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Questions & Answers about Ik betaal contant voor het brood.
What does the sentence Ik betaal contant voor het brood. translate to in English?
It translates to "I pay in cash for the bread." This means that the speaker is buying bread and chooses to pay using cash instead of, for example, a credit or debit card.
What does the word contant mean in this sentence?
Contant means "cash" in English. It indicates the method of payment, specifying that the payment is made with physical money rather than electronic means.
How is the sentence structured according to typical Dutch word order?
The sentence follows a subject-verb-adverb-prepositional phrase order. Ik is the subject, betaal is the verb, contant is an adverb describing the manner of payment, and voor het brood is a prepositional phrase that tells us what the payment is for.
What role does the phrase voor het brood play in the sentence?
Voor het brood is a prepositional phrase meaning "for the bread." It functions to indicate the object of the payment, specifying what is being purchased.
Why is the definite article het used with brood?
In Dutch, nouns are gendered. Brood is a neuter noun, so it takes the neuter definite article het. Unlike English, where we only use the, Dutch learners must remember to match the correct article with each noun's gender.
What tense is the verb betaal in, and why is it conjugated that way?
The verb betaal is in the present simple tense and is conjugated for the first-person singular subject ik. In Dutch, the form betaal is used with ik, while other subjects, such as hij, would require betaalt.
Can the adverb contant be replaced to describe different payment methods, and how might that change the sentence?
Yes, contant can be replaced with another adverb or phrase to indicate a different payment method. For example, changing it to met pin would yield "Ik betaal met pin voor het brood." This means "I pay by debit card for the bread." Such substitutions allow learners to practice forming similar sentences with varied payment methods.