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Questions & Answers about De deur in de gang is nieuw.
Why is the article de used before deur and before gang?
In Dutch every noun has a grammatical gender: common (formerly masculine/feminine) or neuter. Both deur (door) and gang (hallway/corridor) are common-gender nouns, so they take the definite article de. Only neuter nouns take het.
What is the function of in de gang in this sentence?
in de gang is a prepositional phrase specifying the location of the door. It attaches directly to the noun deur, forming the noun phrase de deur in de gang (“the door in the hallway”).
Why is the adjective nieuw not inflected (why not nieuwe)?
When an adjective follows a form of zijn (to be) it’s in the predicative position and stays in its base form. Only attributive adjectives (those directly before a noun) get an -e after de or het. That’s why here it’s is nieuw, not is nieuwe.
Can I say De deur is nieuw in de gang instead of De deur in de gang is nieuw?
You could but it sounds less natural. Placing in de gang at the end tends to attach it to the whole clause (implying “the door happens to be new while it’s in the hallway”), rather than identifying which door is new. By saying De deur in de gang is nieuw, you clearly pick out the specific door and then state it’s new.
What is the difference between in de gang and van de gang here?
in de gang means “in the hallway,” a location.
van de gang means “of the hallway,” suggesting possession or origin (e.g. “the hallway’s door,” which could imply ownership rather than physical location).
How do you pronounce nieuw?
nieuw is pronounced [niːy] in Dutch. The ie sound is like the English “ee” in “see,” followed by a tense Dutch u sound, similar to the “u” in French lune or the German ü.
How would you say “the new door in the hallway” without the verb?
You’d use the attributive adjective form with an -e ending: De nieuwe deur in de gang.
How do you turn this statement into a yes/no question?
Invert subject and verb: Is de deur in de gang nieuw?