Zij zoekt haar onderbroek, maar die ligt nog in de wasmand.

She is looking for her underwear, but it is still in the laundry basket.

Breakdown of Zij zoekt haar onderbroek, maar die ligt nog in de wasmand.

• zij: she
• maar: but
• in: in
• liggen: to lie
• nog: still
• zoeken: to look for
• haar: her
• die: it
• de onderbroek: the underpants
• de wasmand: the laundry basket

Questions & Answers about Zij zoekt haar onderbroek, maar die ligt nog in de wasmand.

Why is it zoekt and not zoek or zoeken?

Dutch conjugates verbs in the present tense according to the subject:

• ik zoek – I look for / I am looking for
• jij / je zoekt – you look for
• hij / zij / het zoekt – he / she / it looks for
• wij / jullie / zij zoeken – we / you (pl.) / they look for

Because the subject is zij meaning she, you need the third‑person singular form zoekt.

Why does zij zoekt translate as “she is looking for” and not “she looks for”?

Dutch doesn’t normally use a separate continuous tense like English is looking. The simple present (zij zoekt) can mean both:

• a general habit: Zij zoekt altijd haar onderbroek – She always looks for her underwear
• something happening right now: in this sentence, it means she is (currently) looking for it

Context tells you whether it’s a habitual action or something happening at the moment.

What is the difference between zij and ze?

Both zij and ze can mean she (or they, depending on context):

• zij is the stressed form – used when you want to emphasize the subject:
  
  • Zíj zoekt haar onderbroek, niet hij. – She is looking for her underwear, not him.
• ze is the unstressed form – used in neutral, everyday speech:
  
  • Ze zoekt haar onderbroek.

In writing, zij is fine here, but in casual spoken Dutch ze zoekt haar onderbroek is slightly more natural unless you want emphasis.

Why is it haar onderbroek instead of a structure like onderbroek van haar?

In Dutch, as in English, the normal way to show possession with people is a possessive pronoun in front of the noun:

• haar onderbroek – her underwear
• mijn jas – my coat
• zijn schoenen – his shoes

You can say de onderbroek van haar, but that sounds heavier and is usually used only for contrast or clarification:

• Niet de onderbroek van hem, maar de onderbroek van haar.

For a simple statement, haar onderbroek is the standard form.

What exactly does haar mean here? Can it also mean “hair”?

Haar has two main uses in Dutch:

1. Possessive pronoun: haar = her (belonging to a woman or girl)
   
   • haar onderbroek – her underwear
2. Noun: het haar = the hair

In this sentence, haar is clearly a possessive pronoun because it is followed by a noun (onderbroek) and there is no article (het) before it. So it means her, not hair.

Why is the pronoun die used, and what is it referring to?

Die here refers back to haar onderbroek. It is a demonstrative pronoun, roughly like that one / it in English.

In Dutch:

• die is used for de‑words (common gender) and for plural nouns
• dat is used for het‑words (neuter, singular)

Onderbroek is a de‑word: de onderbroek. So the matching demonstrative pronoun is die:

• Waar is haar onderbroek?
  Die ligt nog in de wasmand. – It / that (underwear) is still in the laundry basket.

Why don’t we use ze or hij for the underwear instead of die?

You can use a personal pronoun, but it would sound different:

• Ze ligt nog in de wasmand. – She/it is still in the laundry basket.

Using ze for de onderbroek is grammatically possible, but die is more natural here because:

• die refers more clearly to “that underwear we just mentioned”
• it adds a bit of contrast with maar (but that one is still…), which fits the sentence well

So die is chosen for clarity and emphasis, not because ze is impossible.

Why is it ligt and not is in die ligt nog in de wasmand?

Dutch often uses posture verbs (liggen, staan, zitten, hangen) where English simply uses to be:

• liggen – to lie (be lying horizontally)
• staan – to stand (be upright)
• zitten – to sit / be sitting, be in something
• hangen – to hang

For objects placed in a certain way, Dutch prefers these verbs:

• Het boek ligt op tafel. – The book is (lying) on the table.
• De jas hangt aan de kapstok. – The coat is hanging on the rack.

Underwear in a laundry basket is imagined as lying, so:
die ligt nog in de wasmand, not die is in de wasmand. Using is would sound foreign or at least unnatural here.

What does nog mean here, and why is it after ligt?

Nog here means still:

• die ligt nog in de wasmand – it is still in the laundry basket

Word order: in a simple main clause, nog usually comes after the finite verb:

• Hij werkt nog. – He still works / He is still working.
• Ze slaapt nog. – She is still sleeping.

So ligt nog is the natural order. Putting nog before ligt (nog ligt die…) would sound marked or poetic.

Why is it in de wasmand and not in een wasmand?

De (the definite article) is used because speaker and listener can identify which laundry basket is meant:

• probably the one in the house / the usual laundry basket they both know

Compare:

• in de wasmand – in the (known) laundry basket
• in een wasmand – in a (some) laundry basket, unspecified

In a normal domestic context, de wasmand is expected, just like English usually says the laundry basket here.

What does wasmand literally mean, and why is it one word?

Wasmand is a compound noun:

• was – laundry / washing
• mand – basket

Dutch very often combines such words into a single compound:

• wasmachine – washing machine
• schooltas – school bag
• tandpasta – toothpaste

So wasmand literally means laundry basket and is written as one word.

If she had several pairs of underwear, how would the sentence change?

Make onderbroek plural and adjust the verb and pronoun:

• Zij zoekt haar onderbroeken, maar die liggen nog in de wasmand.

Changes:

• onderbroek → onderbroeken (plural)
• verb with plural subject: die liggen (not ligt)
• die can also refer to plural nouns, so it stays die, but now it means they rather than that one/it.