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De glazen vaas staat in de keuken.

De glazen vaas staat in de keuken.
The glass vase is in the kitchen.
FromLesson 30inHardcore Dutch
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Breakdown of De glazen vaas staat in de keuken.

in
in
staan
to stand
de keuken
the kitchen
glazen
glass
de vaas
the vase

Questions & Answers about De glazen vaas staat in de keuken.

Why is de used instead of het in de glazen vaas?
Dutch nouns are divided into two “genders” for articles: de-woorden (common gender) and het-woorden (neuter). The word vaas (vase) is a common-gender noun, so you always use de rather than het.
Why is the adjective glazen ending in -en instead of the regular -e (as in de groene vaas)?
Here glazen is a material adjective—it’s formed from the noun glas (glass) to mean “made of glass.” Material adjectives like houten (wooden), koperen (copper), zilveren (silver), etc., always take -en in front of both de- and het- words and do not follow the usual -e rule for attributive adjectives.
Could you use another adjective form, like glasachtig?
Yes, glasachtig (“glass-like”) is a regular adjective derived from glas, so you would say de glasachtige vaas and apply the normal -e ending for a de-woord. But that means “vase that resembles glass,” not “vase made of glass.”
Why does the sentence use staat instead of ligt or zit?

Dutch locational verbs agree with the orientation or posture of the object:

  • staan for things in an upright position (a vase stands)
  • liggen for things lying flat (a book lies)
  • zitten for things “sitting” in a receptacle (sugar sits in a bowl)
    Since a vase is upright, you use staat.
What if I want to say “A glass vase is in the kitchen”?

Replace the definite article de with the indefinite een. You get:
Een glazen vaas staat in de keuken.

How do you make it plural: “The glass vases stand in the kitchen”?

Plural of vaas is vazen (long vowel + -en). The adjective glazen stays the same (material adjectives don’t change). And the verb switches to staan (plural). So:
De glazen vazen staan in de keuken.

Can I start with the location for emphasis, like “In the kitchen stands the glass vase”?

Yes—the Dutch verb-second (V2) rule allows inversion when a non-subject comes first. You’d say:
In de keuken staat de glazen vaas.

Why is there “in de keuken” and not just “in keuken”?
With most ordinary rooms or enclosed spaces, Dutch requires a definite or indefinite article. So you say in de keuken, in het huis, in een kamer, etc. Only set phrases like thuis or in België drop the article.
Could I also say “Er staat een glazen vaas in de keuken”?

Absolutely. The er-construction is common for introducing existence or presence:
Er staat een glazen vaas in de keuken.

More from this lesson

de stoepIk sta op de stoep en wacht op mijn vriend.De kinderen spelen niet op de weg maar op de stoep.de rommelEr ligt veel rommel in mijn kamer, dus ik moet opruimen.Toen ik thuiskwam, zag ik dat de keuken vol rommel lag.de vuilniszakIk doe de rommel in een grote vuilniszak en breng die naar buiten.
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