Breakdown of Wij prijzen onze docent voor zijn hulp.
wij
we
onze
our
voor
for
zijn
his
de hulp
the help
de docent
the teacher
prijzen
to praise
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Questions & Answers about Wij prijzen onze docent voor zijn hulp.
How is prijzen conjugated for wij in the present tense? Why doesn’t it end in -t?
In Dutch, only jij/je and hij/zij take a -t in the present: jij prijst, hij prijst. For wij, jullie and zij you use the full infinitive form prijzen. So Wij prijzen is correct; you would never say wij prijst.
Why is voor used to introduce zijn hulp? Could we use om instead?
The verb prijzen requires the preposition voor to mark the cause or reason: prijzen iemand voor iets (“praise someone for something”). Om is not used in this construction, so prijzen … om … would be incorrect.
Why is it onze docent and not ons docent?
Dutch possessive pronouns agree with the gender (de/het) of the noun. Docent is a de-word (common gender), so you use onze. Ons is reserved for singular het-words (e.g. ons huis).
Why is there no article before hulp in voor zijn hulp? Why not voor de hulp?
The possessive pronoun zijn already functions as a determiner. In Dutch you never combine zijn with de or het, so you simply say voor zijn hulp.
What happens to the word order if we put voor zijn hulp at the beginning of the sentence? Does the verb still come second?
Yes. Dutch follows the V2 rule: whatever you front counts as the first element, the verb remains in second position. You get: Voor zijn hulp prijzen wij onze docent. The subject (wij) then follows the verb.
How would you express “We praised our teacher for his help” in the past? What is the past participle of prijzen?
Dutch commonly uses the perfect tense here:
Wij hebben onze docent geprezen voor zijn hulp.
The past participle of prijzen is geprezen (not geprijsd). You could form the simple past plural as wij prezen, but the perfect is more natural.
Can you replace onze docent with a pronoun? Which one and where does it go?
Yes. Since docent is masculine you use the direct-object pronoun hem:
Wij prijzen hem voor zijn hulp.
Place hem immediately after the verb when a prepositional phrase follows.
What’s the difference between prijzen and danken in Dutch?
Prijzen means “to praise” (express admiration or commendation), whereas danken means “to thank” (express gratitude). You praise someone’s work; you thank someone for doing you a favor.
Is there a nuance between docent and leraar?
Both mean “teacher,” but leraar/lerares is often used for primary and secondary school teachers. Docent is common in secondary vocational education, colleges, and universities. The exact usage can vary by region, but that’s the general distinction.
Can you drop wij and simply say Prijzen onze docent voor zijn hulp?
No. Standard Dutch is not a pro-drop language: you must include an explicit subject. You need to say Wij prijzen onze docent voor zijn hulp in a declarative sentence.