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22
UNIT THREE
Nouns
Introduction
This unit discusses formation and derivation of nouns. Special attention
is given to compound nouns.
From verb to noun
Nouns can be derived from verbs in various ways. The verb infinitive itself
can be a noun with the article het. Example:
Het maken van goede foto’s is niet gemakkelijk.
Taking good pictures isn’t easy.
There are many nouns in which one can recognize a verb stem. Examples:
Ik heb deze week veel uitgaven (from uitgeven).
I have a lot of expenses this week.
De automobilist had geen goed zicht (from zien) op de weg.
The driver didn’t have good visibility on the road.
De opname (from opnemen) van het concert was uitstekend.
The recording of the concert was outstanding.
The prefix ge- is used with the verb stem to form nouns, often to indicate
that something is going on presently or even with a rather negative meaning.
Examples:
Hoor jij dat geloop (from lopen) op de gang?
Do you hear all that walking in the hallway?
Al dat gezeur (from zeuren) over de slechte economie, het valt toch
wel mee?
All that nagging about the bad economy. It’s not that bad, is it?