Breakdown of Installeer de lamp en schroef hem vast.
en
and
hem
it
de lamp
the lamp
vastschroeven
to screw in place
Questions & Answers about Installeer de lamp en schroef hem vast.
Why does the sentence start with Installeer instead of Je installeert?
Installeer is an imperative: a command form.
In Dutch, commands usually use the verb stem without a subject:
- Installeer de lamp.
- Pak het gereedschap.
- Wacht even.
So Dutch often leaves out je in direct instructions, just like English says Install the lamp rather than You install the lamp.
Why is it de lamp and not het lamp?
Because lamp is a de-word in Dutch.
Dutch nouns take either de or het, and this has to be learned with the noun:
- de lamp
- de tafel
- het huis
- het raam
A useful extra detail: the diminutive would be het lampje, because all diminutives take het.
Why does the sentence use hem to refer to de lamp?