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Questions & Answers about Wij bespreken dit thema.
What does Wij mean in this sentence?
Wij translates to we in English. It is used as the subject pronoun that refers to a group including the speaker.
Why is the verb bespreken in its current form when used with Wij?
In Dutch, when the subject is plural—as with Wij—the verb takes its base (or infinitive-like) form, which in this case is bespreken. For singular subjects, the verb would be conjugated differently (for example, ik bespreek for "I discuss").
Why do we use dit instead of deze before thema?
Thema is a neuter noun in Dutch. The demonstrative adjective dit is used for neuter nouns, whereas deze is reserved for common gender (masculine or feminine) nouns.
What is the syntactic structure of the sentence, and how does it compare to English?
The sentence follows a straightforward subject-verb-object (SVO) order: Wij (subject) + bespreken (verb) + dit thema (object). This structure is very similar to standard English word order.
How does the conjugation of bespreken change with different subject pronouns in Dutch?
For the first person singular, the verb becomes ik bespreek; for the second person singular, it is usually jij/je bespreekt; and for third person singular (hij/zij/het), it is also bespreekt. For plural subjects like wij, jullie, or zij, the verb remains as bespreken.
Do I need to include a definite article before thema when using dit in the sentence?
No, you do not. In Dutch, when you use a demonstrative like dit (this), it functions as the determiner and replaces the need for a definite article. Just as in English you say this theme rather than this the theme.