Breakdown of Je verwacht een antwoord, want niets zeggen is onbeleefd.
zijn
to be
een
a/an
zeggen
to say
het antwoord
the answer
want
because
niets
nothing
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
onbeleefd
impolite
verwachten
to expect
Questions & Answers about Je verwacht een antwoord, want niets zeggen is onbeleefd.
Why is je translated as "one" instead of "you" here?
In Dutch, je is often used as an indefinite pronoun, just like how we use a general "you" in English to mean "people in general" or "anyone". While you could translate this as "You expect an answer", using "One expects" shows that it applies as a general rule, not specifically to the person you are talking to.
Why doesn't the verb move to the end of the sentence after want?
The word want (because) joins two normal sentences together without changing the word order. If we used omdat (which also means because), it is a different type of connecting word that pushes the verb to the end. That would make it: ...omdat niets zeggen onbeleefd is.
How does niets zeggen work as the subject here?
The phrase niets zeggen (saying nothing) acts as the complete subject for the second half of the sentence. Just like in English, Dutch allows you to take an action (using the infinitive verb zeggen) and use it as the "thing" the sentence is about, followed directly by the verb is.
How is the word onbeleefd formed?
It is built by adding the negative prefix on- (which means un- or im-) to the adjective beleefd (polite). Together, they form onbeleefd, meaning impolite or rude.
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