Fixed combinations of verbs and prepositions in Dutch and Czech

Abstract

This paper describes the results of a pilot contrastive study that focused on the differences and similarities between Dutch combinations of verbs with fixed prepositions and their Czech equivalents. Since the use of the correct prepositions in the combinations with verbs belongs to the typical learning problem of Czech students of Dutch as a foreign language, the results of the research can help clarify the causes of these difficulties. The pilot study showed that the majority of Dutch constructions have an equivalent construction with a fixed preposition in Czech. Only more than a tenth of the Czech equivalents do not contain a preposition. However, the bigger issue for students may be the fact that one Dutch preposition can correspond to several Czech prepositions and that some Dutch verbs are combined with various fixed prepositions.