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Questions & Answers about Wij bespreken het probleem.
What is the English translation of Wij bespreken het probleem.?
It translates to We discuss the problem. Depending on context, it can also imply We are discussing the problem.
What does the pronoun Wij mean, and why might it be used instead of we?
Both wij and we mean we in Dutch. Wij is often used for emphasis or in more formal or written contexts, whereas we is common in everyday conversation. Using wij in this sentence clearly emphasizes the subject.
How is the verb bespreken conjugated in this sentence?
In Dutch, the verb must agree with the subject. For the subject wij (we), the present tense form remains the base form bespreken. In contrast, with a singular third-person subject (such as hij or zij), the verb would be bespreekt (adding a -t). Thus, wij bespreken is the correct conjugation for a plural subject.
Why is the definite article het used before probleem?
In Dutch, every noun is assigned a gender and a corresponding definite article. The word probleem is a neuter noun (often referred to as a het-word), and therefore it takes the article het instead of de, which is used for common-gender nouns.
What is the word order in the sentence, and how does it compare to English?
The sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure. Wij is the subject, bespreken is the verb, and het probleem is the object. This is very similar to English sentence order, which helps English speakers recognize and construct simple Dutch sentences.
How would you change this sentence to form a question in Dutch?
To form a question, you typically invert the subject and the verb. For example, Bespreken wij het probleem? becomes the interrogative form, which would translate to Are we discussing the problem? or Do we discuss the problem? in English.