Ik zie het bord in de klas.

I see the board in the classroom.

Breakdown of Ik zie het bord in de klas.

• ik: I
• in: in
• zien: to see
• de klas: the classroom
• het bord: the board

Questions & Answers about Ik zie het bord in de klas.

Why do we say het bord instead of de bord?

In Dutch, nouns are either common-gender (de-words) or neuter-gender (het-words). bord is a neuter noun, so it takes het.

How can I tell if a noun is a de- or het-word?

There are no foolproof rules, but some guidelines help:
• Many diminutives (ending in -je) are het-words.
• Words ending in -ment, -isme, -um are often het-words.
• Categories like metals, letters, points on the compass tend to be neuter.
Ultimately, you’ll need to memorize or consult a dictionary.

Why is there de before klas and not het?

klas is a common-gender noun, so it takes de. All common-gender nouns (formerly masculine or feminine) use de.

Can I drop the articles and say Ik zie bord in klas?

No. Singular, countable nouns normally require an article in Dutch:
– een for indefinite (a board) → Ik zie een bord in de klas.
– de/het for definite (the board).

Why is the word order S-V-O-Adverbial and not S-V-Adverbial-O?

In main clauses Dutch typically uses Subject-Verb-Object, then time/place/manner phrases. If you want to emphasize the location, you can move it before the object:
• Ik zie in de klas het bord (emphasis on where).

If I wanted to say “I see a board in the classroom,” how would I change it?

Replace het with een for the indefinite article:
• Ik zie een bord in de klas.

What is the difference between zien and bekijken?

• zien = to see (simply perceive with your eyes).
• bekijken = to look at, to examine or observe more closely.
Here, zien means you notice the board, not necessarily study it in detail.