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Questions & Answers about Het antwoord is simpel.
Why does the sentence 'Het antwoord is simpel.' use the definite article het with antwoord?
In Dutch, each noun has a gender. The noun antwoord (meaning “answer”) is a neuter noun, and neuter nouns take the definite article het, rather than de which is used for common-gender nouns.
How is the word order structured in 'Het antwoord is simpel.'?
The sentence follows a clear Subject-Verb-Predicate adjective pattern. Het antwoord serves as the subject, is is the linking verb, and simpel is a predicate adjective that describes the subject.
Why is the adjective simpel not inflected (i.e., why does it lack an -e ending) in this sentence?
In Dutch, adjectives used in a predicative position (following a linking verb) are not inflected. Adjectives only receive an -e ending when they directly modify a noun in an attributive position—as in het simpele antwoord—which is not the case here.
Can 'Het antwoord is simpel.' be directly translated into English, and if so, what does it mean?
Yes, it can be directly translated as "The answer is simple." Both the structure and the meaning closely mirror the English sentence.
Which tense is used in the sentence, and what implication does it have?
The sentence is in the present tense. The verb is is the present form of zijn ("to be"), indicating that the statement is a current or generally true fact.