Vink het juiste antwoord aan op het formulier.

Tick the correct answer on the form.

Breakdown of Vink het juiste antwoord aan op het formulier.

• op: on
• het antwoord: the answer
• juist: correct
• het formulier: the form
• aanvinken: to tick off

Questions & Answers about Vink het juiste antwoord aan op het formulier.

Why does the sentence start with vink and not with a subject like je (“you”)?

Because this is an imperative (a command).

In Dutch, just like in English (“Tick the correct answer”), imperatives usually start with the verb and omit the subject:

• Vink het juiste antwoord aan. = (You) tick the correct answer.

If you really want to include the subject, you can, but it sounds more emphatic or informal:

• Vink jij het juiste antwoord aan. = You tick the correct answer (as opposed to someone else).

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What is the infinitive of vink, and what does it mean exactly?

The infinitive is vinken.

• vinken = to tick, to put a checkmark next to something (like in a checkbox or on a form).

So the sentence means: “Tick the correct answer on the form.”
Here vink is the imperative form of vinken.

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Why do we have vink … aan? What is the role of aan here?

Vinken is often used together with aan as a separable verb: aanvinken.

• aanvinken = to tick, to check (as in selecting an option).

In the imperative, separable verbs split, and the particle goes to the end:

• Infinitive: aanvinken
• Imperative: Vink het juiste antwoord aan.

So aan belongs to the verb; it doesn’t mean “on” here.
Literally: “Tick the correct answer on.” → naturally translated as “Tick the correct answer.”

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Where does aan go in other tenses, not in the imperative?

For aanvinken (a separable verb), aan moves depending on the sentence structure:

1. Present tense, main clause

   • Ik vink het juiste antwoord aan.
     (verb in 2nd position, particle at the end)

2. Perfect tense
   The past participle re-combines with aan at the end:

   • Ik heb het juiste antwoord aangevinkt.
     (“I have ticked the correct answer.”)

3. Infinitive at the end of a clause

   • Ik wil het juiste antwoord aanvinken.
     (“I want to tick the correct answer.”)

So:

• Main clause, finite verb: vink … aan
• With hebben/willen/moeten, or as a bare infinitive: aanvinken/aangevinkt at the end.

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Why is it het juiste antwoord and not de juiste antwoord?

Because antwoord is a het-word (neuter noun) in Dutch:

• het antwoord = the answer
• de antwoorden = the answers (plural)

Dutch nouns are either de-words (common gender) or het-words (neuter).
You simply have to learn that antwoord takes het, not de.

So:

• het juiste antwoord = the correct answer
  (“juiste” agrees with a het-word with a definite article, see next question.)

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Why does the adjective have an -e: juiste and not juist?

Dutch adjectives usually get an -e ending when they are used before a noun (attributive) and the noun has a definite article (de or het):

• het juiste antwoord
• de juiste vraag

General rule (simplified):

• With de or het in front of the noun → adjective gets -e

  • het nieuwe boek
  • de rode auto

• Without an article, with a het-word in singular → no -e

  • nieuw antwoord = a new answer
  • juist antwoord = a correct answer

So here, because we have het (definite) + noun, we say het juiste antwoord.

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Why is it singular antwoord and not plural antwoorden?

The sentence assumes that you are choosing one correct answer from several options:

• Vink het juiste antwoord aan.
  = Tick the correct answer (the one answer that is correct).

If you wanted to say “Tick the correct answers”, you would make both the article and the noun plural:

• Vink de juiste antwoorden aan.

So singular vs plural depends on whether there is only one correct answer or possibly multiple correct answers.

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Why is it op het formulier and not in het formulier?

Dutch uses op (“on”) with things like forms, lists, and documents where you write on the surface:

• op het formulier = on the form (the piece of paper)
• op de lijst = on the list
• op het papier = on the paper

In het formulier would sound odd here; it would suggest inside the form, which isn’t the usual way to talk about writing or ticking options.

So op het formulier corresponds to English “on the form.”

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Can I leave out op het formulier if it’s obvious from context?

Yes. If it’s already clear you are talking about a form, you can simply say:

• Vink het juiste antwoord aan.

Adding op het formulier just makes it explicit where you should tick the answer.
In instructions printed on the form itself, you might often see the shorter version without op het formulier.

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What is the difference between juist and goed in this context? Could I say het goede antwoord?

Both are possible here:

• het juiste antwoord
• het goede antwoord

They are often interchangeable in this context and both mean “the correct answer.”

Nuance (not always strong, but roughly):

• juist = correct/accurate (focus on correctness vs incorrectness)
• goed = good/right (broader: morally good, of good quality, or correct)

In test instructions, het juiste antwoord is very common, but het goede antwoord is also fine and idiomatic.

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Is antwoord related to the verb antwoorden?

Yes.

• antwoord (noun) = answer
• antwoorden (verb) = to answer, to reply

Examples:

• Ik geef een antwoord. = I give an answer.
• Ik antwoord op de vraag. = I answer the question.

In your sentence, antwoord is clearly the noun, because it has an article: het juiste antwoord. The verb antwoorden is not used here.