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Questions & Answers about De tafel is wit.
Why is the article de used instead of het in this sentence?
In Dutch, nouns can be either common or neuter. The word tafel is a common gender noun, so it takes the definite article de. Neuter nouns would instead use het.
What is the function of is in the sentence?
Is is the third-person singular form of the verb zijn (to be). It functions as the linking verb that connects the subject de tafel to the predicate adjective wit.
Why does the adjective wit remain unchanged after the verb?
In Dutch, adjectives used in a predicative position—after a linking verb like is—do not take any additional endings. They remain in their base form, unlike adjectives used attributively before a noun.
How would the sentence change if wit were used attributively rather than predicatively?
If wit were used attributively (before the noun), it would typically receive an -e ending. For example, the sentence would become De witte tafel instead of De tafel is wit. Both mean "The table is white," but the adjective is inflected in the attributive position.
What is the overall grammatical structure of the sentence De tafel is wit?
The sentence follows a simple subject–linking verb–predicate adjective structure. De tafel is the subject, is is the linking verb, and wit is the predicate adjective describing the subject, much like in the English sentence "The table is white."
How are the words tafel and wit pronounced in Dutch?
Tafel is generally pronounced as /ˈtaː.fəl/, with a long first syllable that sounds like "tah" and a second syllable similar to "ful." Wit is pronounced approximately as /ʋɪt/, where the initial sound is a labiodental approximant, which is somewhat between a w and a v in English.