Breakdown of Het kasteel dat op de heuvel ligt, is prachtig.
zijn
to be
op
on
liggen
to lie
de heuvel
the hill
Questions & Answers about Het kasteel dat op de heuvel ligt, is prachtig.
Why do we use dat instead of die for 'that' in this sentence?
We use dat because it refers back to het kasteel, which is a het-word. For singular het-words, the relative pronoun is always dat. If we were talking about a de-word, like de berg (the mountain), we would use die instead.
Why is the verb ligt placed right before the comma?
The phrase dat op de heuvel ligt is a relative clause (a clause that adds information about a noun). In Dutch, relative clauses use subclause word order, which means the conjugated verb (ligt) gets pushed to the very end of that clause.
Why are there two verbs right next to each other (ligt, is)?
The relative clause is interrupting the main sentence, which is simply Het kasteel is prachtig. The first verb (ligt) belongs at the end of the relative clause. Once that clause finishes at the comma, the main sentence immediately continues with its own verb (is).
Could I say dat op de heuvel is instead of using ligt?