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Questions & Answers about Tom draagt Anna op zijn rug.
What does the verb dragen mean in this sentence?
draagt is the 3rd-person singular present of dragen, which here means “to carry” (as in physically supporting and moving someone). Although dragen can also mean “to wear” (clothes) or “to bear” (a burden), in Tom draagt Anna op zijn rug it clearly refers to carrying her piggyback.
Why is it op zijn rug instead of just zijn rug?
The preposition op (“on”) is needed to indicate where Anna is located—namely, on Tom’s back. Without op, zijn rug would merely mean “his back” without expressing that Anna is physically on it.
What role does zijn play in op zijn rug?
zijn is the possessive pronoun “his.” It refers back to the subject Tom, showing that it is Tom’s back.
Could I say Tom draagt Anna op z’n rug in casual contexts?
Yes. z’n is a colloquial contraction of zijn. It’s common in spoken Dutch and informal writing, but you’d avoid it in formal texts.
Why isn’t there an article before Anna or rug?
Anna is a proper name, so no article is used. rug follows the possessive pronoun zijn, which replaces the need for an article. If you rephrased it as de rug van Tom, you would include de.
Why is it draagt and not dragen?
In Dutch, verbs are conjugated. For hij/zij/het (he/she/it) in the present tense, you add -t to the stem. So dragen becomes draagt when the subject is Tom.
What’s the difference between dragen and tillen?
tillen means “to lift” something off the ground or raise it briefly, often focusing on the effort. dragen means “to carry” something while moving. Tom could tillen Anna up, but once he moves her piggyback, he draagt her.
How would the sentence change if Anna were carrying Tom?
You’d swap the names and change the possessive pronoun:
Anna draagt Tom op haar rug.
Notice haar (“her”) replaces zijn because now Anna is the one with the back.
Can dragen be used figuratively here?
While dragen can mean “to bear” a figurative burden (e.g. een last dragen), iemand op je rug dragen almost always describes a physical piggyback. For abstract burdens, Dutch prefers phrases like een last/op je schouders dragen.
Is the word order always Subject-Verb-Object-Place in Dutch?
In a simple main clause, yes: Subject (Tom) – Verb (draagt) – Object (Anna) – Adverbial of place (op zijn rug). Moving op zijn rug elsewhere can sound odd or change emphasis.