Breakdown of Mijn buurman is praatgraag in de tuin.
Questions & Answers about Mijn buurman is praatgraag in de tuin.
Dutch allows both, but they are slightly different:
Mijn buurman is praatgraag in de tuin.
- praatgraag is an adjective, like talkative.
- Literally: My neighbour is talkative in the garden.
Mijn buurman praat graag in de tuin.
- praat = talks, graag = with pleasure / likes to.
- Literally: My neighbour likes to talk in the garden.
Meaning-wise, in this context they’re almost the same, but:
- is praatgraag describes a character trait (he’s a talkative person there).
- praat graag focuses more on the activity he likes (he enjoys talking there).
Both are correct; the original sentence uses the adjective version.
Yes, praatgraag is written as one word.
Dutch often combines words into compounds:
- praten (to talk) + graag (gladly / with pleasure)
→ together they form the adjective praatgraag (talkative).
Once it becomes a fixed descriptive quality (an adjective), it’s written as a single word, just like:
- eigenwijs (stubborn; from eigen
- wijs)
- zuinig (thrifty; historically from zuur
- -ig)
Both mean talkative, but there are nuances:
praatgraag
- Very common, everyday, informal.
- Slightly “lighter” in tone; often neutral or mildly teasing.
- Mijn buurman is praatgraag. = My neighbour is (quite) chatty.
spraakzaam
- More formal, bookish, or polite.
- You might see it in written descriptions, character sketches, etc.
- Hij is niet erg spraakzaam. = He’s not very talkative.
In normal spoken Dutch about a neighbour, praatgraag sounds more natural.
Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things:
Mijn buurman = my neighbour
→ You’re talking about your own neighbour, personal relationship.De buurman = the neighbour
→ Often used when it’s clear from context which neighbour you mean, or as a kind of role:- De buurman is praatgraag in de tuin.
= The neighbour is talkative in the garden.
- De buurman is praatgraag in de tuin.
Using mijn makes it explicit that he is your neighbour, not just some neighbour in general.
In Dutch, possessive pronouns (like mijn, jouw, zijn, haar, ons, jullie, hun) replace the article. So you normally do not say an article plus a possessive:
- Correct: mijn buurman (my neighbour)
- Incorrect: de mijn buurman
This is similar to English: we say my neighbour, not the my neighbour.
buurman literally means neighbour man, i.e. a male neighbour.
Related forms:
- buurvrouw – female neighbour
- buur (gender-neutral, more formal/collective, not used as much for one specific person in everyday speech)
- buren – neighbours (plural)
Examples:
- Mijn buurman is praatgraag. – My male neighbour is talkative.
- Mijn buurvrouw is rustig. – My female neighbour is calm.
- Mijn buren zijn vriendelijk. – My neighbours are friendly.
Dutch main clauses normally follow the “verb-second” rule:
- Some element (usually the subject) comes first.
- The finite verb (here is) comes second.
- The rest of the sentence comes after that.
So:
- Mijn buurman (subject) → first
- is (finite verb) → second
- praatgraag in de tuin → rest
In de tuin mijn buurman is praatgraag is ungrammatical because is is no longer in the second position.
You can start with In de tuin, but then is must still be second:
- In de tuin is mijn buurman praatgraag.
(Now the focus is more on “in the garden”.)
Yes. The most neutral version is:
- Mijn buurman is praatgraag in de tuin.
But you can move in de tuin for emphasis or style, as long as the finite verb stays second:
- In de tuin is mijn buurman praatgraag.
→ Emphasis on in the garden, maybe contrasting with other places.
You usually wouldn’t put in de tuin between is and praatgraag:
- Mijn buurman is in de tuin praatgraag
→ Possible, but sounds awkward in this simple sentence and is rarely needed.
In Dutch, nouns have grammatical gender:
- de-words (common gender)
- het-words (neuter)
tuin (garden) is a de-word, so you say:
- de tuin – the garden
- een tuin – a garden
You just have to learn the gender of each noun; tuin happens to be de.
Yes, that sentence is completely correct and very natural:
- Mijn buurman praat graag in de tuin.
= My neighbour likes to talk in the garden.
Difference in nuance:
- is praatgraag → describes his character: he is (by nature) chatty there.
- praat graag → describes his preference: he enjoys talking there.
In everyday speech, you’ll hear praat graag a lot, especially about activities people like.
The usual translation of tuin is garden, but it often covers the idea of an English “yard” as well:
- achtertuin – back garden / backyard
- voortuin – front garden
In Dutch, tuin is basically the outdoor area belonging to a house where you might have grass, plants, a terrace, etc. Whether you’d say garden or yard in English depends on the variety of English, but in Dutch it’s still tuin.