Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Het water is helder.
Why is the article het used instead of de in the sentence "Het water is helder"?
In Dutch, nouns have genders. Water is a neuter noun, so it takes the neuter definite article het rather than the common article de.
Why does the adjective helder remain in its base form without an -e ending?
In this sentence, helder is used predicatively, meaning it follows the linking verb is to describe the subject. In Dutch, adjectives after a linking verb are not inflected, so helder stays the same.
How does the word order in "Het water is helder" compare to the English sentence "The water is clear"?
The word order is very similar. Both sentences follow a Subject–Verb–Complement structure: Het water (subject) + is (linking verb) + helder/clear (predicate adjective).
What would change if helder were used attributively (before the noun) instead of predicatively?
When an adjective is used attributively in Dutch, it typically takes an -e ending. Thus, instead of saying "Het water is helder," if you want to say "the clear water" with the adjective before the noun, you would say Het heldere water.
What role does the verb is play in the sentence?