langzaam or langzame??
I had a quiz and I had to translate "It is a slow sheep" and "It is a slow turtle" from English to Dutch. I wrote "langzaam" for both but then afterward I thought I might have been wrong and that I should have used "langzame" for both. I got "Het is een langzaam schaap" as correct but "Het is een langzaam schildpad" was marked wrong. Why is one "langzaam" and the other "langzame"?? Also was I correct in assessing that "langzame" would have been right??

Question

Answer

You have to determine whether the noun is a de-word or het-word AND whether you have a definite or indefinite article before the adjective. The pattern is then as follows:

Definite + de-word -> adjective gets an e (de langzame schildpad)

Definite + het-word -> adjective gets an e (het langzame schaap)

Indefinite + de-word -> adjective gets an e (een langzame schildpad)

Indefinite + het-word -> in this case there is NO extra e (een langzaam schaap)

Answer

And of course, an adjective at the end of a sentence does not get an e (de schildpad/het schaap is langzaam)

Answer

That is a great question! I have noticed that some adjectives change while others do not, but I do not know the reasoning. Hopefully someone will answer this for you... and me.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!