Breakdown of Anna maakt het schilderij mooi af.
Questions & Answers about Anna maakt het schilderij mooi af.
What is the main verb in the sentence Anna maakt het schilderij mooi af and why is it split?
Why does af appear at the end of the sentence instead of next to maakt?
In this sentence, is mooi an adjective or an adverb, and why?
Could mooi appear in a different position, for instance before the object?
No. In a transitive sentence with a direct object like het schilderij, manner adverbs typically follow the object.
Correct: “Anna maakt het schilderij mooi af.”
Incorrect: “Anna maakt mooi het schilderij af.”
Why does the sentence use het schilderij instead of de schilderij?
How would you replace het schilderij with a pronoun?
Since schilderij is neuter, you replace het schilderij by the neuter pronoun het.
Example: “Anna maakt het mooi af.”
How do you put this sentence into the past tense?
You use the past form of maken (which is maakte) and still place af at the end:
“Anna maakte het schilderij mooi af.”
Can you use a different verb instead of afmaken, such as voltooien or afwerken?
Yes.
• Voltooien is an inseparable verb, so it stays together and follows regular word order:
“Anna voltooide het schilderij mooi.”
• Afwerken is separable like afmaken, so you split it in a main clause:
“Anna werkt het schilderij mooi af.”
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