Ik begrijp de zin niet.

Breakdown of Ik begrijp de zin niet.

ik
I
niet
not
begrijpen
to understand
de zin
the sentence
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Questions & Answers about Ik begrijp de zin niet.

What is the part of speech of niet, and why is it at the end of the sentence?

niet is the Dutch negation adverb, used to negate verbs, adjectives or whole clauses. In a basic Subject-Verb-Object sentence like Ik begrijp de zin, you negate the entire statement by placing niet after the object:
Ik begrijp de zin niet.
Literally “I understand the sentence not,” but idiomatically “I don’t understand the sentence.”

How do you choose between the articles de and het for nouns like zin?
Dutch nouns have two genders: common (formerly “de-words”) and neuter (formerly “het-words”). zin is a common-gender noun, so it takes de. Unfortunately, there’s no foolproof rule except memorization or consulting a dictionary. However, many learners start by learning the article together with the noun: de zin, het boek, de tafel, het huis, etc.
Why is niet used here instead of geen?

Use geen to negate an indefinite noun without an article (e.g. Ik heb geen auto = “I have no car”). Use niet to negate:
• a verb (as above)
• a definite noun with de or het (e.g. Ik zie de man niet)
• adjectives, adverbs or prepositional phrases (e.g. Ik ben niet thuis, “I am not at home”).

Can I replace de zin with het and say Ik begrijp het niet?

Not if you’re pointing to de zin itself (a common-gender noun must take die: Ik begrijp die niet). However, if you refer to the general idea, explanation or context—“I don’t get it”—then het is perfectly natural:
Ik begrijp het niet. (“I don’t get it/that.”)

How do you conjugate begrijpen in the present tense?

Present-tense conjugation of begrijpen (“to understand”) is regular for Dutch strong verbs in the present:
• ik begrijp
• jij begrijpt / begrijp je?
• hij/zij/het begrijpt
• wij begrijpen
• jullie begrijpen
• zij begrijpen

How is the ij in begrijp pronounced?
The Dutch ij is a single diphthong [ɛi], similar to the English “ay” in say. You’ll hear it in words like bij, tijd, eindelijk.
Can you say Ik snap de zin niet instead of Ik begrijp de zin niet?

Yes. snappen is a common colloquial synonym of begrijpen in spoken Dutch:
Ik snap de zin niet.
In formal writing or more careful speech, begrijpen remains the standard choice.