Constituents - Zinsdelen

Finite verb - Persoonsvorm

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Each clause contains only one finite verb. The finite verb is the verb in its conjugated form. It says something about:

- the number (of the subject) - singular or plural;
- the person (of the subject) - if singular, it can tell you whether it is first, second or third person;
- the tense (of the action) - present or past.

Look at the following sentences:

Het idee voor het project komt van de leerlingen van één van de klassen. De leerlingen deden mee aan een project om de sfeer op school te verbeteren. The idea for the project comes from the pupils of one of the classes. The pupils took part in a project to improve the atmosphere in the school.

The finite verb in the first sentence, komt, shows that the subject is singular ( komt is a singular form of komen). This form itself does not actually tell you whether it is the second or third person. Deden, the finite verb in the second sentence, shows that the subject of that sentence ( de leerlingen) is plural, and that the action took place in the past ( deden is the imperfect of doen).

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