Breakdown of De docent besprak een nieuw patroon in de grafiek.
in
in
nieuw
new
een
a, an
bespreken
to discuss
de docent
the teacher
de grafiek
the graph
het patroon
the pattern
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Questions & Answers about De docent besprak een nieuw patroon in de grafiek.
Why is the verb besprak used here, and not bespreekt or besproken?
besprak is the simple past tense (3rd person singular) of bespreken (to discuss). We use it because the sentence describes something that happened in the past. bespreekt is present tense (“he discusses”), while besproken is the past participle (used with hebben, as in heeft besproken).
How is bespreken conjugated in the past, and what is its past participle?
Present: ik bespreek, jij bespreekt, hij bespreekt …
Past:
- ik/jij/hij besprak
- wij/jullie/zij bespraken
Past participle: besproken
Because be- is an inseparable prefix, there’s no ge- added in the past participle.
Why is the adjective nieuw not inflected to nieuwe before patroon?
Dutch adjective inflection depends on article and gender:
- With a definite article (de or het) or in plural, you add -e (e.g. de nieuwe docent, het nieuwe patroon).
- With a neuter noun and an indefinite article (een
- het-woord), the adjective stays uninflected: een nieuw patroon.
Why is een used before nieuw patroon, but de before docent and grafiek?
de/het are definite articles (“the”), een is the indefinite article (“a/an”). In this sentence:
- de docent, de grafiek refer to specific, known items (the teacher, the graph).
- een nieuw patroon introduces something not yet known or mentioned (a new pattern).
How do you know whether a noun takes de or het, for example docent, grafiek or patroon?
Unfortunately, there’s no absolute rule; you generally memorize it or consult a dictionary. Some tendencies:
- Most nouns ending in -ing, -ie, -heid, -schap are de-words.
- Many nouns ending in -um, -isme are het-words.
But there are exceptions, so a good dictionary entry is your best guide.
Why is it in de grafiek and not op de grafiek?
in indicates something contained within boundaries (the pattern is visible inside the graph). op describes being on a surface (e.g. op de tafel). Since the pattern lies within the graph’s area, we say in de grafiek.
Could we use the present perfect instead, and say De docent heeft een nieuw patroon in de grafiek besproken?
Yes. Both are correct:
- Simple past (besprak) is common in written or formal Dutch.
- Present perfect (heeft besproken) is frequent in spoken Dutch (especially in Belgium). The meaning remains the same; you’re just choosing a different past tense.
Can I change the word order to emphasize een nieuw patroon?
Yes. Dutch has V2 word order: the finite verb stays in second position, but you can front any element for emphasis. For example:
- Een nieuw patroon besprak de docent in de grafiek.
- In de grafiek besprak de docent een nieuw patroon.
Both are grammatically correct and shift focus to the fronted element.