De kat loopt in het weiland.

Breakdown of De kat loopt in het weiland.

de kat
the cat
in
in
lopen
to walk
het weiland
the meadow
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Questions & Answers about De kat loopt in het weiland.

Why is it de kat and het weiland? Why not het kat or de weiland?

In Dutch, nouns have two genders: common (using de) and neuter (using het).

  • Kat is common gender ⇒ de kat
  • Weiland is neuter ⇒ het weiland
    Unfortunately there’s no foolproof rule for every noun; you often learn each word’s gender or follow patterns (e.g. most diminutives are het, many “-ing” nouns are de).
How do you get loopt from the infinitive lopen?

To form the 3rd person singular present tense:

  1. Start with the infinitive lopen (‘to walk’).
  2. Drop -en → stem loop-.
  3. Add -tloopt.
    So de kat loopt literally means “the cat walks.”
Why is the verb in second position in De kat loopt in het weiland?

Dutch main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule:

  1. First comes one element (often the subject).
  2. Then the finite verb.
  3. Then the rest of the sentence (objects, adverbials, etc.).
    Here:
  4. De kat (subject)
  5. loopt (verb)
  6. in het weiland (prepositional phrase)
Why in het weiland and not op het weiland?

Prepositions depend on how you view the space:

  • in = inside or within an area (the meadow is a space the cat walks in).
  • op = on top of a surface (like a table or roof).
    Thus in het weiland is correct for “in the meadow.”
Can I express “the cat is walking” (continuous) in Dutch?

Dutch lacks a dedicated continuous tense. You can say:

  • Simple present: De kat loopt in het weiland. (often enough to imply “is walking”)
  • Progressive construction: De kat is in het weiland aan het lopen.
    Both convey that the action is ongoing.
What’s the difference between weiland and weide?

Both translate as “meadow,” but:

  • Weiland often implies a fenced pasture used for grazing livestock.
  • Weide is a more general term for meadow or pasture.
    Context and regional usage determine which you’ll hear more.
How do you pronounce weiland, and what sound does ij represent?
  • Weiland in IPA: [ˈʋɛiˌlɑnt].
  • The Dutch ij sounds like the English long “i” in “like.”
    So weiland ≈ “VAY-lahnd.”