"Ik heb een half pond gehakt nodig."
I need half a pound of ground meat.
Source: Transparent Language - Dutch Word of the Day.
I appreciate getting the WotD. However, I think Transparent could easily do better. For example, occasionally the Word or the Day is not even used in the sample sentence. But more important, there is absolutely no explanation, even where a simple explanation would be very useful.
In this case, it is perhaps implied that this is the normal (or only) way to say this. But a learner wonders if other forms are equally valid, occasionally used, or never used (would sound awkward). So for this sentence, are the following OK or not OK?
1. "Ik heb een half pond gehakt vlees nodig."
2. "Ik heb een half pond gemalen vlees nodig."
3. "Ik heb een half pond gehakt rundvlees nodig."
4. "Ik heb een half pond gemalen rundvlees nodig."
5. Does "gehakt" imply and generally mean "gehakt rundvlees", and if you really wanted pork or chicken, you wouldn't say "gehakt" but something like "varkensgehakt" or "gemalen kip"?
For language learners, it is often just as important to not say what you would be tempted to say (based on your native language, or based on what you might expect) as it is to memorise a somewhat unusual expression (in this case, "hehakt" implying probably "gehakt rundvlees".)
Questions about Dutch sentences
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Re: Questions about Dutch sentences
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Re: Questions about Dutch sentences
"Daar zijn verschillende redenen voor."
"Er zijn verschillende redenen voor."
There are various reasons [for it].
Are both "daar" and "er" correct? Is there any subtle difference? Do they depend on any context? Are they equally common?
"Er zijn verschillende redenen voor."
There are various reasons [for it].
Are both "daar" and "er" correct? Is there any subtle difference? Do they depend on any context? Are they equally common?
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Re: Questions about Dutch sentences
"Het bevriest."
"Het vriest."
It freezes. It is freezing.
Are both Dutch sentences correct? Do they mean exactly the same thing? If so, why the difference?
"Het vriest."
It freezes. It is freezing.
Are both Dutch sentences correct? Do they mean exactly the same thing? If so, why the difference?
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Re: Questions about Dutch sentences
tommus wrote:
1. "Ik heb een half pond gehakt vlees nodig."
2. "Ik heb een half pond gemalen vlees nodig."
3. "Ik heb een half pond gehakt rundvlees nodig."
4. "Ik heb een half pond gemalen rundvlees nodig."
Gehakt means "hacked", so it's not used together with vlees unless you literally hacked the meat. Grammatically okay though.
Gemalen is perfectly okay, but gemalen vlees sounds very imprecise.
Gemalen rundvlees is fine but you would use it to specify beef as opposed to the equally common half-om-half.
5. Does "gehakt" imply and generally mean "gehakt rundvlees", and if you really wanted pork or chicken, you wouldn't say "gehakt" but something like "varkensgehakt" or "gemalen kip"?
well it implies beef in general. Pork is an option, so is the vegetarian variant "vegetarisch gehakt", ground chicken is rare.
"Daar zijn verschillende redenen voor."
"Er zijn verschillende redenen voor."
There are various reasons [for it].
Er is neutral, we don't care where it happened - daar is referring to something specific. Usually this is far away from the speaker.
Last edited by tarvos on Fri Apr 21, 2017 4:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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I hope your world is kind.
Is a girl.
Is a girl.
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Re: Questions about Dutch sentences
"Het bevriest."
"Het vriest."
It freezes. It is freezing.
1. about an object freezing right now, or transitive - freezing a certain object
2. it is freezing outside (of weather)
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Is a girl.
Is a girl.
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Re: Questions about Dutch sentences
"Het is beter voor je lichaam om iets warms te drinken in plaats van iets ijskouds."
It is better for your body to drink something warm rather than something ice cold.
Why is there an "s" on warm and ijskoud?
Could the sentence be written correctly without adding "s" to these two words?
Are there other Dutch words like these that can get this "s" where L2 speakers might not expect to see an "s"?
It is better for your body to drink something warm rather than something ice cold.
Why is there an "s" on warm and ijskoud?
Could the sentence be written correctly without adding "s" to these two words?
Are there other Dutch words like these that can get this "s" where L2 speakers might not expect to see an "s"?
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Re: Questions about Dutch sentences
There has to be an s here, and it's because all of these partitive constructions require an "s" to be added.
"Niets nieuws onder de zon" - Nothing new under the sun
"Ik geef je wat lekkers" - I'll give you some goodies.
"Heb je iets warms aangetrokken?" - Did you put on something warm?
Every time you see niets, iets, niks, wat with an adjective - remember, there has to be an s.
ALL adjectives take them.
"Niets nieuws onder de zon" - Nothing new under the sun
"Ik geef je wat lekkers" - I'll give you some goodies.
"Heb je iets warms aangetrokken?" - Did you put on something warm?
Every time you see niets, iets, niks, wat with an adjective - remember, there has to be an s.
ALL adjectives take them.
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Re: Questions about Dutch sentences
"keer per seconde", "malen per seconde"
Keer and malen seem to be very interchangeable. Is there a preference for various situations?
Alternating current frequency:
50 (60) keer per seconde, 50 (60) malen per seconde
General:
10 keer per jaar, 10 malen per jaar
Other:
10 keer op rij, 10 malen op rij
10 keer 5 is 50, 10 malen 5 is 50
What is the difference between keer and keren, and between maal and malen?
Keer and malen seem to be very interchangeable. Is there a preference for various situations?
Alternating current frequency:
50 (60) keer per seconde, 50 (60) malen per seconde
General:
10 keer per jaar, 10 malen per jaar
Other:
10 keer op rij, 10 malen op rij
10 keer 5 is 50, 10 malen 5 is 50
What is the difference between keer and keren, and between maal and malen?
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Re: Questions about Dutch sentences
"De twintiger van nu verdient minder dan een leeftijdgenoot voor de crisis van 2008 mee naar huis nam. De dertiger ook trouwens, maar die boerde toch minder hard achteruit."
The person in their twenties now earns less than a contemporary took home before the crisis of 2008. The person in their thirties also, by the way, but who farmed less hard on the other hand.
I'm quite sure "farmed" is incorrect but I can't figure out what else it could mean. Also, "on the other hand" might mean "in contrast" or literally "in reverse".
So I need some help. Any suggestions?
Source: Article in Trouw,nl (first paragraph)
The person in their twenties now earns less than a contemporary took home before the crisis of 2008. The person in their thirties also, by the way, but who farmed less hard on the other hand.
I'm quite sure "farmed" is incorrect but I can't figure out what else it could mean. Also, "on the other hand" might mean "in contrast" or literally "in reverse".
So I need some help. Any suggestions?
Source: Article in Trouw,nl (first paragraph)
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Re: Questions about Dutch sentences
"We leven in een wereld van getallen en cijfers."
We live in a world of numbers and numbers.
We live in a world of numbers and figures.
In English, numbers and figures are very similar. Numbers are more common. Figures sometimes refer to groups of numbers. The statistic figures this month were good. Figures can also refer more generally to drawings, shapes, diagrams, etc.
What is the essential difference between getallen and cijfers in Dutch?
We live in a world of numbers and numbers.
We live in a world of numbers and figures.
In English, numbers and figures are very similar. Numbers are more common. Figures sometimes refer to groups of numbers. The statistic figures this month were good. Figures can also refer more generally to drawings, shapes, diagrams, etc.
What is the essential difference between getallen and cijfers in Dutch?
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