Breakdown of Anna plakt een mooi vormgegeven poster op de muur.
Anna
Anna
mooi
beautiful
een
a, an
de muur
the wall
op
on
de poster
the poster
plakken
to stick
vormgegeven
designed
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Questions & Answers about Anna plakt een mooi vormgegeven poster op de muur.
What does plakt mean in this sentence?
plakt is the 3rd person singular present form of plakken, which means “to stick” or “to glue.” Here it means Anna is sticking the poster onto the wall, presumably with tape, glue or a sticky backing.
Why is op at the end of the sentence instead of being attached to plakt?
opplakken is a separable verb in Dutch. In main clauses the prefix (op-) detaches and moves to the end of the clause, so you get plakt … op instead of opplakt.
What is the function of op de muur here? Could we use a different preposition?
op de muur is a prepositional phrase meaning “onto the wall” (the surface). If you were hanging something on a nail or hook you’d say aan de muur, but for glued or stuck-on items you use op de muur.
Why is een used before poster instead of de?
een is the indefinite article (“a” or “an”), indicating any poster, not a specific one. de would be the definite article (“the poster”), used only if you have a specific poster in mind.
What does mooi vormgegeven mean, and why isn’t it mooie vormgegeven?
mooi vormgegeven translates roughly as “nicely designed” or “well designed.” Here mooi modifies the past participle vormgegeven, not the noun directly, so it remains in its base form (no –e ending). The participle vormgegeven itself functions as an adjective.
What is vormgegeven, and how is it formed?
vormgegeven is the past participle of the verb vormgeven (“to design”). It literally means “given form,” so as an adjective it describes something that has been designed.
How does the word order in this Dutch sentence compare to English?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb (plakt) must occupy the second position. Here Anna (subject) is first, so plakt comes next. In English the verb order is more flexible, but Dutch requires that structure.
How would you ask “What is Anna sticking on the wall?” in Dutch?
You would say Wat plakt Anna op de muur? The question word (Wat) goes first, then the finite verb (plakt) in second position, followed by the subject (Anna) and the rest.
Can this sentence be turned into passive voice?
Yes. You can say:
Een mooi vormgegeven poster wordt door Anna op de muur geplakt.
Note that the separable prefix op- still comes at the end in the passive construction.
Why is it de muur and not het muur?
The noun muur (“wall”) is of common gender in Dutch, so it takes the article de rather than het.