Breakdown of Mijn broer legde zijn riem op de stapel kleren, maar hij kan hem nu niet terugvinden.
niet
not
maar
but
hij
he
zijn
his
hem
him
mijn
my
kunnen
can
nu
now
op
on
leggen
to put
de broer
the brother
de riem
the belt
de stapel
the pile
de kleren
the clothes
terugvinden
to find
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Questions & Answers about Mijn broer legde zijn riem op de stapel kleren, maar hij kan hem nu niet terugvinden.
What tense is legde, and why is it used here?
Legde is the simple past (imperfectum) form of leggen (“to lay” or “to put”). It describes a completed action in the past: “my brother laid his belt…”
How do we know it’s legde and not legte?
Dutch weak verbs add -te or -de in the past tense based on the final consonant of the stem. If the stem ends in a letter from “’t kofschip” (T, K, F, S, CH, P), you add -te. The stem leg- ends in G (not in that list), so it takes -de, yielding legde.
What’s the difference between leggen and zetten?
Leggen means to place something down horizontally, while zetten means to put something in a more upright or stationary position. Since a belt is laid flat on a pile, leggen is the correct choice here.
Why is it op de stapel kleren?
The preposition op indicates that the belt was placed on top of the pile. Stapel kleren literally means “pile of clothes.” Together, op de stapel kleren = “on the pile of clothes.”
Could we say stapel kleding instead of stapel kleren?
Yes. Kleding is an uncountable noun meaning “clothing,” so stapel kleding is perfectly correct. Kleren is the regular plural “garments,” emphasizing individual items. Both options are fine, with only a slight nuance in focus.
What is terugvinden, and why isn’t it split in this sentence?
Terugvinden is a separable verb meaning “to find again.” In a main clause with a modal verb like kan, the full infinitive terugvinden stays together after the modal. If you drop kan, you’d split it: hij vindt hem niet terug.
Why is the object pronoun hem used to refer to riem?
De riem is a “de-word,” treated as masculine or common gender. The corresponding third-person singular object pronoun is hem (“him/it”), so you say kan hem niet terugvinden.
Why does the sentence switch from past tense in the first clause to present tense in the second?
The action of placing the belt happened in the past (legde). The difficulty of finding it is a current, ongoing situation, so it’s expressed in the present tense (kan hem nu niet terugvinden).
How is the word order determined in maar hij kan hem nu niet terugvinden?
In Dutch main clauses:
- The finite verb (kan) is in second position.
- The subject (hij) is first.
- The object pronoun (hem) follows the verb.
- The time adverb (nu) comes before the negation (niet).
- The infinitive cluster (terugvinden) goes to the end.
What role does zijn play in zijn riem?
Zijn is the possessive pronoun “his,” used for both masculine and neuter nouns. It shows ownership: zijn riem means “his belt.”