Breakdown of Ik controleer de voorraad brood in de kast.
ik
I
het brood
the bread
in
in
controleren
to check
de kast
the cupboard
de voorraad
the stock
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Questions & Answers about Ik controleer de voorraad brood in de kast.
Why is the verb controleren used here instead of checken?
Controleren is the standard Dutch verb for “to check” or “to inspect.” Checken is a more recent English loanword often heard in informal speech. In formal writing or everyday speech you’ll hear controleren far more frequently.
Why does the sentence start with Ik? Could it start differently?
In a main clause Dutch follows the V2 (verb‐second) rule: the finite verb must be the second element. If you begin with Ik, the next word must be the verb (controleer). You could start with another element—for example Vanmiddag controleer ik… or In de kast controleer ik…—but the verb still stays in second position.
Why is there no article before brood (“…voorraad brood…”)? Shouldn’t it be het brood?
Here brood is an uncountable (mass) noun used in a general sense (“bread stock”). You don’t need an article when talking about bread in general. The article het would make it specific (“the bread”), which isn’t what we want here.
Why do we say de voorraad brood instead of de voorraad van brood?
Dutch often drops van in genitive constructions when the second noun is a general category (bread). De voorraad brood is more idiomatic and concise. Using van would be grammatically possible (de voorraad van brood) but sounds more cumbersome and less natural.
What gender are voorraad and kast, and why do they take de?
Both voorraad (stock) and kast (cupboard) are common‐gender nouns in Dutch. All common‐gender singular nouns use the definite article de; only neuter nouns take het.
Why is the phrase in de kast used, not op de kast?
In de kast means “inside the cupboard,” which is where you store items. Op de kast would mean “on top of the cupboard,” a different location that wouldn’t normally fit the idea of checking stock stored inside.
Can you rearrange the sentence to emphasize the location?
Yes. If you front in de kast, the verb must still be second:
In de kast controleer ik de voorraad brood.
This puts the focus on where you’re checking.
Is it possible to form a compound like broodvoorraad?
Absolutely. You can say Ik controleer de broodvoorraad in de kast.
Both de voorraad brood and de broodvoorraad are correct; the compound feels slightly more formal or specialized.