Breakdown of De bestuurder stopt netjes voor het zebrapad.
stoppen
to stop
de bestuurder
the driver
netjes
neatly
voor
in front of
Questions & Answers about De bestuurder stopt netjes voor het zebrapad.
Why is it de bestuurder and not het bestuurder?
In Dutch every noun takes either de or het as its definite article. Bestuurder (driver) is a so-called “de-word,” so you always say de bestuurder. You need to memorize which nouns are de and which are het, though patterns (people, professions → often de) can help.
How do you form the verb stoppen in this sentence? Why is it stopt?
The base form is stoppen (to stop). In the present tense, third-person singular (he/she/it), you drop -en and add -t:
• ik stop
• jij stopt
• hij/zij/het stopt
So De bestuurder stopt means “The driver stops.”
What does netjes mean, and why is it placed after the verb?
Netjes translates to “politely,” “properly,” or “neatly.” In a Dutch main clause the typical word order is:
Subject – Finite verb – Adverbs/adverbials – Rest of sentence.
Hence ‘De bestuurder stopt netjes…’ is natural. If you put netjes before the verb, it sounds marked: ‘De bestuurder netjes stopt…’ (uncommon).
Why is the preposition voor used here? Could you use another preposition?