De docent vraagt om aandacht tijdens de les.

The teacher asks for attention during the lesson.

Breakdown of De docent vraagt om aandacht tijdens de les.

• om: for
• tijdens: during
• vragen: to ask
• de docent: the teacher
• de les: the lesson
• de aandacht: the attention

Questions & Answers about De docent vraagt om aandacht tijdens de les.

What does om mean in vraagt om aandacht? Could I also say vraagt aandacht?

With vragen om + noun, om makes it “to ask for / to request” something.

• vragen om aandacht = to ask for attention (a request)
• vragen aandacht (without om) is also possible, but it can sound a bit more like “to call for / demand attention,” slightly stronger or more formal in tone.

In everyday speech, vraagt om aandacht is very common and feels neutral and polite. Both are grammatically correct, but om clearly marks it as a request for something.

Why is it de docent and not het docent?

Dutch nouns are either de-words (common gender) or het-words (neuter). Docent is a de-word, so:

• de docent = the teacher/lecturer
• een docent = a teacher
• de docenten = the teachers (plural)

Unfortunately, there’s no simple rule that lets you always predict de vs het; you largely have to learn each noun with its article. But most people who teach (like docent, leraar, meester, juf) are de-words.

What is the difference between docent and leraar / lerares?

All three refer to a teacher, but usage differs:

• docent
  • Often used for teachers at secondary school, college, or university.
  • Gender‑neutral form (you can say een docent for any gender).
• leraar (male) / lerares (female)
  • Traditionally used more for school teachers, especially in primary or secondary education.

In many contexts, especially for school, docent and leraar overlap and both will be understood. At a university, docent is more common.

Why is the verb vraagt and not vraag in this sentence?

The verb is vragen (to ask). In the present tense:

• ik vraag (I ask)
• jij / je vraagt (you ask)
• hij / zij / het vraagt (he / she / it asks)
• wij / jullie / zij vragen (we / you(pl) / they ask)

Because de docent is third person singular (like hij), you use the -t ending:

• De docent vraagt … = The teacher asks …

If the subject were ik, you’d say Ik vraag om aandacht.

Why is it om aandacht and not om de aandacht?

Aandacht (attention) is an uncountable, abstract noun in Dutch, like water or information in English. When you talk about it in a general sense, you usually don’t use an article:

• om aandacht vragen = to ask for (some) attention

You use de aandacht when you mean specific, known attention, or to refer back to attention that has just been given:

• Bedankt voor de aandacht. = Thank you for the attention.
• De docent vraagt de aandacht van de klas. = The teacher asks for the attention of the class.

In your sentence, it’s general, so om aandacht is natural.

What does tijdens mean, and how is tijdens de les different from in de les?

• tijdens means during (in the course of a period of time):

  • tijdens de les = during the lesson / while class is going on.

• in de les literally means in the lesson / in class.

  • It can refer to being physically in class or to what happens as part of a lesson.
  • Often used similarly to English “in class”:
    We praten er morgen in de les over. = We’ll talk about it in class tomorrow.

In your sentence, tijdens de les emphasises the time frame (“while the lesson is going on”). In de les would be understood, but tijdens de les is slightly more precise for “during the lesson.”

Can I move tijdens de les to another position in the sentence?

Yes. Dutch word order in a main clause is fairly flexible for these extra phrases. All of these are correct, with small differences in emphasis:

1. De docent vraagt om aandacht tijdens de les.
   Neutral, focus on the whole action.

2. De docent vraagt tijdens de les om aandacht.
   Slightly more emphasis on when this asking happens.

3. Tijdens de les vraagt de docent om aandacht.
   Starts with the time phrase, emphasising during the lesson.

In all main‑clause versions, the finite verb (vraagt) stays in second position (the “V2 rule” in Dutch): something first (subject or time), then the verb, then the rest.

What is the difference between vragen om and vragen naar?

They both translate with ask in English, but they’re used differently:

• vragen om + noun/pronoun = ask for / request something

  • Hij vraagt om hulp. = He asks for help.
  • De docent vraagt om aandacht. = The teacher asks for attention.

• vragen naar + noun = ask about / inquire after something or someone

  • Hij vraagt naar de weg. = He asks about the way / asks for directions.
  • Ze vraagt naar je gezondheid. = She asks about your health.

So in your sentence, it’s clearly about requesting attention, so vragen om aandacht is the correct choice.

Why is it de les and not het les?

Like docent, les is a de-word (common gender):

• de les = the lesson / the class
• een les = a lesson
• de lessen = the lessons

There isn’t a reliable rule that would tell you this in advance; you need to learn les together with de. Many words related to teaching (les, klas, school, docent, leraar) are de-words, which can be a helpful cluster to remember.

Are there plural forms for docent, les, and aandacht?

Yes, for docent and les; aandacht is different:

• docent → docenten

  • De docenten vragen om aandacht. = The teachers ask for attention.

• les → lessen

  • Tijdens de lessen vraagt de docent om aandacht. = During the lessons, the teacher asks for attention.

• aandacht is usually uncountable, so you normally don’t use a plural (attentions).

  • In rare, specialised contexts you might see aandachten, but learners can safely treat aandacht as “no plural.”