Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Het onderwerp is interessant.
Why is the definite article het used in this sentence?
Onderwerp is a neuter noun in Dutch, and neuter nouns take the definite article het. In contrast, masculine or feminine nouns are paired with de. This distinction is a fundamental part of Dutch noun gender rules.
How does the sentence Het onderwerp is interessant translate into English?
It translates directly to “The subject is interesting.” This means that the topic or main idea being discussed is interesting.
Why doesn't the adjective interessant have an extra ending in this sentence?
In Dutch, adjectives used in the predicate (after a linking verb like is) remain in their base form and are not inflected. If an adjective appears before a noun (attributively), it may take an ending depending on the noun’s gender and definiteness, but not in a predicate construction.
Is the word order in Het onderwerp is interessant similar to English?
Yes, the sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Predicate structure, just like in English. The subject (Het onderwerp) comes first, followed by the linking verb (is), and the adjective (interessant) serves as the complement.
Does the word onderwerp have meanings beyond being just a grammatical subject?
Absolutely. Besides referring to the grammatical subject of a sentence, onderwerp can also mean the topic or main idea of a discussion. Context determines whether it’s being used in a grammatical sense or to denote the subject matter of a conversation or text.