Tom plakt de stukjes papier aan elkaar met lijm.

Tom

Breakdown of Tom plakt de stukjes papier aan elkaar met lijm.

• met: with
• het stukje papier: the piece of paper
• de lijm: the glue

Questions & Answers about Tom plakt de stukjes papier aan elkaar met lijm.

Why is plakt the correct conjugation of plakken for Tom?

In Dutch present tense, verbs take -t for third person singular (hij/zij/het). Since Tom corresponds to hij, you remove the infinitive ending -en from plakken and add -t to the stem plak, giving plakt.

Why do we say de stukjes papier? How do articles and plural forms work here?

Stukje is a diminutive noun (neuter), so singular is het stukje. When you pluralize it to stukjes, all Dutch plurals use the article de, hence de stukjes. The following noun papier is used attributively (no article).

Why don't we say stukjes van papier (pieces of paper) like in English?

Dutch often omits van in noun–material combinations. Stukjes papier literally means pieces paper but conveys pieces of paper. You can say stukjes van papier in more formal or emphatic contexts, but everyday usage drops van.

What does aan elkaar mean, and why is it placed after the object?