Breakdown of Deze jongens zijn net zo lui als de kat.
zijn
to be
de jongen
the boy
de kat
the cat
deze
this / these
zo
so (to such a degree)
als
as (like / conjunction)
net
just / exactly (time / similarity)
lui
lazy
Questions & Answers about Deze jongens zijn net zo lui als de kat.
Could I use even lui als instead of net zo lui als here?
Yes! In Dutch, net zo ... als and even ... als both mean "just as ... as". You can say even lui als de kat and it means exactly the same thing. They are completely interchangeable for equality comparisons.
What does the word net add to zo lui als?
Net means "just" or "exactly". While zo lui als translates to "as lazy as", adding net emphasizes the equality, making it "just as lazy as". Dutch speakers use net zo ... als very frequently to make this kind of direct comparison.
Why do we use deze for "these" instead of dit?
Because jongens is plural. In Dutch, all plural nouns take de as their definite article (the), which means they also always use deze (these) and die (those). You only use dit and dat for singular het words.
Why doesn't lui get an -e at the end since jongens is plural?
Adjectives usually get an -e when they are placed directly in front of a noun (like de luie jongens). However, in this sentence, lui comes after the verb zijn (are) to describe the boys. When an adjective stands alone like this after a verb, it never gets an extra -e.
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