Word
Zij weten niet of die attractie vandaag open is.
Meaning
They don't know if that attraction is open today.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Zij weten niet of die attractie vandaag open is.
Why is the verb is at the end of the sentence?
The word of (meaning "if" or "whether") introduces an indirect question, which acts as a subclause. In Dutch subclauses, all verbs are pushed to the very end. So instead of the standard order is vandaag open, it becomes vandaag open is.
Wait, doesn't of usually mean "or"?
Yes, of is the standard Dutch word for "or". However, it also means "if" or "whether" when you are forming an indirect yes/no question. Because the first part of the sentence is Zij weten niet (They don't know), it sets up an indirect question, so of translates to "if" here.
Could I use kennen instead of weten here since both mean "to know"?
No, you must use weten. Kennen is used for being familiar with a noun, like a person, place, or thing (e.g., "I know John"). Weten is used for knowing facts, pieces of information, or when introducing a whole new clause like this one.
Why is it die attractie instead of dat attractie?
The word for attraction is a de word (de attractie). When you want to say "that" pointing to a de word, you must use die. If you were pointing to a het word, you would use dat.