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Wij vinden het programma op de televisie interessant.

Wij vinden het programma op de televisie interessant.
We find the program on television interesting.

Breakdown of Wij vinden het programma op de televisie interessant.

wij
we
vinden
to find
de televisie
the television
op
on
interessant
interesting
het programma
the program
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Questions & Answers about Wij vinden het programma op de televisie interessant.

Why do we use vinden here instead of zijn (like Het programma is interessant)?

Dutch uses vinden + object + adjective very often to express an opinion, similar to English to find / to think [something] is [adjective].

  • Wij vinden het programma interessant.
    = We think / we find the program (to be) interesting.

If you say:

  • Het programma is interessant.
    = The program is interesting.

you are simply describing the program.
With Wij vinden … interessant, you highlight that this is our opinion.

Why does vinden end in -en here? When would it be vind?

Dutch verbs change with the subject.

Present tense of vinden:

  • ik vind – I find
  • jij / je vindt – you find (singular)
  • hij / zij / het vindt – he / she / it finds
  • wij / we vinden – we find
  • jullie vinden – you (plural) find
  • zij / ze vinden – they find

In the sentence, the subject is wij (we), so you need the wij-form: vinden.

If you change the subject:

  • Ik vind het programma interessant.
  • Zij vinden het programma interessant.
Why is it het programma but de televisie?

In Dutch, every noun has a grammatical gender that determines its definite article:

  • het for het-words (neuter nouns)
  • de for de-words (common gender, plus all plural nouns)

Here:

  • het programma – programma is a het-word.
  • de televisie – televisie is a de-word.

You simply have to learn the article with each noun:

  • het huis (the house)
  • de tafel (the table)
  • het programma (the program)
  • de televisie (the television)
What exactly does het do in het programma? Is it a pronoun here?

In het programma, het is not a pronoun; it is the definite article, meaning the.

  • het programma = the program

Het can also be a pronoun (it), for example:

  • Wij vinden het interessant. = We find it interesting.

So:

  • het before a noun → usually the (article)
  • het standing alone → usually it (pronoun)
Why is interessant at the end of the sentence?

In a normal main clause, Dutch prefers this kind of order:

  1. Subject
  2. Verb (conjugated, the finite verb)
  3. Other parts (objects, time, place, etc.)
  4. Adjectives / complements often come toward the end

So in your sentence:

  1. Wij – subject
  2. vinden – finite verb (second position)
  3. het programma op de televisie – object + prepositional phrase
  4. interessant – predicate adjective at the end

This verb-second pattern is very typical for Dutch main clauses:

  • Wij vinden het programma interessant.
  • Morgen kijken wij het programma.
  • Ik vind dit boek erg leuk.
Can I say Wij vinden het interessante programma op de televisie instead?

That means something slightly different.

  • Wij vinden het programma op de televisie interessant.
    = We think the program on TV is interesting.
    (The adjective interessant is your opinion.)

  • Wij vinden het interessante programma op de televisie.
    Grammatically: We find the interesting program on TV.
    Here interessante is part of the noun phrase (het interessante programma) and describes which program you are talking about, not your opinion of it.

Your original sentence uses interessant as a separate predicate (an evaluation), so it belongs at the end.

Is op de televisie part of the noun phrase (het programma) or is it more like an adverbial?

In het programma op de televisie, op de televisie is a prepositional phrase that modifies the noun programma:

  • het programma [op de televisie]
    = the program [that is on the television / on TV]

So in this sentence it functions as part of the noun phrase, specifying which program.

In other contexts, op de televisie can also behave like a more free adverbial (of place):

  • Wij zien hem op de televisie. – We see him on TV.
    (Here it modifies zien, not a noun.)
Why is it op de televisie? Can I also say op televisie or op tv?

All three are possible, with small differences in style:

  • op de televisie – a bit more explicit / formal: on the television
  • op televisie – very common and natural: on television
  • op tv – informal, everyday language: on TV

Your sentence could also be:

  • Wij vinden het programma op televisie interessant.
  • Wij vinden het programma op tv interessant.

The meaning is the same in normal conversation.

Can I drop Wij and just say Vinden het programma op de televisie interessant?

No, you cannot drop the subject pronoun in standard Dutch. Dutch is not a “null-subject” language like Spanish or Italian.

You must use the pronoun:

  • Wij vinden het programma op de televisie interessant.
  • Ik vind het programma op de televisie interessant.

Only in very casual spoken language you might hear something like Vind ik leuk, but that is not standard grammar and relies heavily on context.

What is the difference between wij and we?

Both wij and we mean we.

  • wij is the stressed form (used when you want to emphasize we).
  • we is the unstressed form (more neutral, very common in speech).

In your sentence:

  • Wij vinden het programma interessant. – Emphasis on we (as opposed to others).
  • We vinden het programma interessant. – Neutral: We think the program is interesting.

In writing and especially in spoken Dutch, we is more common unless you need emphasis.

How would I turn this sentence into a yes–no question?

In a yes–no question, Dutch usually puts the finite verb first:

  • Statement: Wij vinden het programma op de televisie interessant.
  • Question: Vinden wij het programma op de televisie interessant?

Spoken Dutch would more often use we instead of wij:

  • Vinden we het programma op de televisie interessant?
Where would I put niet to say We do not find the program on TV interesting?

You would normally put niet in front of interessant:

  • Wij vinden het programma op de televisie niet interessant.

Word order:

  • Wij – subject
  • vinden – verb
  • het programma op de televisie – object + prepositional phrase
  • niet interessant – negation + adjective

You can add emphasis with words like echt / helemaal:

  • Wij vinden het programma op de televisie helemaal niet interessant.
    = We really don’t find the program on TV interesting at all.
How would I say We found the program on TV interesting (past tense)?

You use the past tense of vinden: vonden for wij.

  • Wij vonden het programma op de televisie interessant.

Past tense forms:

  • ik vond
  • jij / je vond
  • hij / zij / het vond
  • wij / we vonden
  • jullie vonden
  • zij / ze vonden
Can I replace het programma with a pronoun? How does the word order change?

Yes, if it is clear from context which program you mean, you can replace het programma with het (it):

  • Wij vinden het interessant.
    = We find it interesting.

If you still want to keep op de televisie, you can say:

  • Wij vinden het op de televisie interessant.

Here het is the direct object (it), and op de televisie is an extra phrase. In speech, context usually makes the reference clear.