Questions & Answers about De boot vertrekt om één uur.
Why is it de boot and not het boot?
Because boot is a de-word in Dutch. Nouns in Dutch usually take either de or het, and this is something you often have to learn with each noun.
So:
- de boot = the boat
- not het boot
There is not always a simple rule you can guess from the meaning alone, so it is best to memorize the noun together with its article: de boot.
Why is the verb vertrekt and not vertrekken?
Vertrekken is the infinitive, meaning to depart or to leave.
In the sentence, the subject is de boot, which is third person singular, so the verb has to be conjugated:
- ik vertrek = I depart
- jij vertrekt / vertrek jij
- hij/zij/het vertrekt
- de boot vertrekt
So vertrekt is the correct finite verb form for de boot.
What exactly does vertrekken mean here?