Breakdown of Ik plak de fietsband in de schuur.
ik
I
in
in
de schuur
the shed
de fietsband
the bike tire
plakken
to patch
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Questions & Answers about Ik plak de fietsband in de schuur.
What does the verb plakken mean in this sentence?
In general plakken means “to stick” or “to glue,” but when you talk about a fietsband it specifically means “to patch” (as in repairing a puncture). So Ik plak de fietsband here means “I patch the bicycle tire.”
Could you use repareren instead of plakken?
You could say Ik repareer de fietsband, and a Dutch speaker would understand you’re fixing it. However, repareren is more general (“to repair”), while plakken is the everyday verb for patching a punctured tube.
What exactly is a fietsband?
A fietsband is the rubber tire or inner tube of a bicycle. In everyday Dutch, fietsband plakken means fixing the inner tube where it has a hole or leak.
What does schuur mean? Could you say garage instead?
A schuur is a shed or small outbuilding, often used for garden tools and bikes. A garage (same word in Dutch) is usually an enclosed space for cars. If you have your bike in a garage you could say in de garage, but if it’s a simple wooden shed you’d use in de schuur.
Why is it in de schuur and not op de schuur?
We use in because a schuur is an enclosed or semi-enclosed space. You’d say op de schuur only if you were literally on top of the roof of the shed.
Why is the word order Ik plak de fietsband in de schuur (SVO + adverbial)?
Dutch follows a Subject–Verb–Object pattern in main clauses (V2 word order). The location phrase in de schuur comes after the object. You could front the location for emphasis: In de schuur plak ik de fietsband, but then the verb still stays in the second position.
Why is the definite article de used instead of een?
De fietsband implies a specific tire you have in mind (perhaps the one on your bike). If you said Ik plak een fietsband, it sounds like you’re patching some random tube, not a particular one you know about.
How would you say “I have patched the bicycle tire in the shed” in Dutch?
You form the perfect tense with hebben + past participle. The past participle of plakken is geplakt. So:
Ik heb de fietsband in de schuur geplakt.
How can you refer back to de fietsband with a pronoun?
Because fietsband is a de-woord, you use hem for “it.” Example:
Ik plak de fietsband in de schuur. Daarna bewaar ik hem op de plank.
(“I patch the tire in the shed. Afterwards I store it on the shelf.”)
How do you pronounce fietsband and schuur?
- fietsband: Sounds like /FEETS-bahnd/. The ie is like the English “ee” in “see,” and the a in band is like the “a” in “father.”
- schuur: Sounds like /SKHÂWR/ or /SKHØWR/, with a guttural sch- (like clearing your throat) and a vowel between “aw” and “uh.”