(:title Direct object starting with an article:)
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PICS:arrowlink.gif"" <a href="http://www.dutchgrammar.com/forum/quiz.php?c=12" target="_self">Word order exercises</a> {$WEBTOP}[[AXS:ax.pl?http://c2.com/cgi/wiki/wiki?DutchWordOrder | Wiki Dutch Word Order (EN)]]
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{$TransBy} [[Main.AboutMe | Bieneke Berendsen]]
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PICS:{$LANG}/wordorderex/DIROB_2.PNG"Position of the specific and non-specific direct object."

The easiest to distinguish are direct objects that begin with an article:
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(:table border='0' align='center' cellspacing='0' cellpadding='5' width='99%':)
(:cellnr width='33%' class='top' align='left':)Left
(:cell width='34%' colspan='2' class='top' align='center':)Middle
(:cell width='33%' class='top' align='right':)Right
(:tableend:)
(:table class='wo' border='0' align='center' cellspacing='1' cellpadding='5' width='99%':)
(:cellnr class='yellow':)[[04 | FF]]
(:cell class='orange':)[[16 | DIROB]]
(:cell class='orange':)[[13 | TIME]]
(:cell class='blue':)[[24 | OV]]
(:cellnr class='yellow':)Ze hebben
(:cell class='orangebold':)de omstreden documentaire
(:cell class='orange':)gisteravond
(:cell class='blue':)uitgezonden
(:tableend:)
(:table class='wo' border='1' align='center' cellspacing='0' cellpadding='5' width='99%':)
(:cellnr class="translation":)They broadcast '''the''' controversial documentery last night. 
(:tableend:)

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Having a definite article, ''de omstreden documentaire'' (the controversial documentary) is a specific direct object, and is thus placed at the beginning of the middle part. Among all controversial documentaries, it is this specific one that was broadcast. Although it is more common to place a specific direct object at the beginning, it is also allowed at the end: "Ze hebben gisteravond de omstreden documentaire uitgezonden".

If we replace the definite article ''de'' (the) by the indefinite article ''een'' (a), we HAVE TO move the direct object to the end of the middle part:
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(:table border='0' align='center' cellspacing='0' cellpadding='5' width='99%':)
(:cellnr width='33%' class='top' align='left':)Left
(:cell width='34%' colspan='2' class='top' align='center':)Middle
(:cell width='33%' class='top' align='right':)Right
(:tableend:)
(:table class='wo' border='0' align='center' cellspacing='1' cellpadding='5' width='99%':)
(:cellnr class='yellow':)[[04 | FF]]
(:cell class='orange':)[[13 | TIME]]
(:cell class='orange':)[[16 | DIROB]]
(:cell class='blue':)[[24 | OV]]
(:cellnr class='yellow':)Ze hebben
(:cell class='orange':)gisteravond
(:cell class='orangebold':)een omstreden documentaire
(:cell class='blue':)uitgezonden
(:tableend:)
(:table class='wo' border='1' align='center' cellspacing='0' cellpadding='5' width='99%':)
(:cellnr class="translation":)They broadcast '''a''' controversial documentery last night. 
(:tableend:)

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The indefinite article makes the object non-specific. This phrase does not refer to a specific documentary, but to any controversial documentary. 
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(:table border='0' align='center' cellspacing='0' cellpadding='5' width='99%':)
(:cellnr width='33%' class='top' align='left':)Left
(:cell width='34%' colspan='2' class='top' align='center':)Middle
(:cell width='33%' class='top' align='right':)Right
(:tableend:)
(:table class='wo' border='0' align='center' cellspacing='1' cellpadding='5' width='99%':)
(:cellnr class='yellow':)[[04 | FF]]
(:cell class='orange':)[[13 | TIME]]
(:cell class='orange':)[[16 | DIROB]]
(:cell class='blue':)[[24 | OV]]
(:cellnr class='yellow':)Ze hebben
(:cell class='orange':)gisteravond
(:cell class='orangebold':)omstreden documentaires
(:cell class='blue':)uitgezonden
(:tableend:)
(:table class='wo' border='1' align='center' cellspacing='0' cellpadding='5' width='99%':)
(:cellnr class="translation":)They broadcast controversial documenteries last night. 
(:tableend:)

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''Omstreden documentaires'' is a non-specific direct object. Just like in English, the plural indefinite article does not exist in Dutch. A plural indefinite noun simply gets no article at all.

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