Vier leerlingen zitten in de klas.

Four pupils are sitting in the classroom.

Breakdown of Vier leerlingen zitten in de klas.

• in: in
• zitten: to sit
• de klas: the classroom
• de leerling: the pupil
• vier: four

Questions & Answers about Vier leerlingen zitten in de klas.

Why is there no article before "vier leerlingen"?

In Dutch, there is no indefinite article for plural nouns. A numeral like vier already determines the noun leerlingen, so you don’t add een. If you say de vier leerlingen, that means the four students (a specific group).

Why use zitten instead of zijn?

Dutch often uses posture verbs (zitten, staan, liggen, hangen) to describe where people or things are. Zitten highlights that they are seated. Er zijn vier leerlingen in de klas is possible and neutral; Er zitten vier leerlingen in de klas sounds a bit more vivid/natural if they are actually sitting.

Is Er zitten vier leerlingen in de klas more idiomatic?

Yes. Dutch often introduces new or non-specific subjects with the placeholder er: Er zitten vier leerlingen in de klas. Your sentence without er is correct, but with er it sounds more like everyday speech for there‑are statements.

Why de klas and not het klas?

Because klas is a common‑gender noun, so it takes de: de klas. If you mean the room more explicitly, you can say het klaslokaal (or simply het lokaal), which is neuter.

What’s the difference between klas, klaslokaal, and les?

• de klas: can mean the class group (the people) or the classroom, depending on context.
• het (klas)lokaal: the physical room; unambiguous for the room.
• de les: the lesson/class session (the time period), not the room or the group.

When would I use studenten instead of leerlingen?

Leerling(en) is typically for primary and secondary school. Student(en) is used for higher education (college/university). So in a university setting you’d say studenten.

Why does the verb end in -en: zitten?

The subject vier leerlingen is third‑person plural, so the finite verb takes the plural ending -en: zij zitten. Singular would be één leerling zit. The infinitive is also zitten, which looks the same as the plural form.

Could I say In de klas zitten vier leerlingen?

Yes. Dutch is a V2 language: the finite verb comes in second position. If you front the location In de klas, the verb zitten must still be second, so the subject follows: In de klas zitten vier leerlingen.

Why not op de klas or aan de klas?

For being inside a room, Dutch uses in: in de klas. You’ll hear op with schools in general (op school = at school), but not with klas for physical location.

Is it okay to drop the article: in klas?

No. With a singular count noun like klas, you need an article: in de klas (definite) or in een klas (indefinite). Dropping the article here sounds ungrammatical.

How do the plurals form: leerling → leerlingen, klas → klassen?

• leerling → leerlingen: add -en.
• klas → klassen: you double the s before adding -en to keep the vowel a short, so the plural is klassen.

Could I use staan here instead of zitten?

Only if they are standing: Vier leerlingen staan in de klas. Dutch uses posture verbs literally for people. For objects, staan/liggen/zitten also indicate orientation (a bottle stands, a book lies), but for people choose the verb that matches their posture.

What’s the difference between Vier leerlingen zitten in de klas and Vier van de leerlingen zitten in de klas?

• Vier leerlingen... introduces four unspecified students.
• Vier van de leerlingen... means four out of a specific known group. Use this when the larger group has already been mentioned.

Can in de klas also mean “during class”?

Often yes, from context. In de klas can mean physically in the classroom or “in class” (during a lesson). If you want to be explicit about the lesson, say tijdens de les.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts?

• vier: like English fear (long ee sound).
• leerlingen: roughly LAIR-ling-en (the ng as in English sing).
• zitten: ZIT-un (short i, schwa at the end).
• klas: klahs (short a, like the vowel in English father, but shorter/tenser).

Why is Vier capitalized?

Dutch capitalizes the first word of a sentence and proper nouns. Vier is capitalized here because it begins the sentence; otherwise numbers are lowercase: vier leerlingen.