen in de tuin.
de kat
the cat
de hond
the dog
in
in
spelen
to play
de tuin
the garden
zowel
both
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Questions & Answers about Zowel de kat als de hond spelen in de tuin.
What does the construction zowel ... als mean in this sentence?
It is a correlative conjunction that functions similarly to both ... and in English. In the sentence, zowel de kat als de hond means both the cat and the dog, emphasizing that the action applies equally to both subjects.
Why is the verb spelen used in its plural form instead of the singular speelt?
Because the subject is compound, consisting of de kat and de hond. When two singular nouns are joined by zowel ... als, they create a plural subject, which requires the plural form of the verb (spelen).
What does the phrase in de tuin indicate?
It is a prepositional phrase that tells us where the action takes place. In de tuin translates to in the garden, specifying the location of the playing.
Why do both kat and hond have the definite article de preceding them?
In Dutch, common gender singular nouns typically take the definite article de. Since the sentence refers to specific animals (the cat and the dog), the articles are used to indicate that these are particular, known instances rather than any cat or dog.
How does the structure of this sentence compare to English when using a phrase like both ... and?
The structure is very similar. Just as English uses both the cat and the dog to link two items, Dutch uses zowel de kat als de hond. The emphasis on including both subjects is maintained in both languages by pairing the correlative conjunctions appropriately.