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Het schaap drinkt water in de tuin.

Het schaap drinkt water in de tuin.
The sheep drinks water in the garden.
FromLesson 28inHardcore Dutch
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Questions & Answers about Het schaap drinkt water in de tuin.

Why is het used instead of de before schaap?
The definite article in Dutch has two forms: de for common-gender nouns and het for neuter nouns. Since schaap is neuter, you say het schaap.
How do I say a sheep rather than the sheep?

Use the indefinite article een. So een schaap is a sheep. For example:
een schaap drinkt water in de tuin means A sheep is drinking water in the garden.

Why is there no article before water?
Water is an uncountable (mass) noun in Dutch. When talking about it generally, you leave out the article. If you need to specify quantity, add a measure word: een glas water (a glass of water).
Why does drinken become drinkt here?

In the present tense, verbs end in -t for the third person singular (he/she/it).
Infinitive: drinken
Conjugation: ik drink, jij drinkt, hij/zij/het drinkt, wij drinken …

How do I express “is drinking” in Dutch?

Dutch uses the simple present to cover both habitual and ongoing actions. So drinkt can mean drinks or is drinking. To emphasize the ongoing action, you can use bezig te:
Het schaap is bezig te drinken.

Why is it in de tuin instead of op de tuin?
In is used for enclosed or bounded spaces like a garden. You use op for surfaces or open areas, e.g. op de tafel (on the table).
What is the word order in this sentence?

A Dutch main clause follows Subject–Verb–Object (SVO) order, just like English:
Subject: Het schaap
Verb: drinkt
Object: water
Adverbial: in de tuin

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