De zanger test de microfoon vóór het concert.

The singer tests the microphone before the concert.

Breakdown of De zanger test de microfoon vóór het concert.

• voor: before
• de zanger: the singer
• testen: to test
• de microfoon: the microphone
• het concert: the concert

Questions & Answers about De zanger test de microfoon vóór het concert.

Why does test have a -t at the end in De zanger test de microfoon…?

In Dutch, most regular verbs add -t in the present tense for hij/zij/het (third person singular). The infinitive is testen (to test). The stem is test. So:
• ik test
• jij test
• hij/zij/het test
• wij/Jullie/zij testen

Because our subject is de zanger (he), we write test + t.

What’s the difference between vóór and voor, and why is there an accent on vóór?

vóór (with an acute accent) means before in time. voor (without an accent) most often means for or in front of. The accent helps you know you’re talking about time. Example:
• Ik wacht voor de deur. (I’m waiting in front of the door.)
• Ik kom vóór het avondeten. (I’ll arrive before dinner.)

The accent is optional in informal writing but recommended to avoid confusion.

Why is it de microfoon and not het microfoon?

Dutch nouns are either de-words (common gender) or het-words (neuter). microfoon is a common‐gender noun, so it takes de. There’s no rule to predict this in every case, so you learn articles along with vocabulary. Many borrowed words ending in -foon use de, e.g. de telefoon, de koptelefoon.

Why is De capitalized at the start of the sentence?

Just like in English, the first word of any Dutch sentence is capitalized. Even if it’s an article like de or het, you always start with a capital letter.

Can I move vóór het concert to another position in the sentence?

Yes. Dutch word order is fairly flexible with time/place phrases. You can say:
• Vóór het concert test de zanger de microfoon. (Time first)
• De zanger test vóór het concert de microfoon. (Time in mid‐position)
• De zanger test de microfoon vóór het concert. (Time at end – most common)

All are correct; the emphasis shifts slightly.

How would you talk about a female singer? Do you say de zangerin or de zangeres?

The usual female form of zanger is zangeres. So you’d say de zangeres test de microfoon vóór het concert. zangerin is not used in standard Dutch.

Is testen borrowed from English, and does it follow regular Dutch conjugation?

Yes, testen comes from English to test, but it’s fully integrated and follows regular Dutch conjugation patterns (weak verb). Its past tense is testte (ik testte) and perfect is getest (ik heb getest).