Breakdown of De technicus test de machine in de fabriek.
in
in
de fabriek
the factory
de machine
the machine
testen
to test
de technicus
the technician
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Questions & Answers about De technicus test de machine in de fabriek.
Why is de technicus used instead of een technicus?
Because we’re talking about a specific technician. Dutch uses the definite article de for “the.” If you wanted to say “a technician,” you’d use een technicus.
Why is the verb test and not testen or testt?
- Infinitive: testen
- Remove -en to get the stem test
- For 3rd person singular in the present tense, add -t → test
Dutch spelling rules prevent doubling the t, so you write just one t.
Why does the verb come right after the subject?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule (Verb-second):
- One element (here the subject de technicus) occupies the first position.
- The finite verb (test) must come second.
Everything else follows after.
Why is it in de fabriek and not op de fabriek?
Use in when something is physically inside a space: in de fabriek (inside the factory).
Use op for on top of or for certain fixed expressions (like op kantoor). Here the technician works inside, so in is correct.
Why do we use de for machine?
Dutch nouns are either common (de) or neuter (het). machine is a common-gender noun, so it takes de. You generally have to learn each noun’s article.
How would you make the sentence plural?
– Subject: de technici
– Verb for plural stays testen
– Object: de machines
– Location plural: in de fabrieken
Result: De technici testen de machines in de fabrieken.
Can you start with in de fabriek? What changes?
Yes. When you front the prepositional phrase, you still keep the verb in second position, so you invert subject and verb:
In de fabriek test de technicus de machine.