Breakdown of Ik pak de stempel uit mijn tas.
ik
I
pakken
to grab
mijn
my
uit
out of
de tas
the bag
de stempel
the stamp
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Questions & Answers about Ik pak de stempel uit mijn tas.
What does pak mean in this sentence? It looks like “to pack.”
In this sentence, pak is the first-person singular present tense of pakken, which means “to grab” or “to take” (physically). It is not the English “to pack” (as in packing luggage).
Could I say Ik neem de stempel uit mijn tas instead of Ik pak de stempel uit mijn tas?
Yes. nemen (“to take”) is more general, while pakken (“to grab/take”) emphasizes the physical action of grabbing. Both sentences are correct; the nuance is that pakken often implies you reach in and actually grab the item.
Why is the article de used before stempel?
Dutch nouns are divided into de-words and het-words. Stempel is a de-word, so it takes the definite article de in the singular.
Why don’t we say uit de mijn tas? Isn’t tas a de-word too?
You never combine a definite article (de) with a possessive pronoun (mijn). Mijn itself acts as the determiner, so you simply say mijn tas.
Is uit part of a separable verb here or just a preposition?
Here uit is a preposition meaning “out of.” The verb is pakken. If uit were the separable prefix of uitpakken (“to unpack”), you would say Ik pak mijn tas uit (“I unpack my bag”), not Ik pak de stempel uit mijn tas.
Why does uit mijn tas come at the end? Can I move it?
Uit mijn tas is a prepositional object and normally follows the direct object. You can front it for emphasis, but you must keep the finite verb in second position (V2 rule):
Uit mijn tas pak ik de stempel.
How do I replace de stempel and uit mijn tas with pronouns?
De stempel (a masculine/feminine de-word) becomes hem. Uit mijn tas can be replaced by the adverbial particle er…uit (or just eruit). The sentence becomes:
Ik pak hem eruit.
Here hem = “the stamp,” and eruit = “out of my bag.”