Breakdown of Onderhoud is belangrijk voor de oude auto.
zijn
to be
oud
old
voor
for
belangrijk
important
de auto
the car
het onderhoud
the maintenance
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Questions & Answers about Onderhoud is belangrijk voor de oude auto.
What kind of word is onderhoud, and why does it not need an article here?
Onderhoud is a mass (uncountable) noun meaning “maintenance.” In Dutch, uncountable nouns generally appear without an indefinite article, just like in English. So you say Onderhoud is belangrijk, not Het onderhoud is belangrijk unless you’re talking about a specific maintenance event.
Why is belangrijk not inflected with -e like belangrijke?
After a linking verb such as is, the adjective is in predicative position and stays in its base form: onderhoud is belangrijk. You only add -e when the adjective is attributive (i.e. comes before a noun with an article): de belangrijke taak.
When do adjectives take an -e ending in Dutch?
Adjectives get -e when they precede a noun that has a definite (de, het) or indefinite (een) article. For example:
- de oude auto
- een mooie tuin
They remain uninflected (no -e) in predicative use (after verbs like zijn, blijven, lijken): - de auto is oud
- het huis is mooi
Why is de used before oude auto?
Dutch distinguishes two definite articles: de for common-gender nouns (masculine and feminine) and het for neuter nouns. Auto is common gender, so you use de. Hence de auto, and with the adjective: de oude auto.
Why is the preposition voor used here, and what nuance does it add?
Voor means “for” in the sense of purpose or benefit. Onderhoud is belangrijk voor de oude auto means “Maintenance is important for the old car.” You wouldn’t use aan (“to/at”) or met (“with”) to express that idea.
Can the sentence be reordered to “Belangrijk is onderhoud voor de oude auto”?
Dutch standard word order in a simple statement is Subject–Verb–Complement: Onderhoud (subject) is (verb) belangrijk voor de oude auto (complement). Inverting it to start with Belangrijk sounds poetic or emphatic and is uncommon in everyday speech.
Could you say “voor oude auto” without de?
No. Singular countable nouns in Dutch generally require an article. You either need de (definite) or een (indefinite). Omitting the article—voor oude auto—would be considered ungrammatical.