Breakdown of Het kantoor dat hij ontwerpt, is heel modern.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
heel
very
het kantoor
the office
dat
that/which (relative pronoun)
ontwerpen
to design
modern
modern
Questions & Answers about Het kantoor dat hij ontwerpt, is heel modern.
Why do we use dat here instead of die?
We use dat because it refers back to kantoor, which is a singular het-word (het kantoor). If we were talking about a de-word or a plural noun, we would use die instead.
Why does the verb ontwerpt come at the end of the dat part?
The phrase dat hij ontwerpt is a relative clause, which is a type of subclause. In Dutch subclauses, the main verb gets pushed to the very end.
Why are there two verbs right next to each other (ontwerpt, is)?
The entire phrase Het kantoor dat hij ontwerpt acts as one big subject. The comma shows where the extra information ends. Right after this long subject, the main sentence continues with its verb (is).
What is the infinitive (dictionary form) of ontwerpt?
The infinitive is ontwerpen (to design). Because the subject of the relative clause is hij (he), we take the stem of the verb (ontwerp) and add a -t.
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