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Questions & Answers about Tom betaalt voor de reparatie.
Why is betaalt used instead of betalen?
In Dutch, verbs must agree with the subject. Betalen is the infinitive. With a third-person singular subject (Tom = hij), you add -t: hij betaalt.
What does the preposition voor mean here, and why is it necessary?
Voor means “for” in the sense of “covering the cost of.” With betalen, you need voor to show what you’re paying for. Without it, the sentence wouldn’t idiomatically express “paying for the repair.”
Could you say “Tom betaalt de reparatie” without voor?
Not really. Tom betaalt de reparatie would sound like “Tom pays the repair (person or thing),” which is unclear. To indicate payment for a service or item, you need voor.
Why is the definite article de used with reparatie?
In Dutch, nouns ending in -ie are common-gender (formerly feminine) and take de. Hence de reparatie.
Why is the prepositional phrase placed after the verb?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule (verb second). The finite verb stays in position two, so the order is Subject – Verb – (Objects/Adverbials). You could front the phrase—Voor de reparatie betaalt Tom—but the verb must still occupy the second slot.
How do you turn this into a question?
Invert subject and verb: Betaalt Tom voor de reparatie? That corresponds to “Does Tom pay for the repair?”
How do you say “Tom paid for the repair” in the past tense?
Use the simple past of betalen: Tom betaalde voor de reparatie.
How do you pronounce betaalt and reparatie?
- betaalt: [bəˈtaːlt] – stress on the second syllable, long aa.
- reparatie: [re.paˈraː.tsi] – -tie is pronounced [tsi], with a long aa in the penultimate syllable.