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Breakdown of We moeten de kapotte lamp vervangen.
wij
we
moeten
must
de lamp
the lamp
kapot
broken
vervangen
to replace
Questions & Answers about We moeten de kapotte lamp vervangen.
What does moeten mean and how is it used in this sentence?
moeten is a modal verb meaning “must” or “have to.” In Dutch, when you use a modal verb, the main action verb (here vervangen) moves to the end in its infinitive form.
Why is vervangen at the end of the sentence?
Dutch main‐clause word order with a modal verb places the infinitive (the main verb) at the end. The structure is:
- Subject (we)
- Modal verb (moeten)
- Object/other elements (de kapotte lamp)
- Infinitive (vervangen)
Why does kapotte take an –e?
Adjectives before a noun get an –e when the noun has a definite article (de) or is plural or a common‐gender singular. Since de lamp is definite, the adjective kapot becomes kapotte.
Why do we say de lamp and not het lamp?
In Dutch, every noun is either a “de‐word” (common gender) or a “het‐word” (neuter). Lamp is a common‐gender noun, so it takes de.
Is vervangen a separable verb? Why don’t we split the prefix ver-?
No, vervangen is inseparable. In Dutch, prefixes like ver-, be-, ge-, ont- remain attached to the verb in all word orders—you never split them.
How do you express “replace X with Y” in Dutch?
You use vervangen door:
We moeten de kapotte lamp vervangen door een nieuwe.
Here door means “with” in the sense of “replace…with….”
Can I say We moeten kapotte lamp vervangen without de?
No. In Dutch, singular common‐gender nouns usually require an article (de or een) or another determiner before them in normal sentences.
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