Breakdown of Weet u of de burgemeester die daar staat, ook komt?
u
you (formal)
ook
also / -ever (concessive particle)
daar
there
komen
to come
Questions & Answers about Weet u of de burgemeester die daar staat, ook komt?
Why do we use die to mean "who" in this sentence?
The word die points back to de burgemeester (the mayor). Because burgemeester is a de-word, we must use die as the relative pronoun (which translates to "who", "that", or "which"). If it were pointing back to a het-word, we would use dat instead.
Why are there two verbs right next to each other (staat, ook komt)?
This happens because one clause is nested inside another! The word of (if/whether) creates a "subordinate clause" and pushes its verb (komt) to the very end of the sentence. But right in the middle, we have a relative clause (die daar staat), which also pushes its own verb (staat) to the end of its specific section. The comma separates the end of the first clause from the continuation of the main one.
Just to review, why is komt at the very end of the sentence?
The word of (meaning "if" or "whether") introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch, subordinate clauses always push their verbs to the very end. The core of this clause is of de burgemeester ook komt (if the mayor is also coming), but the relative clause interrupts it.
Why does the Dutch say die daar staat (who stands there) instead of just using the verb for "is"?