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Questions & Answers about De kat ligt onder de tafel.
Why is the definite article de used with both kat and tafel, and not het?
Both kat and tafel are common-gender nouns in Dutch, which take de as their definite article. Only neuter nouns use het, and you generally have to memorize which nouns are which, although diminutives (like tafeltje) are always neuter (het tafeltje).
What does ligt mean, and can I use is instead of ligt?
ligt is the third-person singular present tense of liggen (to lie, in a horizontal position). It describes the cat’s posture. You could say De kat is onder de tafel to simply state its location, but ligt conveys that it’s lying there rather than just being there.
Why is the word order De kat ligt onder de tafel and not De kat onder de tafel ligt?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule (verb-second): the finite verb must occupy the second position. Here, the subject (De kat) is first, the verb (ligt) is second, and the rest (onder de tafel) follows.
What part of speech is onder, and why isn’t the noun case affected?
onder is a preposition meaning “under.” Dutch doesn’t have noun cases like German, so the noun that follows stays in its base form with the appropriate article (e.g., de tafel).
What role does onder de tafel play in the sentence?
It’s a prepositional phrase functioning as a locative adverbial, telling us where the cat lies.
Can I move onder de tafel to the front of the sentence?
Yes. Because of V2 word order, you’d say Onder de tafel ligt de kat. The verb stays second (liegt), and the subject follows it.
How is the plural of kat and tafel formed?
- kat → de katten (add -en, double the consonant)
- tafel → de tafels (add -s)
So “The cats lie under the tables” becomes De katten liggen onder de tafels.
How do I choose between liggen, zitten, staan, and hangen to describe location?
• liggen – horizontal position (lying)
• zitten – seated position
• staan – upright/standing position
• hangen – hanging position
Since a cat on the floor under a table is lying, you use liggen.
How do I pronounce ligt, especially the final gt?
In the Netherlands, g is a voiceless fricative /x/. ligt is pronounced [lɪxt], roughly “likht.” In Belgium it might be [lɪɣt], with a voiced /ɣ/. The vowel is short, and the gt cluster is a /xt/ or /ɣt/ sound.