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Questions & Answers about De hond ligt diep in de schuur.
What does ligt mean in this context?
Ligt is the third-person singular present form of the verb liggen, meaning “to lie” in the sense of being in a horizontal position. So De hond ligt… literally means “The dog is lying…”
Why do we use liggen (conjugated as ligt) here instead of zitten or staan?
Dutch, like English, has different verbs for different body positions:
- liggen: to lie down (horizontal)
- zitten: to sit (upright)
- staan: to stand (vertical)
Since the dog is lying down, we use liggen.
What part of speech is diep in this sentence?
Here diep functions as an adverb, modifying the verb ligt. It answers the question “How/where is the dog lying?” – deep (inside the shed).
Why is diep not diepe?
Diepe is the inflected adjective form you’d use before a noun (de diepe schuur = “the deep shed”). But when you modify a verb, you use the uninflected adverb diep, so it remains diep.
Why is the verb ligt placed after the subject de hond?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb occupies the second slot in the sentence. With De hond as first, ligt must come next.
Why do we say in de schuur instead of just in schuur, and why is it de schuur and not het schuur?
In Dutch, singular countable nouns usually need an article (de, het, een). Schuur is a de-word, so it takes de. Omitting it (in schuur) is incorrect in a neutral statement.
How do you ask “Where is the dog?” in Dutch if you want this sentence as an answer?
You ask Waar ligt de hond?
- Waar = where
- ligt = lies/is lying
- de hond = the dog
Are there other ways to express “deep in the shed” in Dutch?
Yes, for example:
- heel diep in de schuur (“very deep in the shed”)
- ver in de schuur (“far into the shed”)
- helemaal in de schuur (“all the way inside the shed”)
Each nuance slightly changes the emphasis on depth or distance.