Breakdown of De monteur repareert mijn fiets.
mijn
my
de fiets
the bike
de monteur
the mechanic
repareren
to repair
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Questions & Answers about De monteur repareert mijn fiets.
Why does monteur take the article de instead of het?
monteur is a common-gender noun in Dutch. All nouns of common gender (historically masculine or feminine) use de as the definite article. Only neuter nouns take het.
How do we get repareert from the infinitive repareren?
Start with the infinitive repareren, drop -en to get the stem repareer (the doubled e marks a long vowel), then add -t for the third-person singular present. So repareer + t = repareert.
Why is there no preposition before mijn fiets? Isn’t something like aan required?
In Dutch, repareren is a transitive verb that takes a direct object. You simply say repareert mijn fiets. Adding a preposition like aan would be incorrect—direct objects following transitive verbs stand alone.
Why is the verb repareert in the second position and not at the end of the sentence?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) word-order rule: the finite verb must occupy slot two. Since De monteur is the first constituent (subject), repareert appears second.
Does the possessive pronoun mijn change depending on the gender or number of fiets?
No. Dutch possessives like mijn do not inflect for gender or plurality. Whether it’s mijn fiets, mijn auto or mijn fietsen, you always use mijn.
How can I express My bike is being repaired by the mechanic in Dutch?
Use the passive voice: Mijn fiets wordt gerepareerd door de monteur.
How do I say I have my bike repaired by the mechanic (i.e., someone does it for me)?
Use the causative laten + infinitive: Ik laat mijn fiets repareren door de monteur.