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Questions & Answers about Anna en Tom verkennen het bos.
Why is the verb verkennen not split into ver + kennen like some other Dutch verbs?
Because verkennen is an inseparable verb. The prefix ver- stays attached to the stem in every tense; you never move it to the end of the sentence.
How do you conjugate verkennen in the present tense, and why do we see verkennen instead of verkent here?
In Dutch present tense:
- Ik verken
- Jij verkent (or verken jij? in questions)
- Hij/zij/het verkent
- Wij/jullie/zij verkennen
Since Anna en Tom is a plural subject (zij), you use the infinitive form verkennen.
Why doesn’t this sentence use a preposition like in or op before het bos? Shouldn’t you “explore in the forest”?
Verkennen is a transitive verb taking a direct object. You can explore something directly, so no preposition is needed. If you want to stress the location, you could say Anna en Tom verkennen in het bos, but normally you just say verkennen het bos.
Why is it het bos and not de bos?
Nouns in Dutch are either de-words or het-words. Bos (forest) is a het-word, so you use het in the singular. Its plural is de bossen.
Could you say Anna en Tom verkennen een bos to mean “Anna and Tom explore a forest”?
Yes—using een makes it indefinite: Anna en Tom verkennen een bos means they explore a forest (unspecified). With het it’s “the forest” (a specific one).
What’s the difference between verkennen and ontdekken?
Verkennen focuses on surveying or mapping out an area—getting to know details.
Ontdekken means discovering something new or finding something you didn’t know existed.
So you verkennen het bos (you explore it), but you ontdekken een verborgen pad (you discover a hidden path).
How do you pronounce verkennen and bos, and where is the stress?
verkennen: [vər-ˈkɛn-ən], stress on KEN.
bos: [bɔs], with an s sound (not z).
Put it together: Anna en Tom verkennen het bos → [ˈɑnɑ ɛn tɔm vərˈkɛnən ət bɔs].