Breakdown of In de herfst daalt de temperatuur snel.
in
in
snel
quickly
de herfst
the autumn
dalen
to drop
de temperatuur
the temperature
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about In de herfst daalt de temperatuur snel.
Why is herfst not capitalized?
In Dutch, seasons are common nouns and are always written with a lowercase letter. So herfst stays lowercase, unlike in English where we sometimes capitalize seasons for emphasis.
Why do we say in de herfst instead of op de herfst or during de herfst?
Dutch uses in + definite article de before seasons to mean “in the season.” You wouldn’t use op (which is for days/dates) or an English word like during.
Why is the verb daalt placed immediately after in de herfst?
Dutch follows the V2 (verb-second) rule. Whenever a time expression (like in de herfst) starts the sentence, the conjugated verb must come right after it, then the subject follows.
Why is it de temperatuur and not het temperatuur?
Almost all Dutch nouns ending in -uur take the article de. So temperatuur is a “de-word” (common gender), hence de temperatuur.
What’s the function of snel in this sentence, and why is it at the end?
snel is an adverb modifying the verb daalt (“drops quickly”). In main clauses, adverbs usually come after the verb and its object, so snel goes at the end.
How do you conjugate the verb dalen for different subjects?
dalen is a regular verb:
- Ik daal
- Jij/u daalt
- Hij/zij/het daalt
- Wij/jullie/zij dalen
Would it also be correct to say De temperatuur daalt snel in de herfst?
Yes. Starting with the subject de temperatuur pushes the time phrase in de herfst to the end. It’s grammatically correct, though emphasis shifts slightly toward the subject.
Can you drop the article and just say In herfst daalt temperatuur snel?
No. Dutch requires the definite article de with seasons (in de herfst) and with singular countable/uncountable nouns like de temperatuur. Dropping them would be ungrammatical.