De lerares controleert onze antwoorden.

The teacher checks our answers.

Breakdown of De lerares controleert onze antwoorden.

• onze: our
• controleren: to check
• het antwoord: the answer
• de lerares: the (female) teacher

Questions & Answers about De lerares controleert onze antwoorden.

What does the article "De" tell me here? Why not "Het"?

Because lerares (female teacher) is a common-gender noun, and common-gender nouns take de. Neuter nouns take het. Example: het antwoord (the answer), but in the plural all nouns take de: de antwoorden.

What’s the difference between "lerares", "leraar", "docent", "juf", and "meester"?

• lerares: female teacher; leraar: male teacher.
• docent(e): often used in secondary/higher education; gender-neutral docent is common in modern usage.
• juf (primary school, informal, female) and meester (primary school, male).

Why is it "controleert" with a -t at the end?

It’s present tense, 3rd person singular: subject de lerares = she, so verb = stem + t. Infinitive: controleren → ik-form: ik controleer → 3sg: zij controleert. Note: with jij after the verb (inversion), the -t drops: Controleer jij …?

Why not "controleerd" or "controleerdt"? I thought Dutch had -dt endings.

Controleert is correct because the stem is controleer (no final d). You add -t: controleer + t → controleert. -dt only appears when the stem ends in d, e.g., word → wordt, antwoord → antwoordt.

How do you pronounce the sentence?

• Rough guide: De [duh], lerares [lay-rah-RES], controleert [kon-troh-LEERT], onze [ON-zuh], antwoorden [ANT-voor-duhn].
• IPA (one option): [də leːraˈrɛs kɔn.troːˈleːrt ˈɔn.zə ˈɑnt.ʋoːr.də(n)].

Why is it "onze" and not "ons"?

Onze is used for all plurals and for singular common-gender nouns. Ons is only for singular neuter nouns. So: ons antwoord (singular, neuter: het antwoord), but onze antwoorden (plural), onze lerares (de-noun).

Why "antwoorden" and not "antwoord"? How do you form the plural?

Because it refers to multiple answers. Singular is het antwoord; plural is antwoorden (add -en). The final d in the singular stays: antwoord → antwoorden.

Is "controleren" the best verb here, or should I use "nakijken"/"corrigeren"?

• controleren = to check/verify (broad use: rules, passports, answers).
• nakijken = to check/mark schoolwork specifically (go through it after it’s handed in).
• corrigeren/verbeteren = to correct (fix mistakes).
• beoordelen = to assess/grade. In a school context, De lerares kijkt onze antwoorden na is very idiomatic for “is marking our answers.”

Is the word order here typical? Where does the verb go?

Yes. Main clause: Subject + finite verb + other elements.

• De lerares (subject) + controleert (finite verb) + onze antwoorden (object). Subordinate clause: verb at the end:
• … omdat de lerares onze antwoorden controleert.

How do I make a yes/no question or a wh-question?

• Yes/no: Controleert de lerares onze antwoorden? (invert verb and subject)
• Wh-question about the object: Wat controleert de lerares?
• Wh-question about the subject: Wie controleert onze antwoorden?

How do I negate the sentence?

• General: De lerares controleert onze antwoorden niet.
• “No answers at all”: De lerares controleert geen antwoorden. Use niet for general negation; geen negates an indefinite noun (“no …”).

How do I say it in the past or present perfect?

• Simple past: De lerares controleerde onze antwoorden.
• Present perfect: De lerares heeft onze antwoorden gecontroleerd. For nakijken: De lerares keek onze antwoorden na / heeft onze antwoorden nagekeken.

Does the Dutch present also cover “is checking” (progressive)?

Yes. De lerares controleert onze antwoorden can mean “checks” or “is checking,” depending on context. To be explicitly progressive: De lerares is onze antwoorden aan het controleren or is bezig onze antwoorden te controleren.

How does verb agreement change with a plural subject?

Plural subjects take the plural verb (no -t): De leraren controleren onze antwoorden. Female plural of “lerares” is leraressen: De leraressen controleren …

Could I replace "onze antwoorden" with a pronoun?

Yes: De lerares controleert ze. Formal written object pronoun is hen, but in everyday Dutch ze is very common. If it were a neuter singular object (e.g., ons huiswerk), use het: De lerares controleert het.

Is there any confusion with "antwoorden" as a verb?

Yes. antwoorden is also “to answer.” 3rd person singular: hij/zij antwoordt (with -dt, because the stem ends in d). Don’t confuse the noun plural antwoorden with the verb form antwoordt.

Where do time/place adverbs go?

Dutch tends toward Time–Manner–Place:

• De lerares controleert nu onze antwoorden.
• De lerares controleert onze antwoorden morgen op school.

Is "lerares" capitalized?

No. It’s a common noun, so lowercase: de lerares. It’s capitalized here only because it starts the sentence.