Word
De sleuteloverdracht gebeurt vóór de verhuizing.
Meaning
The key handover happens before the move.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of De sleuteloverdracht gebeurt vóór de verhuizing.
voor
before
gebeuren
to happen
de sleuteloverdracht
the key handover
de verhuizing
the move (to another home)
Questions & Answers about De sleuteloverdracht gebeurt vóór de verhuizing.
What does sleuteloverdracht mean literally, and why is it one long word?
Sleuteloverdracht is a compound noun, which is very common in Dutch.
- sleutel = key
- overdracht = transfer, handover
So sleuteloverdracht literally means key transfer or key handover.
Dutch often joins nouns together into a single word where English would use two separate words. So instead of key handover, Dutch writes sleuteloverdracht.
Why is it gebeurt and not gebeuren?
Gebeurt is the third-person singular form of the verb gebeuren (to happen / to take place).
The subject of the sentence is de sleuteloverdracht, which is singular, so the verb must also be singular:
- de sleuteloverdracht gebeurt = the key handover happens
Compare:
- Het gebeurt vandaag. = It happens today.
- De verhuizingen gebeuren later. = The moves happen later.
So gebeurt matches the singular subject.
Why does the verb come right after De sleuteloverdracht?