Breakdown of Wij zitten op het balkon dat in het zuiden ligt.
wij
we
in
in
zitten
to sit
op
on
liggen
to lie
het zuiden
the south
dat
that/which (relative pronoun)
het balkon
the balcony
Questions & Answers about Wij zitten op het balkon dat in het zuiden ligt.
Why do we use dat instead of die in this sentence?
Because it refers back to het balkon. Since balkon is a het-word (a neuter noun), we must use the relative pronoun dat to say 'that' or 'which'. If we were talking about a de-word, like de tuin (the garden), we would use die.
Why does the verb ligt go at the very end of the sentence?
The second part of the sentence (dat in het zuiden ligt) is a relative clause, meaning it gives extra information about the balcony. In Dutch, a relative clause follows the rules of a subclause, so the conjugated verb (ligt) gets pushed to the very end of that clause.
Could I just say dat in het zuiden is instead of using ligt?
You would be understood, but native Dutch speakers strongly prefer positional verbs like liggen (to lie), staan (to stand), or zitten (to sit) to express where things are located. We use liggen here because geographical regions and flat areas on a map typically 'lie' somewhere.
Why does the sentence use zitten instead of a verb for 'we are'?
English uses the verb 'to be' a lot for locations (like 'We are on the balcony'), but Dutch prefers to describe your exact physical position. Since you are likely sitting in a chair out there, you use zitten (to sit). If you were standing out there, you would say Wij staan op het balkon.
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