Breakdown of Wij gebruiken nieuw materiaal om mooie tekeningen te maken.
wij
we
nieuw
new
mooi
beautiful
om
for
gebruiken
to use
maken
to make
de tekening
the drawing
het materiaal
the material
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Questions & Answers about Wij gebruiken nieuw materiaal om mooie tekeningen te maken.
Why isn’t there het before nieuw materiaal?
Because we’re talking about material in general (an uncountable or indefinite concept). In Dutch, uncountable nouns or indefinite references often occur without an article. If you meant a specific batch of material, you’d say het nieuwe materiaal.
Why is the adjective nieuw not inflected as nieuwe in nieuw materiaal?
Adjectives in Dutch take no –e when they precede a singular common-gender noun that has no definite article (or is preceded only by een). Here materiaal is common gender, singular, and indefinite, so it stays nieuw.
Why does mooi become mooie in mooie tekeningen?
When an adjective precedes a plural noun (whether definite or indefinite), it always takes the –e ending. Since tekeningen is plural, you write mooie tekeningen.
Why isn’t there an article before mooie tekeningen?
Because those drawings are indefinite and plural. In Dutch, indefinite plural nouns normally appear without any article (unlike English “some drawings,” Dutch just says mooie tekeningen).
Why is materiaal singular, while I sometimes see materialen?
Materiaal is often treated as a mass (uncountable) noun when referring to the substance in general (“new material”). If you want to talk about distinct items or types of materials, you’d use the plural materialen.
Why use om mooie tekeningen te maken instead of omdat + clause?
Om … te introduces a purpose clause (“in order to”). If you used omdat, you’d be giving a reason (“because we use new material”). To express goal or intention, Dutch uses om + infinitive.
Why is the infinitive clause om mooie tekeningen te maken placed at the end?
Dutch subordinate and purpose clauses typically go to the end of the sentence. The structure om + infinitives forms one block that naturally follows the main clause.
When should I use wij instead of we?
Both mean we, but wij is more emphatic or formal (used for emphasis or in writing). We is more common in everyday speech.
Why is it we gebruiken (no –t) and not we gebruikt?
In Dutch present tense, plural subjects (we, jullie, zij) take the base form of the verb without –t. Only singular third-person subjects (hij/zij/het) and jij (in statements) add –t.