Questions & Answers about Beide zijn nog in de bibliotheek.
Why does the sentence start with beide? Does it just mean both?
Yes. Beide means both.
In this sentence, beide is being used on its own, almost like a pronoun: both (of them).
So:
- Beide zijn nog in de bibliotheek. = Both are still in the library.
You could imagine an understood they in English, but Dutch does not need to say it here.
A closely related form is:
- beide boeken = both books
There, beide directly modifies a noun.
Why is it zijn and not is?
Because beide refers to two people or things, so the verb must be plural.
- is = singular, from zijn = to be
- zijn = plural
Compare:
- Hij is in de bibliotheek. = He is in the library.
- Beide zijn in de bibliotheek. = Both are in the library.
Since both means more than one, Dutch uses the plural verb zijn.
What does nog mean here?