Breakdown of Je geeft vaak een fooi, dat is heel beleefd.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
vaak
often
heel
very
dat
that (het-words)
geven
to give
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
de fooi
the tip
beleefd
polite
Questions & Answers about Je geeft vaak een fooi, dat is heel beleefd.
Does je in this sentence mean me specifically, or people in general?
It can mean both depending on the context! In this lesson's context, je acts as an indefinite pronoun, meaning 'one' or 'people in general'. It means that giving a tip is a polite thing for anyone to do.
Is there a single verb for 'to tip' in Dutch?
No, Dutch doesn't have a specific verb for 'to tip'. You always use the phrase een fooi geven (literally 'to give a tip').
Why is it dat is heel beleefd? Shouldn't it be die since it is de fooi?
The word dat here doesn't refer to the noun fooi. Instead, it refers back to the entire previous action (the act of giving a tip). When pointing back to a whole situation or a full clause, you always use dat.
Could I use erg instead of heel here?
Yes! Heel beleefd and erg beleefd both mean 'very polite' and are completely interchangeable in this sentence.
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