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Questions & Answers about De tv staat nog aan.
Why is it de tv and not het tv?
In Dutch, nouns are classified as de-woorden or het-woorden. The full word televisie is a de-woord, so its abbreviated form tv keeps the article de.
Why do we use staat instead of is here?
The verb aanstaan (to be switched on) is a separable verb made of the prefix aan and the main verb staan. In a main clause you conjugate staan (here staat) and move aan to the end. Although informally you may hear De tv is nog aan, the standard combination for aanstaan is staat…aan.
What does the nog in nog aan mean and why is it placed before aan?
nog means “still” in this context. It’s an adverb modifying the verb phrase. In Dutch main clauses, time adverbs typically come after the finite verb but before any separable prefix at the end: staat (verb) + nog (adverb) + aan (prefix).
Why is aan at the end of the sentence?
Because aanstaan is a separable verb. In present-tense main clauses, the prefix (aan) detaches and moves to the final position, while the finite verb (staat) stays in second place.
What is a separable verb and how does aanstaan behave?
A separable verb consists of a prefix (like aan) and a base verb (like staan). In infinitive form you write them together (aanstaan), but in a main clause you split them: you conjugate the base verb in second position and put the prefix at the end of the clause.
How would you form the perfect tense of aanstaan to say “The TV has been on”?
Use hebben + the past participle. For separable verbs the past participle inserts ge between prefix and stem: aangestaan. So you say De tv heeft nog aangestaan.
Are there other ways to express that the TV is on?
Yes. You can use zijn + a preposition: De tv is nog aan (or nog steeds aan). In some regions speakers use another separable verb, aanzitten, so you’ll hear De tv zit nog aan as well.
How do you turn the sentence into a question (“Is the TV still on?”) in Dutch?
Invert the finite verb and the subject. With aanstaan you get Staat de tv nog aan? If you use zijn, you’d say Is de tv nog aan?.