Breakdown of Omdat zij de schuld niet bewijst, verklap ik niets.
ik
I
zij
she
niet
not
niets
nothing
omdat
because (subordinating)
verklappen
to reveal
bewijzen
to prove
de schuld
the fault
Questions & Answers about Omdat zij de schuld niet bewijst, verklap ik niets.
Why is niet placed right before bewijst in the first part of the sentence?
The first part is a subordinate clause because it starts with Omdat (because). In these clauses, the verb (bewijst) gets pushed to the very end. The negative word niet likes to be as close to the end of the clause as possible, so it lands right in front of that final verb.
Why is the second half written as verklap ik instead of ik verklap?
This is because of the V2 rule, where the verb must be the second main piece of information in the main sentence. The entire first clause (Omdat zij de schuld niet bewijst) acts as the first piece. To keep the main verb second, verklap comes immediately after the comma, before the subject ik.
Why does the sentence end with niets instead of niet?
niets translates directly to 'nothing', while niet means 'not'. Because you are saying 'I reveal nothing', you use niets. If you wanted to say 'I do not reveal it', you would use niet and say verklap ik het niet.
Can de schuld mean something else besides 'the guilt'?
Yes! Besides 'the guilt' or 'the blame', de schuld is also commonly used in Dutch to mean 'the debt' (like money you owe). You rely on the context of the sentence to tell which one it is.
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