Breakdown of Fietsen op school is verboden.
zijn
to be
de school
the school
op
at
het fietsen
the biking
verboden
forbidden
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Fietsen op school is verboden.
What does fietsen mean in this sentence, and how is it functioning grammatically?
Fietsen is the infinitive form of the verb meaning “to cycle” or “to ride a bicycle.” In this sentence it is used as a nominalized verb—that is, it acts like a noun (similar to a gerund in English) and serves as the subject of the sentence.
Why is there no definite article (like het) before fietsen?
In Dutch, when an activity expressed by an infinitive is used as a subject in a general statement, it’s common to omit the article. Just as in the sentence Roken is verboden (“Smoking is forbidden”), no article is needed before fietsen to denote the general activity.
What does the phrase op school indicate?
The prepositional phrase op school specifies the location where the action takes place. It translates as “at school” and tells us that cycling is forbidden specifically on school grounds.
What is the role of verboden in the sentence?
Verboden is an adjective derived from the past participle of the verb verbieden (to forbid). It functions as a predicate adjective linked by the verb is to the subject, describing the state of the activity as “forbidden.”
Is this sentence an example of a passive construction, and why or why not?
Although it might resemble a passive structure, the sentence is not a typical passive voice. Instead, it simply makes a general statement about the activity. There is no implied agent performing an action; rather, verboden describes the state of fietsen op school, much like saying “Cycling is forbidden” in English.