Breakdown of Wij hebben de zaag nodig, omdat we het hout zagen.
wij
we
hebben
to have
nodig
needed
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
omdat
because (subordinating)
het hout
the wood
de zaag
the saw
zagen
to saw
Questions & Answers about Wij hebben de zaag nodig, omdat we het hout zagen.
How would I add "with it" to the second part of the sentence using what we are learning in this lesson?
To say "because we saw the wood with it," you use the fused word ermee (er + met). It would look like this: ...omdat we het hout ermee zagen.
Why is nodig placed after de zaag?
The Dutch phrase for "to need" is nodig hebben. In a main clause, the verb hebben takes the normal second position, and nodig gets pushed to the end of that clause, wrapping around the object (de zaag).
Why does the verb zagen go at the very end of the sentence?
The word omdat (because) introduces a subclause. In Dutch, a subclause always sends its verbs to the very end.
Is it just a coincidence that zaag and zagen look so similar?
Not at all! de zaag is the noun "the saw," and zagen is the verb "to saw." It is very common in Dutch for tools and their actions to share the same root.
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