Right Dislocation (Rechtsdislocatie)
In informal Dutch, you can use a pronoun in a sentence and clarify what it refers to at the very end. This structure is called right dislocation (rechtsdislocatie).
In writing, the clarified noun phrase is separated by a comma. It must match the pronoun in gender and number.
Clarifying the Subject
When the pronoun is the subject, structure the sentence normally and add the full noun phrase at the end.
| They are truly permanent, those tattoos. | Ze zijn echt permanent, die tatoeages. |
| Is it very painful, such a piercing? | Is het erg pijnlijk, zo'n piercing? |
Clarifying the Object
This structure is also common with direct objects. Using a short object pronoun—hem (for de words), het (for het words), or ze (for plurals)—keeps the main sentence compact. You then specify the full noun phrase at the end.
| Ten years ago I had it done, the piercing in my navel. | Tien jaar geleden heb ik hem laten zetten, de piercing in mijn navel. |
| The tattoo artist likes to use it, this black ink. | De tatoeëerder gebruikt hem graag, deze zwarte inkt. |
For neuter nouns, use the pronoun het:
| He would rather hide it, that permanent scar. | Hij wil het liever verbergen, dat permanente litteken. |
For plurals, use ze:
| I prefer to wear them every day, these silver earrings. | Ik draag ze het liefst elke dag, deze zilveren oorbellen. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io
