Tom zingt passievol in het park.

Tom sings passionately in the park.

Breakdown of Tom zingt passievol in het park.

• Tom: Tom
• in: in
• het park: the park
• zingen: to sing
• passievol: passionately

Questions & Answers about Tom zingt passievol in het park.

What does zingt mean, and how is it formed from the infinitive zingen?

Zingt is the third person singular present tense form of the verb zingen, which means “to sing.” In this sentence, it translates as “sings” and follows standard Dutch subject-verb agreement with the subject Tom.

What is the role of passievol in this sentence, and why doesn’t it change its form like English adverbs with an -ly ending?

Passievol functions as an adverb of manner, describing how Tom sings (i.e., “passionately”). In Dutch, adjectives are used in their base form to serve as adverbs, so there is no separate -ly form as in English.

Why is the article het used in in het park instead of de?

In Dutch, every noun has a gender. The word park is a neuter noun, which takes the definite article het rather than de. Thus, in het park correctly means “in the park.”

What is the typical word order in a Dutch main clause, and does this sentence follow that order?

A standard Dutch main clause generally follows a Subject–Verb–[Adverbial/Complement] order. In this sentence, Tom (subject) comes first, followed by zingt (verb), then passievol (adverb of manner), and finally in het park (prepositional phrase indicating location). This order clearly follows the typical structure.

Can the positions of passievol and in het park be rearranged in the sentence, and what might be the effect of doing so?

Yes, Dutch word order allows for some flexibility, especially with adverbials. For instance, one could say Tom zingt in het park passievol. However, the standard order places the manner adverb (passievol) before the location phrase (in het park). Rearranging them might subtly change the emphasis, highlighting the location over the manner of singing.