……
Breakdown of Wat betekent dit woord in deze zin?
in
in
het woord
the word
deze
this
dit
this
wat
what
de zin
the sentence
betekenen
to mean
Questions & Answers about Wat betekent dit woord in deze zin?
Why is there no word like does in the Dutch question?
Dutch doesn’t use do-support. Questions are formed by putting the finite verb in second position (the V2 rule). So you get: Wat (slot 1) + betekent (slot 2) + the subject and the rest: dit woord …. Compare:
- Statement: Dit woord betekent …
- Question: Wat betekent dit woord …?
What is the subject in this sentence?
The subject is dit woord. The wh-word wat is what you’re asking for (the thing that is meant), and in deze zin is a prepositional phrase indicating context.
Why does betekent end in -t?
Because the subject (dit woord) is third person singular. Present-tense endings:
- ik: beteken
- jij/je: betekent (but after inversion: beteken jij …?)
- hij/zij/het: betekent
- wij/jullie/zij: betekenen
Why dit woord but deze zin?
- woord is a neuter noun (a “het-word”), so the proximal demonstrative is dit: dit woord.
- zin is a common-gender noun (a “de-word”), so the proximal demonstrative is deze: deze zin. Similarly, for “that”: dat woord but die zin.
Can I say Wat bedoelt dit woord in deze zin?
No. Use:
- betekenen for what words/symbols mean: Wat betekent dit woord …?
- bedoelen for what people mean/intend: Wat bedoel je?
Can I move in deze zin to another position?
Yes, but the neutral place is at the end: Wat betekent dit woord in deze zin? You can front it for emphasis: Wat betekent in deze zin dit woord? That sounds marked and is used to focus specifically on the location/context.
How would I ask about more than one word or more than one sentence?
- Multiple words (note the verb is plural): Wat betekenen deze woorden in deze zin?
- Multiple sentences: Wat betekent dit woord in deze zinnen?
How do you pronounce the words?
Approximate IPA:
- Wat [ʋɑt]
- betekent [bəˈteːkənt]
- dit [dɪt]
- woord [ʋoːrt] (final d is devoiced)
- in [ɪn]
- deze [ˈdeːzə]
- zin [zɪn]
Is there a more formal or alternative way to ask the same thing?
Yes:
- Wat is de betekenis van dit woord in deze zin? (more formal)
- Welke betekenis heeft dit woord in deze zin? (also formal) Regional/informal (especially Belgian Dutch): Wat wil dit woord zeggen (in deze zin)?
Is zin only “sentence”?
No. zin can also mean “sense/point” (Dat heeft geen zin = “That makes no sense/There’s no point”) and “desire/mood” (Ik heb geen zin = “I don’t feel like it”). Here, with in deze zin, it clearly means “sentence.”
What if I just want to ask “What does this mean?” without naming the word?
Use Wat betekent dit? (while pointing). If the referent is farther away or previously mentioned: Wat betekent dat?
How does this look inside an embedded question?
In embedded questions the finite verb goes to the end:
- Ik vraag me af wat dit woord in deze zin betekent. (Notice betekent moves to the clause-final position.)
Do I need quotation marks around the specific word I’m asking about?
Often people add them, but it’s optional. You can write:
- Wat betekent het woord fiets in deze zin? If you do add quotation marks, they would go around the word you’re asking about; the grammar of the sentence stays the same.
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