SUBJECT
The easiest way to find the sject is to ask yourself, after having found the finite form: Who/what + finite form?
Example:
Oefeningen vind je op Cambiumned.
(You can find exercises at Cambiumned)
finite form = vind
Who finds? = ‘je,’ so ‘je’ (you) is the subject.
You can also find the subject by looking at which part of the sentence changes along when you change the finite form in number.
The part that changes along is the subject:
Example:
Het meisje gaat naar de disco.
(The girl is going to the disco.)
De meisjes gaan naar de disco.
(The girls are going to the disco.)
Singular ‘Het meisje gaat’ becomes ‘De meisjes gaan’ so, het meisje (de
meisjes) = subject
However, you can’t always change the subject this way.
Take a look at the following sentences:
– De dierenbescherming zoekt nieuwe leden.
(PETA is looking for new members.)
– Men wil meer huizen.
(People want more houses.)
– Alles moet weg.
(Everything has to be gone.)
You can’t do the changing-of-number-trick here. The how will you find the subject?
– Look for the finite form.
Make a sentence with the finite form in which ‘the man’ or ‘the men’ is subject.
The part of the sentence that gets replaced by ‘the man/men’, is the subject.
Example:
De dierenbescherming zoekt nieuwe leden.
(PETA is looking for new members).
De man zoekt nieuwe leden.
(The man is looking for new members)
De dierenbescherming (PETA) gets replaced, so De dierenbescherming (PETA) is the subject in this sentence.