Breakdown of De meerderheid van de studenten vindt de oefening makkelijk.
vinden
to find
van
of
de student
the student
de oefening
the exercise
makkelijk
easy
de meerderheid
the majority
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Questions & Answers about De meerderheid van de studenten vindt de oefening makkelijk.
Why is vindt singular when talking about many students?
Because the grammatical subject is de meerderheid (the majority), which is a singular noun. Dutch verbs agree with the grammatical subject, so we use vindt (3rd person singular) instead of vinden (plural).
What’s the difference between de meerderheid van de studenten and de meeste studenten?
De meerderheid van de studenten treats “the majority” as one singular concept, so it takes a singular verb (vindt). De meeste studenten literally means “most students” (plural), so it takes a plural verb (vinden).
How can I rephrase the sentence using de meeste studenten?
You would say:
De meeste studenten vinden de oefening makkelijk.
Note the change to the plural verb vinden.
Is it correct to drop van de and say de meerderheid studenten?
No. Dutch requires van de to express the genitive “of the.” You need the full phrase de meerderheid van de studenten.
Why is makkelijk placed after the verb and not before de oefening?
Here makkelijk is a predicative adjective describing de oefening. Predicative adjectives follow the verb. If you want an attributive adjective before the noun, you must inflect it: een makkelijke oefening.
Why don’t we use te before makkelijk, as in te makkelijk?
In Dutch, te before an adjective expresses “too” (e.g. te makkelijk om te maken = “too easy to make”). In a simple predicative construction you omit te.
What’s the difference between makkelijk and gemakkelijk?
Both mean “easy.” Gemakkelijk is more formal, while makkelijk is common in everyday speech.
Could I use another synonym like eenvoudig?
Yes. You could say:
De meerderheid van de studenten vindt de oefening eenvoudig.
It means exactly the same.
Why do we say de oefening rather than een oefening?
De oefening refers to a specific exercise already known in the context. Een oefening would mean “an exercise” in general, not a particular one.
How is meerderheid pronounced?
It’s pronounced roughly /ˈmeːrdərɦɛit/ (MEER-duhr-hate), with the stress on the first syllable.
What is the literal translation of De meerderheid van de studenten vindt de oefening makkelijk?
Literally: “The majority of the students finds the exercise easy.” In natural English you’d say: “Most of the students find the exercise easy.”