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Questions & Answers about De gasten wachten in de hal.
Why is there a definite article de before gasten?
In Dutch, all plural nouns—regardless of gender—use the definite article de. Thus gasten (the plural of gast) takes de and becomes de gasten.
Why do we also say de hal? When do we use de versus het?
Dutch has two definite articles: de (for common‐gender nouns and all plurals) and het (for neuter nouns). Most singular nouns are common gender and take de, including hal. Only certain singular nouns (often diminutives, some abstracts, etc.) take het—for example het huis or het meisje. You usually have to learn each noun’s article or consult a dictionary.
How do you form the plural of gast, and why is it gasten?
The singular gast becomes plural by adding -en: gast → gasten. The vowel remains the same because gast is a “strong” noun. Some Dutch words change their vowel when pluralized or simply add -s, but gast follows the regular -en rule.
Why is the verb wachten not wacht, and why does it end in -en?
Dutch infinitives end in -en, so wachten means “to wait.” In the present tense, 3rd‐person plural (de gasten) keeps the infinitive ending: de gasten wachten. If the subject were singular (hij/zij), you’d drop -en and add -t, yielding hij wacht (“he waits”).
Why is wachten placed right after de gasten, instead of at the end of the sentence like in German?
Dutch is a V2 (verb‐second) language in main clauses: the finite verb must occupy the second position. Here de gasten is first, so wachten (the finite verb) comes second, and the rest of the sentence follows.
Why do we use in here? Could we say op de hal or aan de hal?
In indicates that the guests are inside the hall. Op de hal would mean “on top of the hall” (nonsensical), and aan de hal suggests “at the side of the hall” or “at the entrance,” which changes the meaning. For being inside a space, always use in.
How do you pronounce the g in gasten and the ch in wachten?
In most Dutch accents, both g and ch are pronounced as a voiceless velar fricative (a rough “h” deep in the throat). So gasten sounds roughly like [ˈxɑstən] and wachten like [ˈʋɑxtən]. In some southern dialects you may hear a voiced version [ɣ], which is softer but still similar.